The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-06-29
In New York

New York.--in the wvitlng trade here is an unwrltten axiom to the effect that nothing suooeeds like success story. lt isn't con. sidered news when failure bites Q man.
 But I believe the case os Hal sksliy ItsiS ;n aiHisU, aaSis;on to Ss. ss. generation, probably was the un- couldn't call him q failure, exactly, for he had a full life, and hls hours of triumph on the Broad- way that he loved. And certainly hO would have been the last per. son to admit that fate had treated him shnbbily.
 Yct for 2s years, from the time he was i5 and ran away from hiS iowa homo to join c circus, hls ca- reer was strangely Bhadowed by violence and misfortune. As Q rouBter, he was nearly killed by q bad elephant. Then he became on acrobatlc clown and ono night tried to vault from . sprinBbonrd ovor four elephants. In . few wooks ho was out of tho hospital and out oF the circus, Next no joined q drunken medicine show opsrator and dia. all tho work. He played professional baseball with the Boston Braves, hut couldn't keep up tho pace. He managed c prize fighter until ono evotlnE scheduled opponent failed to show ID and Bkelly aps penred in the ring. Ho accidentAIs Iy knocked down his own protcge, who theroupon rose up and prnc- ticuliy murdered his manugpr. Next Hkells wont Into light opera and stock coinpanios. He was he- ginning to do very Woll when the war came along. Hc quit and took N' Alter the war he tried scores of roles and always played them com petcntly, but the plays tlici,l. selves were unBucceHBful. In l02Y, when no opened as Skid in "l3,ir. icgque," it seumcd that at last he had rlvved. Tho show was C hIt and critics cheered his geniub through the Broadway engage. mcnt, the road tour and the fnovio version. Yct nobody pursued hlni with fat contracts, and pretty soon ho was out of . Job. Months later hO starred In "MelOdy" and agpin was acclaimed. But hls reward was another period Of idlcntss. Thig last season he appeared ID two plays. Critics turned hand- spvlnga for slieiiy, but the shows soon closed. I
 Some time ago he cracked up | l.. AIn aInsataAa nAA AneuAsuiaJ nk. capped death. A few evenings ago traln. t was his last strokc Of bad luck.
 irony of Tate.
 The rjaltO tells another tale of | III fortuiie --thiB ono about q girl, Bhe came out Of C middle. Westefh city about five years ago, cntne with beauty and youth, talent snd ambition. Within . HeDhon Bhe Ind become uHdurBtudy for q celebrat- cd ytnr and several fiipnagerH
 nado nontai note that they'd have to Do on tho lookout Tor q play tor her.
 4 cu!i came the next autumn. She spent an afternoon ih q chilly theator, read some lines, and was prOmleed the part. A few days Inter she had pneumonia, ana tho show was cast without hor. lle- GoyCrod from her illneBs, but waHt- cd by it, Ahs went back to under.
 HRe met and iovcd q young maD, niau Of the theater. Arrange. ments were madb for wedding at her homo out in Missouri, and on tho eve of their departure C pFoducer wrote to her, offering tho second.best role in q now comedy. She declined at0utly because they'd been planning for months on m Hawaiian honeymc0n. When they came back she took another job an an under.tudy;
 within . year . child was born to then--and tho fathpr disd two weeks iater in . traffic accident Now tho glrl simply had to SO t0 work; she was 10 debt and her parentg had lost evcrythink 10 ' hank crash. borrowfuliy she gave Up her baby fcv. apotlon, Fonounc- ing Aii cieiEfi to t, and became the uncdrstudy Of q star. - .
 m Aftor.4 couple Of. Of years ], sn a.1s rais,y J, asSis SSinV"yS oi starsIns n 'i hss own w IriEht. One day . pfodueing office called. oSS'd SSS rcad sHS sps pasrt"Y " 'sSs AiHsd tumHlssd Into the subway, eager, almost happy agaln. Across the aisle aat ( woman with Q 2.ycag-pid child. The world spun dlssily The act- ross knew that the child was her
 6he went on to tho tryept, put | was 70 upset that sho fumbls4 the
 t.ts SaSl ;h. "ia ssdsss Giss,d sSs w0Ti i,i lot you Do the NnderBtudy." F