The Washington times., 1934-07-09
Born July 4

FUSt i remember my nome III
East Cambridge, Massachusetts,,
whore I was born on July 4th. My
father, Thomas Royal. was an
artist. Q sculptor. He was work
ing over some prints, designing q
chandelier for q church. And he
stopped to put in motion q toy
electric train I had been given.
/ remember the train running on
its track on the marble top Of q
dresser.
Then when I was seven or
eight years old a great thing hap
pened. I became assistant to the
assistant passer-out Of handbillS
which announced that the local
amateur theatrical company on
that very evening would tread the
boards in such and such q pereor-
nance. I was promoted and pro-
noted until I became chief pas
Ser-Out Of bill and was allowed to
see the performance itself. It was
thus early that the theater began
! to influence my life.
I remember the first perfor.
nance 7 ever saw. 1t was q
vaudeville bin at the old Bijou in
Boston. It was presented by B.
+. Keith for whom was later to
work. Little did dream that
events were even then shaping my
career. ] remember that bill. On
1t were some tnmblerS. can see
them now leaping out Of windows
in the set. And later the troupe
was booked into q theater I was
managing in Cleveland! I remen.
ber their nameS-the Boganny
troupe.
I remember Charlie Crowley,
who was later coach at Columbia.
Charlie and myself thought we
were going to be great runners.
And recollect how some Of the
older boys would suggest that we
play "hare and hounds" and how
we would always be the "hareS," :"
and how we would run our legs
off only to find out later that the
hounds were not faithful in their
bounding, and how, when We re-
turned, we generally found them
sitting around talking and laugh
ing.
?: e.. 49,
Then there was school and high
school. I quit in my second year
Of high school, and got my first
job as night office boy in Boston
on the Post. My early training
with Crowley stood me in good
stead. I could get stories from
the city room to the composing
room in nothing flat. Then came
the ambition to write. All those
with whom I came in contact were
reporters and editors.
One time I told the city editor
I had . great story. He told me
to write it. I sat down, and when
I had finished had pages and
pageS-an about the great theft
Of some lead pipe from a wash
room. I couldn't wait for the
paper to come up from the press
room. And when it did. There
was my great story all boiled down
to about four lines. My heart was
broken.
In the meantime my interest in
the theater had not abated. I
used to go to Keith'S vaudeville
every week. Finally I was made
assistant city editor and it was
said I was one Of the youngest
desk men on newspapers at that
time.
Later there was a staff shake.
up and I left. The next day I
went to work for Keith, handling
publicity. Now Keith had a habit
Of testing out his men. He didn't
want his employees to get Swelled
head. And so ] got an assignment
to 60 up into New England and
post quarter Sheets" He wanted
to find out whether I was too
proud to do this kind of work.
Keith Tests Men
I put on some overalls and
started out. I learned that he had
been born at Hillsboro Bridge, N.
H., and I literally plastered the
town with the posters which ad-
vised one and all to see Keith
vaudeville. His home was at Keene.
N. H. where Dennan Thompson
lived. I repeated the treatment
there. I even put some on TOP of
Mt. Washington. It must have
pleased him, for in three months I
was sent to Cincinnati to take
charge Of his house there.
I got there just at the time of
the great flood that engulfed Day
ton, Ohio. Trains were tied up
and we couldn't get our acts in
from out Of town.
7 remember that David War.
field and Nora BayeS had been
playing Cincinnati. They had
closed and 50 went to them and
asked them if they Would do q
vaudeville turn. Warfield, over
come by my brashness, chuckled
and said he would If he couldn't
get out Of town. The next day
he managed to get a train and I
had to go out in a row boat and
collect some local acts.
One day I had to go to Cleve-