The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-03-08
In New York
By PAUL HARRISON


 New York.-For a good many years the theatrical world has been beating a path to a house on Sixty second street, past the French but Ter and up four luxuriously fur nished floors to the studio of Frances Robinson-Duff. She is the lady to whom David Belasco al- ways referred as "The Great Teach er"-and the capitals are his.
 She teaches actors and actresses how to breathe, and then How to act-inflection, enunciation, ges- ture, posture, everything. Helen Hayes, Dorothy Gish, Ruth Chat terton, Frieda Hempel, Constance Bennett. Clark Gable, Biuie Burke, Peggy Joyce, Mary Pickford and Cornelia Otis Skinner have gone to 'her. The whole list, though, would include practically all the great names '. of. the stage and many of the screen. Ina Claire has taken lessons for thirteen years, and is still going. Katharine Hepburn received all her theatri- cal schooling under Miss Robin son-Duff, and during her recent return to the Broadway stage had two or three appointments a day.
 The atmosphere of the whole place is exciting and impressive. All during the day the little office with its two secretaries overflows with students untifthey are sitting on the stairs outside reading over their lesson scripts. One at a time, they are admitted to the nile green, skylighted. Louis Seize studio, and the imposing presence of the fla nous dramatic coach. At one end of the room is little platform with sort of red throne on which Miss Robinson-Duff sits to hear and watch her pupils. ,.s
 No one who can face her with assurance need worry about break ing down before a first-night au- dience. She is so critical that some actresses have said their names were in big lights on Broadway be- fore they realized they were mak- ink any progress at all. Her poise and personality are so dominant that 1t is hard to select personal details, such as that she is a large woman with big eyes and a nice smile and such 8 young face that the length of her career almost de- fies belief.
 Her mother is Sarah Robinson Duff, who was one of the great vocal teachers of Paris. Mary. Gar den was one of her star pupils. About 80 now,e she lives on, the second floor Of the Sixty-second street house and still gives les son occasionally.
 Frances always wanted to
 be a dramatic coach, and in
 Paris studied with Sarah; Bcrnhardt's teacher, to whom,
 Bernhardt went regularly up
 to the time of her dcath.
 Frances knew everybody of
 consequence over there; her
 studio is plastcred@ with pho- tos and tributes from contfn- ental celebrities. r It was Julia Marlowe who in- sisted that she go on the stage. She was there eleven years, first in London, and made her Ameri. can debut in 1902. In that. play, '"The Way of the, World" were Alison Skipworth. l"an actress who may excel in character studies some day." said a: critic, and Thomas Meighan, "a, young man somewhat suited, but generally promising" Miss Robinson Duff also taught in Paris for several years, collaborating with !, Andre Bacque, director of the Comedi' Francaise. Served i'm War
 Enrico Caruso was one of, hei early pupils. She taught him how to breathe. Breathing is her hob by, by the way. During the World war she went to France and wal given a special division in bi, hospital to rebuild the lungs o1 gassed soldieys. To-day she give. part of her time to similar worl in New York's Bellevue.
 1 Her classifications of. tone ani infection. and her ideas on ges tures-"the language of the emo tional souP'-sound pretty com plicated. but she drills them into her pupils until proper reactioni become automatic. One, of, he triumphs of the current seasoi was to put Carol Stone,i Fred youngest daughter, into a majol role of a Broadway. play within four days, It was an emergenc. substitution, and the girl won crit ical huzzahs on her first perform ance without having had a singl rehearsal with the cast. ' =. s..f '.YD