Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-07-04
Play Of Presidents
Theoter Hos Been, q Recreation
For Them Ever Since Washington
BY WIIiom Glover

III Gt0VEN
9 sinful. devilish device and its
people not socially acceptable.
Two years before the famous
July 4 Of l776. the Continental
Congress resolved that theat-
rical entertainments should
be suspended throughout the
emergency. Washington signed
the document. but continued
his visits to the theater and. in
the dire winter at Valley Forge.
even encouraged his troops to
put on shows like Cato" as a
sort Of Colonial USO morale
project.
Again. on October Is, ITS.
Congress passed a resolution
condemning stage shows and
forbidding "any person hold
ing an Office under the United
States to attend or encour-
age plays. Lafayette. unaware
Of the ruling. happened to in
vite q. w. to q Philadelphia
performance the same evening.
At the last minute. the two de-
cided not to 60.
Baltimore Early
For q few years the strug-
Cling new Nation didn't have
much truck with stagecraft.
but there were sporadic "sea-
sons" In New York and PHIL
adelphia, and Baltimore got o
theater Of It's own in 1881.
The first stage salute, with
set pieces and appropriate
drama. In celebration OF In.
dependence Day took place in
1785 at the John Street Thea
ter here.
Since those early days, the
stage and history have been
closely entwined. The most
tragic episode involving the
alter In the history Of America
was the assassination Of Abra-
ham Lincoln at Ford,s Theater
in Washington. April Il. 1855.
Lincoln also was q man who
thoroughly enjoyed the the
alter and attended whenever
he had the chance The old,
puritanical suspicion Of the
theater still was widespread
when Lincoln died. Many
preachers saw divine punish-
ment being melted out by the
bullet that John Wilkes Booth
fired. Lincoln should never,
the pastors proclaimed, have
attended the theater.
Another war President,
Woodrow Wilson, was perhaps
the next Chief Executive after
Lincoln to be a thorough-going
devotee of the theater. He was
especially fond of vaudeville
and tried never to miss the
weekly change of bill in the
Capital.
Status Improves
In O later era the cast of
Watch on the Rhine"-heirs
OF performers who had been
social outcasts ITS years ear
lier-were honored with a re-
ception at the White House at
which President Franklin D.
Roosevelt presided.
Harry Truman is more of a
theater enthusiast than Rocse-
welt. who got most of his
dramatic entertainment via
motion pictures. Truman's
daughter Margaret is a per-
former on the professional
stage.
An earlier President had an
unhappier brush with the
temperamental world of the
theater. When the cratic
British star, George r. Cooke,
heard that President James
Madison was going to journey
from Washington to Baltimore
to view his efforts, he flew into
g. rage and proclaimed:
IF he does, I'll be damned
IT, I play before him. What +?
Who have played before the
majesty Of Britain, play be-
fore your Yankee PRESIDENT
No!
1T is degrading enough to
play before rebels, but I will
not 60 on for the amusement
OF the king Of rebels. the con-
temptible king of the Yankee
Doodles."
Nobody told Madison about
Cookies objection but the
President apparently changed
his mind and didn't travel to
Baltimore.
And by q neatly dramatic
irony 1t was George r. Cookies
skull, bequeathed to q physi-
clan friend. which for the next
hundred years or so travelled
up and down the land, appear
ing before Presidents and COM
mon folk In many q Hamlet"
as poor Yorick's skull.
And So He Went
BY The Assoeiessd Press
HOLLYWOOD.