The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-04-25

rector, voice raped out quiet people, !"
and the laughter brought on by the
lines and the captains loud roars got
the actors laughing over their own lines
and the director to smiling and then
once again speed up, speed up! This
rehearsal is dragging. Look over your
parts before you come here tomorrow
nightw l want your props too. I
want the dog" and for the seven.
tenth time he reinformed them that
were playing this at the Jefferson
Friday, you know" The action started
again at this take that entrance again"
and once more quiet and comedy and
tragedy began.
Not for long. William Sylvanus
Baxter, Junior, went through all that
humiliating scene in which he had to
accompany Genesis. the old negro help
about the house, down to the second
hand store to bring home the wash
boiler and pans that his mother had
bought. Upon this scene Genesis .drags
his feet and his dog that even the
President couldn't run off" and COM
plications ensued Immediately. Once
again the captain nearly broke up the
show.
"Hoooohh no! good lord look at
that old negro! Listen to him talk.
Amt he Niger! Look at his mouth
you know he's just chawing quietly on
a big piece O. tobacco. Listen to that
high pitched chuckle o. his. We used
to have an old man about the house
just like him except he used to call me
young marster and / used to get all
swelled up. I amt never cared much
for Tarkington's way o. writing and
spelling niger talk, but that man sho
knows how to talk it. / amt lived
with cotton field niggers for nothing.
He's got the lingo down pat. He looks
like an old half-decrepit one and he's
white now and has got on a Tuxedo
coat or whatdoo-you-calle Bet he's
funnier still when he's black"
Crash. Bang. And Willie and
Genesis and the hound dawg make an
untimely, entrance squarely in front
of Willie's inamorata, Miss Lolo Pratt.
To the loud crash of tin pals and
tubs poor Willie's savoir faire turns
into ignominious rout. MY Baby Talk
Lady" sees Sidney Carton, Junior, max
ing an entrance with a tin tub over his
head and there's no idea of knights in
armored helmets and flying plumes
back of it. The captain shouts out loud
in his merriment. "Oh, Wil-lee,
My lord how l feel for that
Look at him droop. Watch
his mouth sag. Amt he you and me
when we was young! He's the other
high light in this here show to me. He
looks young, too, but guess he's
something over seventeen after all. but
It's hard for me to believe it. Look at
all the rush O. his acting and he amt
forced, none, with it. He makes me
hurt all over. A while ago when he
sits down and casually, oh very casually
talks to his 'Milady' and he gives her
that copy O. his poem, just a spare one
he happens to have in his pocket, but
which he managed to get signed and
tied up with a ribbon accidentally sort
Of, he made me sit on the edge O. my
chair and I clean forgot to laugh.
Twas too real and too much like what
[ used to be. He's another one o. those
folks what can act and make me forget
I'm a watching a play. That's the sure
test I uses to judge for myself whether
/ person is, to me, real actor"
Scenes shift about and odds and ends
fit together and rehearsal goes on.
Into the different scenes drift on and
off player after player. One forgets
the time listening and suddenly plop
back to earth one comes as in the midst
Of the stage business in the very mid
die of a line the voice of the director
barks out to Joe Bullet, Where in
the name of reason did you get that
hair cut? You look like you've been in
4 fire" and Joe colors up and is con-
fused and the captain ssnorts and turns
10 me, Now. listen to that. I'll bet
~ fa1lAr- 70
must have made him feel like the dick
ems / love to. see the inside workings
o. things. Remember all that wild pub
licity some movie actress had not so
long ago because she let 'em cut off her
hair and got paid scads O dollars for
IL. Poor Joe had to have his cut and
now he gets bawled out for it. Shows
you these here folks don't have all beer
and skittles with all their play acting.
You got ter work, sort of, for all the
fine things. That there director is
shure putting 'em over the Goals to-
night. I'll bet it amt much fun, some
times to have him get sarcastic
like with you. Well you can't get
for nothing and they all must
get a deal O. pleasure out O the acting
and to Get that they's got to work like
the divvile and they's got to have their
hair cut just right and put up with be-
ing balled out and all o that. But
shucke, they'll forget it all when they
gets to going full tilt in the acting and
the folks out front won't ever know
what those up there on the stage had /
to do to make a thing live before their
eyes. Listen to that blond girl. Watch
her talk and handle her men, They
must all be at least sixteen or seven
teen. She does it like she was queen
holding out her hand for her courtiers
to kiss and bestowing her favOrs on
EN-. Sometimes I'd sort O. like to be
A woman Just SOS could be run after
and all O that. Amt she good, but
amt she silly to us! Baby talk! Poor
Mr.. Parcher, he's about to throw a con-
niption fit over it and / guess / would
too il / had to have it MORN noon and
night, And watch Willies mother.
Poor soul! She knows what an awful
time Willie'S havin' and she sort O.
must know that poor Willie'S pa amt
50 sympa thetic O. Willie as he might be
and between her two men and her CAB
binR little girl she's got handsfull. Me,
| wouldn't be a mother for anything.
I amt got enough sympathies, l amt.
Don't she look nice and sweet Say,
what time is it? 1 got to get back to
town and this shows most over. Come
or down with me and I'll get you some
tobacco brought from Egypt. It's
right good for a change"
We tip-toed out to the stacatto
admonitions of '"quiet, peOplel Take
that entrance again. We're putting this
thing on at the Jefferson Friday aft
ernoon, you KNOW"
Hearts of Two.