The Washington times., 1934-06-18
Initiates Mansfield

was Beau Drummer with Rlcn-
ard Mansfield as star. Edgar and
Winchell Smith gave an imita-
tion. OF Mansfield in the ushers'
dressing room one night and
Mansfield, passing through before
the doors opened for the per-
forn1ance, spotted them. Instead
Of being angry, Mansfiel d
laughed good naturedly and gave
Edgar his first chance as a. pro-
fesSional actor in his season OF
repertoire.
Winchell Smith, wever,
couldn't stand Edgar's sudden
rise in the .theater, so, he got G
part. with william Gillette in
Secret Service" at the Garrick
Theater. He boaSted about 1t
so much that sneaked over to
see him. He carried a gun and
spoke q few lines and then I be-
came jealous. I couldn't get
job as an actor so I had to re-
main at the Herald Square The
ater as an usher. Max Bleiman,
under. whose management the
theater was operated, made ME
assistant in the box-offtce some
time later so I figured I had 1t
on both Edgar and WincheH be-
cause / could get passes. =.
The Spanish-American War
broke out soon after and I Joined
the 7ist New York Regiment and
went to Cuba. Here I struck up
a friendship with Colonel Theo-
dore Roosevelt that lasted for
many, many years.
7 liked Cuba so much that
after the war I returned with
three other boys and we started
a laundry business with modern
American methods. "A hurricane
came along and blew the laundry
out of existence.
Back in New York again, I de-
cided to try the laundry ousl-
ness locally. My first customer
was Morris Gest. who at that
time was the dresser for Dan
Daley, then playing at the Herald
Square Theatre.
It was tough getting theatrical
business because my chlet op-
position, was Sam Harris, who
ran q laundry himself. The only
difference between us, though
was that Sam Harris had a horse
and wagon while piled my trace
With :ohiy 20 two wheel casef
Ptay.Brokers ~ !.
The laundry business somehow
didn't have the lure OF the
theatre and when Edgar returned
from the road-oh, yes, he was
still acting-we decided to go
into the, play brokerage business,
ana we opened offices in ChlGds
Puildine on Thirty-fourth Street.
which was then the heart OF the
Great White Way.
Mrs. Spooner. mother OF tne
stage stars Cecil and Edna May
snooner. was our first important
client. She operated one OF the
most successful stock companies
Of the period in Brooklyn and
needed lots of plays, which we
cot for them. I shall never Tor
Get the Spooner family. for they
were. very helpful with their, aa-
vice.
Getting Henry Arthur Jones,
England's brilliant dramatlst,, 10
let ms represent him in America,
rave me, the greatest thrill OF
INV life. He was one Of the MOST
charming men it has been my
pleasure ever to meet in the
theater. -,
Among our other early clients
were Charles Klein and Eugene
walter, In my opinion, Eugene
water wrote one Of ? theTs(out-
Standing plays of the century in
1"T Easiest Way" which David
Belasco pfodueed. This was writ
ten, in. q hut at Belle Island.
Cdnn., where Eugene read us his
first draft. -,"
Charles. Klein came through
for us with "The Gamblers"
through which I first met Jane
CVwl. Later Miss Cowl became
one Of Americas truly great stars
under the managerial banner OF
SelWyn & Company. In AL the
wears She worked for us. there
was never a contract between us
During the long engagement of
'The Gamblers I organized the
American Play Company which
was a merger Of the business be-
ing conducted by ourselves and
that of Elizabeth Marbury and
John Rumsay. At the time we
formed this amalgamation, Miss
Markury represented the Pathe
Picture Company Of France. Sew
eral Of the directors came to New
York with the intention Of build
ing q. motion picture studio and
asked Miss Marbury to represent
them 1nSthsir negotiations. Miss
Mathurv put the proposition to
me and after a lengthy discus.
sion we decided we were show
men and could not be interested
in any business that was based
on q ten. cents admission charge.
This was, the beginning Of the
vast motion picture industry and
-AAanlA hnHrn hnAsa tho