Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-06-06
Troupers
Glirnpses of Stage Folk
in Washington.

THE young men of LOOMS School,
sedate and fashiona bic academy
for junior gentlemen, located in Con-
nectlcut. had no exact ideas where
they might find their amiable class
mate. Paul Draper, 10 years from the
examination week Of 1925. They we're
properly too preoccupied with holiday
dreams and scholastic nightmares to
give the question especial thought.
Had they paused to reflect on the
probaba lties, undoubtedly the last
place they might have chosen would
have been the stage Of the Earle
Theater in Washington, D. c.
If they were up on their genealogy.
they knew their blond and athletic
friend as relative of Charles Dana
the great editor of the New York
Sun; as nephew Of Ruth Draper,
Who was establishing herself as one Of
the most unique and arresting per-
sonages of the American stage; as a
boy whose uncles and cousins were on
the Change or in banking houses
In the book of antecedents there was
not the slightest suggestion that he
might turn out to be a tap dancer
6 creative artist in field that has
been hammered to death by energetic
copists.
Least Of all had Draper himself
ever specialized on such a career. He
had vague notions of becoming an
engineer, profession wherein he
could combine precision and mag
nation After brief period of study
in an institute of technology, how
ever, he decided he was not prepared
to put in four years of hard APP
renticeship and another six or seven
years Of practice before achieving
eloquence in his medium.
He turned next TO writing. presup-
posing that the inner emotion, the
idea, and the outer expression some
how magically became one in that
craft. He was an assistant music
critic on the New York World for
while, suffered the usual beWilderment
when his expansive treatiseS were
chopped to brief paragraphs, and
quickly convinced himself that he had
missed again.
Quite incidentally during his splurge
as a journalist, Draper had learned
few casual routines in tap dancing.
Left with only that pasttime to alb
sorh his energies, he decided to take
q fling at it professionally. He went
to London, where step dancers" are
neither so proficient nor so inevitable
as in this country: found some work,
used his letters of Introduction to
Lord Rothmere, G. B. Shaw, Noel
Coward and sundry others; was event.
ually challenged for not having a
labor permit Next he proceeded to
Paris. again landed a job easily, be-
gan to think he was rather a clever
fellow in this entertainment business.
In Juan Les Pins, his third foreign
stop. he was stranded, compelled to
write home for money to get back to
the States. His family were pleased
to send it. Obviously the boy had
learned his lesson.
Instead, he returned far more keen
than before. Believing that he was
ready to hold audiences spell-bound
with his rhythmic antics, be it in
vaudeville or shows, he went around
to metropolitan booking Offices. In
one of them he saw team of hooters
trying out. They did steps he would
not have dared attempt. He remarked
to himself and others that they were
positively marvellous. He was
abruptly informed that they were
quite third rate, if any rate at all.
Young Mr.. Draper, fresh from Con-
tinental successes and one flop skip
81. sat down to think that one over.
Without any vast amount of cerebral
ton, he came to the ripe conclusion
that there we're several things he
ought to learn. He set out to learn
them.
This is the first OF ttDo articles on
Paul Draper. The second tUiH appear