(No. Ref.) June 18, 1918 R-L Vol. 41, p. 46

John Barrymore, for whom divers managers have been angling since the close of "Peter Ibbetson," a month or more ago, settled all arguments during the past week by committing himself definitely to the Hopkins standard. Mr. Hopkins's closest competitor for the Barrymore services was A.H. Woods, and behind him came in stately procession most of the town's producers. The definite alignment of Barrymore with Hopkins has given renewed impetus to the hardy rumors regarding Ethel Barrymore and Maude Adams, but the best available information is that both of those actresses will continue under the management of the Frohman company. Miss Adams, as a matter of fact, has been booked for a long tour in "A Kiss for Cinderella" next season, and a new play by Pinero has been accepted for Miss Barrymore's use.

Toledo Blade, July 13, 1918 R-L Vol. 41, p. 46

Broadway to Keep Its Stars.

Those who are studying the psychology of the theatrical situation, as affected by the conditions brought about by the war, are observing an interesting tendency for which there is no direct precedent. Whether to the invariable rule has been for a star to take an attraction on tour as soon as it has ceased to draw its expected allotment of patronage in New York. If the receipts in the case of a peputable star fell somewhere below eight or nine thousand dollars a week, the manager saw to it that the play was packed off for a cross-country tour, where a welcome awaited the star player and his vehicle, for, as a rule, there was more money to be taken in one the road than on the Rialto.

The high cost of travel, incident to war conditions, has now to be taken into consideration. Accordingly several managers have mapped out a plan to avoid railway journeys, keeping their stars playing in New York all season, and instead of relying on one play, they will have three or four plays ready to string through the season. To what extent this departure is likely to be put into practice is not at this time determined, but in the case of several stars this is the program.

One is young Jack Barrymore, under Arthur Hopkins' management. Before Barrymore is seen outside New York, he will work up a repertory of plays on Broadway and will be seen in three or four new vehicles before the next season closes. There has been talk, for some time past that Barrymore would head a stock company, but the definite plan was not announced until this week, though as yet the names and character of the plays in which he will appear have not been disclosed.

Lauretta Taylor probably served as a model for this new policy which keeps stars on Broadway all season. She changed her program whenever it appeared judicious to do so, instead of going on tour, and in this manner appeared in three different plays in the course of the season. And another star in this category was Ethel Barrymore, who first played The Lady with the Camelias, a new version of Camille, and then changed to The Off Chance, and Belinda, with which she closed an all-season's engagement at the Empire.

In brief, the stars are taking to the repertory system, and saving traveling expenses.

FRED SCHRADER.