The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-02-25
Girls Back Stage Wear
Aprons, Wedding Rings
and Dor1't Smoke Fdgs
Frances Jones Tells of Scenes Back of Curtain Grand
When Greenwich Follies Were in Town-Real
Hand Made Chantilly Lace Dresses.

q drum under his arm. "Humph," he
snorted. property man went down TO
the dime store to get some more tin
trays. and left that job for somebody
else to do
OF course. a part of my business
being the writing of weddings. I asked
whether or not any girls in the COM
pany were married. "Oh. several of
them" replied the manager. Marie,
he called to a girl who was ready for
the cameo scene. come here and let let
the lady see your dress Marie
didn't bulge. Marie he called
again. And Marble moved not. MAR
jorie." he half shouted. And that time
she sauntered up to us to show us-how
her dress was made. shes wearing
a wedding ring" I commented as Mar
jie skipped on the stage. Yep. she's
my wife" he answered
Clothes of Real Material.
The dresses. by the way. that the
girls wore in the cameo scene were
made of a most beautiful piece of silk
failIe The shawls they wore were
real honest-to-goodness Paisley. beau
weight. The girl in this scene who
weight The girl in this scene VIVA
wore a hand made. Chantilly lace
dress. I know it was hand made be-
cause 1 examined it. The wardrobe
mistress told me it was a copy of a
dress made in Paris for Olive Thorn
as, Jack Pickford's wife. and that she
had appeared in one picture wearing
the dress.
The wardrobe mistress is an inter
esting person. She is a professional
packer. If the ordinary person had
her skill in packing they'd never have
TO pack a trunk when going on a visit
into a suitca Sc. She knew exactly in
what corner everything was placed
and could produce it on a second s
notice 1t also keeps her busy darn
ing and mending all the tiny rents
and tears in the costumes.
Perhaps when you sat out in the
audience you wished you knew what
make of silk hose the chorus girls
WORE Well 1 asked the wardrobe
mistress and they were Mc-Oh. well.
forgot ! can't advertise hosiery.
even Tor the chorus. All the huge
fans which were used in one scene
were packed in one big trunk together
with the hats.
Changing indies, Etc.
It seems that a dressing room is a
mighty hard place to see into. Well.
perhaps, if three or four of us were
in one room trying to change our
undies, We wouldn't be keen on having
reporter hanging around. either.
Each girl is given a big sheet in which
are various sized pockets. In each
pocket are put her various changes of
slippers, stockings and changes at the
close of her act.
Did you wonder why the little
Japonette didn't respond to an encore
when she danced with the jazz band
If you could have seen her, perha ps
you wouldn't have clapped quite SO
long, for she dropped in a chair placed
| just outside the wings, with arms and
| legs outflung. actually fighting for her
breath. After five minutes or so when
she was breathing normally. it was
time to skip around to the other side
Of the state and wait for her cue FOR
! the next dance.
The girls get about SIS per week
very few of 'em have bobbed hair.
Marie. the stage managers wife. had
real blonde hair. but was an honest
| to-goodness italian blonde, he said.
! They get on the average of six hours
sleep a night All this 1 learned be-
| hind the scenes. Surely it was a trifie
disillusioning. but an interesting dis
! illusionment at that.