The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-07-05
SIGHS FOR THE GOOD OLD DAYS
Veteran Sage1and Remembers Era of Richard Mansfield
BY JACK HOWARD
Times STAFF Writer
THERE is no such thing as


Il bad actor.
Startling as this may seem, you
may take the word of Sam James,
40 North jefferson avenue, and
Sam James should know. An old
time stage hand, Mr.. James says
that ne IS the only man living
VINO was part of the stage force at
the opening Of English's theater
in 1880.
Looking back over his seventy
five years, Mr.. James recalls a
host Of thespian celebrities who
trod the boards in those early for
gotten gas-light days when the
theater belonged to the entire
country and biology had not
usurped the pedestal of drama.
Road shows and one-night
stands we're the order Of the day
then and Keokuk and New York
shared the era's theatrical lumi-
narieS.
Mr.. James familiarity with the
stage was cleaned first hand in
six crowded years from 1876 to
1882 when he shifted scenes,
turned flats hauled on ropes
and arranged lighting effects here
and on the road.
He listened to rumbling ap-
plause greet Lawrence Barrett
portrayal of Hamlet" on that
opening day at English's, he
watched in awe the immortal
Richard Mansfield in Persian
Romance" he thrilled to Frank
Mayo in "Davy Crockett" he
laughed at Sol Smith Russell in
The Poor Relation and he cried
over Kate Claxton in The TWO
Orphans
In all my experience" Mr..
James says, 4 never saw a bad
actor. They we're all good. Some
were better than others that's all"
But" ne recalled smilingly,
none of them could touch a
feather to Richard Mansfield.
Why, he could play to perfection
any part. He always filled the
house.
TT makes me tired" Mr.. James
Il said, the way people referNto
the old school of acting with
scorn. Why, the best actors of
today came from that old school,
either directly or indirectly.
Look at Otis Skinner, George
NJ. Conan and all the BarrymoreS.
Otis Skinner used to play with
Barrett years ago and he is still
going strong"
Mr.. James signs for the good
old days" insofar as acting is con-
cerned, but he is all for the pres
ent where stage hands and their
work are involved, for stage hands
of yeSteryear had no organization
such as now exists.
As a result, Mr.. James con-
fesseS. their work was apt to be
long and their pay short.
I'VE had to work hard in my
time" the veteran stage hand
said. Our equipment was crude
compared to what they have today
and maybe that had something
to do with conditions.
You know, our f1ats-thoSe
pieces of scenery Immediately
coming forward from the back
drop and preceding the wings
sometimes we're no bigger than
twenty feet across.
Many times they had different
scenes painted on either side and,
during an intermiSsion, we hands
would run them to the center of
the stage. CThey were mounted
on rollersO Then we'd turn them
around and run them back.
Sometimes we even used two of
them run together for a back
drop.
"NUR lights" he continued,
~ were all gas and had to be
hand lighted. For this purpose
one man went about with a torch,
with which he lighted all lamps.
"FootlightS were easy, but the
fly well lights had to be lowered
before anything could be done
about them. Now flip of the
switch does most of the work we
had to do by hand"