New-York tribune., 1922-10-08
A Little Ford
YOuC 'tAffOrd
o erlook
Says She Is a Self-Starter
and Them Tells All
About How She Started

girl who opens "fhe Gingham Girl" by
appearing In gingham gown, but,
unlike most .of those Cinderella in
genues, she also closes the show IN
gingham gown. for Helen does not
marry the rich young man from the
city who falls in love with her when
2 he meets her milking the COW. She re-
mains true TO the boy from her own
home town and makes her own fortune
by baking cookies.
Should you really like to make a
fortune baking cookies?" wc asked of
Miss Ford as she ran off the stage
and into the green room after her
eighth encore, still carrying in her
hand the little tin pail filled with
cookie samples.
II should say not. / never wanted to
be anything except an actress"
"Same here" we added.
"But was born in Cohoes!"
"0ur life lines are still running par
al1el."
"Were you really born there, too?
Well, / finally ran away and joined a
stock company in Troy"
$50 did we."
"How strange! Mine was the Shar-
ley Crane Stock Company
"And mine was the Proctor Stock
Company
Later moved out to rutherford.
N. j., to live" said Miss Ford. 81 defy
you to duplicate that!'
''Is that so?" we answered. "Weli,
that ia exactly where we did move to
Rutherford, N. J.'
"Well, here is something you can't
duplicate. My salary that first season
was Si5 week"
so was ours" we answered.
"But / thought it was princely.''
Yes, of course. And we opened in
The Romance of Poor Young Man,
"And I opened in way Down East
That was how got my first start. /
was the towns child wonder / sang
"a lot-and I danced-a little. So one
day l took my courage in my hands
and walked around to the stage door
and called ON Blanche Shirley, the
leading lady.
what can you do?' she asked. Il
can sing ! answered, and began:
Every Morn Bring Thee yiolets.'
Never minds said Miss Shirley, has
tily. DO you dance p sUh, huh,' I
said convincingly. Almost as we'll as
sing So she called in James Crane
the other half Of the company-and
he took me to the manager. She'll be
good to sing in the quartet in "Way
Down East" anyhow he said. we
can give you only $780, he said, and
later he told me that l inquired "a
month"; but know I didn't say that;
was too scared to say anything.
Well, at the end of the week Jim
Crane said: She's terriblel She's so
awful that we'll have to shut up shop
if we keep her. But the manager
George Ford his name was, and is
said: Poor little thing; she's fright
ened We'll keep her, but we'll cut her
salary So l stayed on at S15 week
and tickled to death to get it.
"After that went into vaudeville
and was fairly successful, and when
sang in New York some of the man
ayers heard me and made me some
musical comedy offers. Later was in
Always You and 'The Sweetheart
Shop"
sand you're in tremendous sue
cess now. on Broadway, SO suppose
you have reached your goal"
''No, indeed. wans to do something
bigger. should like to play in q
Barrie piece, and should love to do
something Of Bernard shaw's some
day. In short, want to act! Not
Just enough to be able to appear ir
musical shows, bat really in serious
dramas"
'That's always the way. And here
you are, fitted out with lovely voice
and the ability to "trip it as you sc
on the light fantastic toe"
"But Marie Tempest says that the
frst requisite of an actress is knowl,
edge of singing, and am still studying
all the time. Wait, and you shall ye,
hear me say, in dulcet tones, what
man art thou that, thus bescreened ir
night, so stumbleth on my council? p
Yes, it's Juliet want to bel"