New Britain herald., 1925-05-16
ANNE NICHOLS HAS
 MINE ON BROADWAY
Famed by Critics, It Has
 Broken All Records
By HORTENsE SAUNDERS NEA Service Writer

NEA Service Writer
 New York. May 1G. -- The rich est theatrical "gold mine" on Broadway is owned and operated by woman.
 The mine" Is the play, "Ablo's Irish Rose and the owner is Anne Nichols.
 This month the play broke the record for | Broadway "endurance" mn, previously held by John Gold ems famous "Lightnin' For three solid years, 1t has been running In New York and its fourth birthday finds box office receipts larger than ever and five road companies draw ing good crowds,
 Offered Millions
 Miss Nichols admits that "Abic" Is freak. People have lost track of how much this amazing show all ready has made and Mss Nichols doesn't discuss it, but she admits that she has refused offers as high as a million dollars for the motion picture rights.
 Yes. Able is yielding the gold now" she says. but 1t was mighty hard digging at first. For the first six months it didn't make q nickel, Instead 1t ate up everything l had and everything l could borrow. l went absolutely broke before Able caught on.
 Everyone advised mo to close it. Three of the most famous New York dramatic critics banned it for a year solid. But l believed in Able and I'll tell you why because lhe few people who did come at first to see it came again and again and they brought their families.
 T believe the American audience as q whole wants q clean show that the family can all attend-not one a man sneaks to without his wife ur the wife attends without telling her husband.
 q believe the public is fed up on inc problem play, and the colorlcss propaganda play. They want to laugh"
 Able was written in just five days. Miss Nichols had already been a successful playwright, with Just Mlrricd,' "Lingcr Longer Lefty" and five plays for I'isle OlIara to her credit
 Mir. O'Hura told her the story Of q Jewish boy who had fallen in tove with an Irish girl and the com pications that followed when he tried to conceal from his father the Tact that ho had married outside he faith. Miss Nichols saw such possibilities 10 the plot that sht sought the boy himself -- who lived in the Bronx, and the result of that meeting was "Ab.".'
 Miss Nichols has written nothing since b"causa she has been kept so busy with the business end of "Abic's" career but she plans to write another play this fall as well as prOduc" others.
 "Eyer since have been able 10 hold a pencil l have Writtcn," she said. My first ambition was 10 be Il newspaper writer, but in the lit- tle Georgia town where l lived, there were no opportunities for this, 90 ] went on the stage. much 10 the constcrnation of my parents.
 Worlds Worst ActreS,
 "I believe l was the worst actress in the world. Certainly, l got out of it as soon as | could and went into playwritng. My first play was produced when l was twenty-five.
 "Whrrcas l hated the stage my self, l learned from it more than ] could have from any school Of act ing or writing, because l studied audiences. 1 know how hard it is to get a laugh. l learned the technique of building q laugh.'
 Miss Nichols has one interest above her writing -- that IS her -ycar-old son who has the clear blue eyes and beautiful complexion of his handsome mother,
 Though she has attained a phcno- mcnal success she apparently has far less conccit than the average person. Her direct sincere manner is part Of her charm.
 "Thcre's nothing about Abic to make my head expand particular ly," she says. "Eyon if ] were in cIincd 10 soar in the clouds, all l need to do is read some of the ,hings the critics have said about me. and my two feet get right back on the earth again.
 "I don't know how much longer Able will last but l know there's much gold in the old mine yet"