The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1936-04-28
Down Memory Lane
With MARC CONNOLLY


Something happened - SnotD,
rain, tlot wheels or tDhGtnot-
to delay US. So tUhen De ar
rived the curtain tDdS falling on
Act / OF "Cyrdno" Mansfield
tDdS out in front taking his botOS
and hoW he loUed 'em! He
caught sight of US sitting dotDn
in the Dor, and raised his hand
to still the tremendous applause.
my friends, methinks you en-
joyed the performance you have
just witnessed" he said in thai
deep, oratorical voice of his. HiE
Judgment was affirmed by another
burst of handclapping.
Then I offer you a treat" he
went on. II have Just observed ar
older friend-a distinguished col
league-in yonder box. For YOU
benefit, and his, I will repeat Act
I of Monsieur RoStand'S magni
= ficent play!"
And damned if he didn't. have
heard Of actors taking 80 curtain
calls, Lut it's probably unique If
theatrical history for a star tt
play a whole act over again. MY
recollection is that I thought ther
it was the usual thing.
"In addition to writing dra-
matte critiques, Connolly, you'll
be expected to note the arrival
of Out-Of-tOwn buyers, find out
what lines they're in the market
for, and do daily descriptive ar.
ticles on the current trends in
wOmen'S clothing"
That's what my boss told me
when I had been working a little
while on a trade paper called tbs
Garment News, in New York city
After having been a columnist OF
sorts in Pittsburgh, this extra
work-plus the assignment Of try
ing to sell advertising Or the
sheet-had no particular appeal
TO me.
So the Garment News got
, another drama editor. The Morn
ing Telegraph got me, as a leg
man gathering trifling items fol-
the older theatrical writer's.
1t tDas thus / met George S.
KGutmGn, tDho tDGs a second
string revteDer on the NeW York
Times, and thus / got to 1Driting
plays with George as collGbor-
Gtor. ! got a stDeH laugh out of
George at our first meeting. We
got to talking casually one night
in the lobby of the NetD AmSter-
dam TheGter.
George had written his first
play, called Some One in the
House." George c. Tyler produced
it and it was going very badly.
People just wouldn't go to see it.
There was a flu epidemic that
winter, and the newspapers in big
type were warning their readers,
Avoid Crowds!"
1--WE just given George Tyler
q great idea for an ad for his
theater," Kaufman told me. He
handed me a slip of paper read
ing "AvOid CrOwds-gO to see
Some One in the House."
It's great to begin a friendship
with a laugh.
The. woman who had PLAYED
t"Roxanne" to Richard Mansfield'E
"CJrano" so many years before was
RoSelle Knott, splendid actress.
She had long since retired from
the stage when I hit New York,
and was running a theatrical
rooming house on Thirty-seventt
Street near Sixth Avenue. Quite
by accident I took lodgings there
"Took lodgings" is a euphem,
ism. Six of us youngsters, all with
tiny jobs or without jobs at times
shared a big double room. In ad
dition to the human inhabitants,
there were eight Airdales, parents
and puppies.
One Of the gallant six was
hoping to get 1lch by breeding
dogs, as he struggled with his
art inclinatiOns. He hasn't done
30 badly since then, what with
caricaturing and writing. His
name is John Held, jr.
Hal Burrows was another. He
has since become one of the great
poster artists of the country
Many a time the whole six of Vi
lived on the proceeds of drawing:
and paintings made by Hal anc
Johnnie for publishers of seec
catalogues. Halls brother, Carlyle
now distinguished art critic, wa.
another Of us, and Paul Perez, tn
writer, still another.
Maybe struggling youth in thu
quarter Latin led more haphaz
ard, harum-scarum lives than ",
did. But I'm not so sure of it.
X AZ
George Kaufman and I wrot,
q play together called "Dulcy,
about dumb but lovable girl, VIII
was always saying the most obvi
GUS, bromide sort of things. IT
never rains but IL pours.
When you want a policeman you
can never find one. e." that kint
Of stuff.
George Tyler was to produc'