The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-07-26

~ i'Safl FROM lover TO cover an
Drew $50 Week Now on Movi
"Lots"-He Always Wore His Hor
ors conspicuousIy and You Couldn'
Blame Him for They Frequentl,
Covered the Lack of Clean Shirt
He was of proud and naughty mien
with nose red and dubious at tn,
end. He stalked, in Booths bes
Richard III manner, up to Pop Cald
well, seneschal Of the inner works OF
The Music Box in Forty-fifth street
| says the New York Times, and an
nounced in sonorous, resonant tones
Il would have speech with Mr.. Col
Her"
Hands on hips, head thrown back
one foot and leg advanced, he glow.
cred at Pop like a hungry ogre de-
priyed of snack. He wore a full
skirted, bellying Prince Albert frock
coat, green and shiny with age, dap
pied with glistening spots and with
buttons missing here and there. Stick
ing through one sleeve was an elbow
resembling the breastbone of a lean
turkey. His frayed trousers bottoms
seemed to be racing each other to see
which first would get over the tops
Of split shoes whose uppers gaped
above cracked soles. An ancient silk
careened like scuttled ship atop
shock of black hair, showing rusty
brown Etreaks where the dye had
worn off. whose ends draped a grimy
celluloid collar. Attached to it's front
was shredded neckcloth spot notified
like the coat
Rising from the collar was q lean.
strirgy neck and a face of tight-drawp
skin, old and scanned. But the eyes
We're full of fire, and all of Shake
speare's tragic protagonists were en-
bodied in the grandiloquent pose
OtheIlo, Hamlet, Lear, Macbeth, Rich
ard III Shylock.
Pop" left him there and went to
William Golfers dressing room.
There's ham outside for you, Mr..
he said.
Boil it and bring 1t in" replied Col
Her.
TITS already picked" returned
Pop" Take a look"
Collier descended few steps and
looked around a jog.
Pop that's a nifty" he whis-
Dered. "Send it to Solly Ward. Here,
give him this and shoe him off," He
slipped bill into Pops hand.
The Last Of the Breed.
Must be one of the last of the
freed of ham actors or hamfatters,'
Explained "Pop" as the rumble of an
xpostulating voice hoated up the
tairs. mingled with Pops" staccato
Nuthin more dom, git along"
Ten years ago this time of year
hey were thicker on Broadway than
axicabs are now Origin of the term
iam actor or 'hamfatter'? I've heard
everal versions. The most likely two
re those which ascribe the birth of
lie title to the fact that actors of the
'pe meant always played, or were try
lg to play, Hamlet, and when too low
funds to get cold cream with which
!, remove their makeup used essence
cooked pig.
hen every corner was a listening
ost for a group of actors attendant
| the triumphant recital of someJ
st-in-from -the-road trouper, the ham
tier was In his glory. He was al
ays an actor, always in character,
ways strutting and striding and ..
If he always wore his
urels conspicuously you couldn't !,
anne him, for they frequently covered !
e lack of a clean shirt. He gave
continuous performance along I
.oadway from Weber and Fields ?
Isle hall at Twenty-ninth street to :
furthest north Victoria
Forty-second.
Broadway was his summer resort q
d his were long summers, from June =
September New York had no sum- ),
II theater season in his heyday. He =
me- back from trouping, from all the :
nts Of the compass, with nothing y.
red except the clothes he stood in -
4 unbreakable faith-his seeming
lceit, believe, at bottom was faith
n his own abilities and the big en-
cement that was coming in the fall. Il
Wore Winter Clothes in July
He sweated beneath winter clothes
the July sun and held his conclaves DC
the theater and plays of the future IF
cath the shade Of store awnings he
il the proprietOrs, not looking on tn
as trade-pulling attraction. a
We him away He discovered, long
that the stage and actors were an
enerating and his forebodings were TT
as gloomy as those of our young av
lIectuals Of criticism are today gil
amer furs were not fashionable til,
|, but many leading lady wore co
n if she could afford to keep them lar
er own hands. His wardrobe was hel
'hamfatter's' bank account. his we
id asset, and the pawnbroker Of
it beyond reach of moths for
All through the summer months de-
royal robes of kings and queens inf
the court costumes Of dynasties ne'
in dark recesses, issuing forth in car
fall when the fortunate actor got wo