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jjfEXT WEgS BILLS:' NEW "POTASH" AND "PASSING SHOW;" WASHINGTON S&U ARE PL A YERf
Honest Injun, PicHord v
Parts Are Variegated
hfcthing About "Little Mary's" Versatility as a
Screen Actress, and Less Than the
Dust," Her New Vehicle
rtBW'lt wa announced that Mary Pick
Tf,
uri woM head her own company the
Jmtt TTr'At Will roirasu iih. .,. ..........
LThs banner, "Less Than the Dust
!Tk tanley Theater next Monday, there
IT-anr nn oi ,ntert8t But hardly
LZrt'i-. importance to the little star's
TrT. ef ttrflo base Is the fact thVt in
2im picture she will rive a demonstra
Sef her versatility too often wanting In
rfc?Plckford did much amiable and
!" .. .i.l. K ITamAlta Plavera. hilt
.".Tlfc with the Famoua Flayers,
Wil T.-. v.rv her characters a great
108
hln
i av
.- ii niri oi iHiciunji ...- w
ISL.V ... ..l nth an .In "llAfia'
. nnmciftTu v.... - -
fij vrv her characters
Einflnlne herself for the most part
wlifb types the "sweet, young thine,
as
e hoyden
and
Now, ac'
aattttaC' to the "StlllS Ol a i"
atw." she will play an maian maiaen, or,
22Ui. a whlteglrl masquerading aa an
2S3P''Slnce the locale of the feature Is
SuT: India, the experience ought to be a
"'Shta' writer has seen Miss PIckford In
..i.iil vrv movie she ever did, even
kaekto the neolithic days of the Blograph.
uA eh bear witness -Xo her remarkable
'trietr of characterization when she so
wUhT She has. Indeed, enacted nearly every
:T". -. ,1. RnmA of her nortralts of
' JAwerlean) Indians wero In "lola's Prom-
V! i i..v ..- l.,1 rnn.ltA Alfred
?it. theBclshaztar of arimth'a "Intoler
aee," In "A nomance of the Western
SIS." with the late Arthur Johnson and
ethers of the same romantic type, remem
bered 'by photoplay-going veterans.
Perhaps the two severest tests of "Little
THIS DAY IN DRAMATIC HISTORY
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Tork city, fn that weather-worn houi
once n fashionable dwelling aho made her
debut before the all.seelng lens, .under the
tutelage of Mr. Orimth. In a one-reel piece
called "The Violin Maker of Cremona," It
was her first experience at histrionic love
making, as she has confessed. Thereafter
she became a great favorite with photo
play fans. Those were the days when a
strict ban was placed on Identities at the
Olograph, though the company mendacious
ly sent out photographs of Its players to
Its London exhibitors. Mary PIckford was
thus labeled "dladys Nicholson." To
Americans she was "the Blograph Girl." a
title that had tfeen previously held by Lin
da Arvldson Grimth and Florence Law
rence, and thatVras to be bequeathed later
io uiancne sweet.
Iter fame being noised about "Flicker
Alley," Carl Lsemmle, of the Imp concern,
lured her away from her anonymous amll
atlon, and she was featured with Owen
Mooro, her husband. In a number of pic
tures, some of them made In Cuba. She
left Imp to head her own company, Ma
jestic, but soon quit It. By that tlmo every
one knew "Little Mary," and when she went
back to the Blograph there were silent
cheecs from all over the land. Her best
work to date was done during the ensuing
months. Then David Belasco offered her
the role of the blind girl In the Itostand
fairy ta'e, "A Good Little Devil." The
critics acclaimed her a "find," but the pleco
was not successful financially. It did,, how
ever, open the way to another plcturo en
gagement, this tlmo. with Famous Players,
with which she remained until the Indi
vidual corporation erase struck the court
try. -The remit Is that she will be Been
on the Artcraft program.
The direction of "Less Than the Dust"
was done by John Emerson, a producer of
marked talent, who has to his credit such
films as "Ills Plcturo In the Papers." "Old
Heidelberg" and "The Flying Torpedo" for
Fine .Arts-Triangle, and who was last seen
on the speaking stage In this city with
John Mason In Owen Davis's "Drugged."
The supporting company promises well.
. B. D.
BOOTH TARJCINGTON
WRITES A LETTER
ABOUT PISTOLS
To th Dramatic Editor Evening Ledger:
Blr I 'em encourased by the amiable tone.ot
Tour criticism of my play, "Mlater Antonio." to
ask for some Information, anil 1 truir tnat you
will not think that 1 am objecting' to your
criticism or challenging It. I simply ana truly
and quite nalvly "want to know' and I shall
be really grateful It you. will tell me.
Why do you call me a delineator of small
town characters? 1 am myatinedbecauie. since
mo writing oi a novel in ikui. 1'nava not aeait
In "amall town charactera" until this present
year, when I hare written , a little aeries of
three 'ama1l town stories" for Everybody's.
There are some apparent exception, but theao
occur in purely political stories (1803) and In a
play, "The Man From Home." The latter, I
take Itf you would exclude, obviously.
What Is the objection to. the Introduction of a
weapon Into a play? I. myself, heartily object
to the continuous presentation of "crook atuff"
and "guns" for young movie audlences.but this
Is a moral objection, and yours seems to be
made on dramatic and theatrical grounds.
1 have had twelws plays produced, and six
were successful; In three of these weapons were
used and no objection waa recorded. In ' isean
catre." for lnstancu. there, was an extraordinary
amount of weapon-using, aa there la In plays
by Sheridan and Shakespeare, to mention no
more than two "previous colleagues." Of course,
the fact that a wvapon Is a revolver and not
sword has no bearing on the case. Dramatic
ally, a weapon la an Instrument of death: It
may be a bomb, or a rapier or a broken wash
bowl. I know that yon mult have a reason for say
ing that L do not respect the theater when I
Introduce a. weapon Into a play, but I can't, for
the lite of me. fathom It. ' , .
In this obvious bit of symbolism I wished to
hint that the finest sort of person soesn't care
what you do to him; even though you try to
kill him or "agnail tne honor" ot his lady love,
you cannot make him your enmy. (Tho play
will ahnrtlv ha nubllahcd In Hamer'a Monthly.
where tluse simple meanings will probably ap-
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. i a, f . .iuv--rrs?K: v-"" vsll ' -- so v sro
'
11 ! m : J
Skinner on Collaboration
,of Actor and Audienca
JV
The Distinguished PJayer of "Mr. Anfonio" Talks ai
His Art to Members, of th Drama La
and Arts Association
"
tut
' Apologies to the New Tork Tribune Magazine.
'Aeschylus invents tho chorus,' November 4, 490 B. Q.
niLr to a lelsurelr readlnr.J
1 could have presented this
THE LASSO LAD I
, t " Will Rogers.aopc tosser and pre-
, ' ; ssier monoiogist, who is rcsponsiDio
' ,'fcr a largeproportion of tho laughs
, 4 fthn mid Tnllin." nf tVio T?n--
"Follies"
rest.
at the For-
rV .ability wero put on her by Mr.
Khvn 'The Female fcf the SDecles."-
e she portrayed" a murderous girl of
esert,. and In "The Call to Arms," In
hthe essayed the'Dart of a messenger
rf the middle ages. It was ono of the
satire costume pieces ever done by ai
srlcan comnanv.
R of Miss Plckford's history may not
ui piace at mis juncture. sn,e was
legitimate stage as a cSilld. as most
one .knows, and when scarcely more
,a, child weit to tho .old Blograph
at, 11 East Fourteenth street, New
I cannot see how
i meaning more
Imnlv And dlrtctly than by the use of a
weapon. The space of a play does not afford
opportunity for 'one character to talk another
to death; and, ot course, when one Is writing
seriously, one does not take Into account the
ephemeral sophistications of tne stage, such as
definitions of "melodrama." "farce." etc. It la
the tone of a thing, and not the event, that
makes melodrama.- Naturally, nobody thinks
"Hamlet" a melodrama because there la a
poisoned weapon In it. , ......
Hut. as 1 read your criticism. It la the very
Introduction' of the real weapon In my play
which you find objectionable, and I shall be
honestly grateful If you will spare the time to
tell m why you onject.
Several critics In New Tork made the same
objection' without atatlng their reasons. You
are like them In this latter detail, but vastly
unlike them tn phrase and In the tolerant atti
tude Ot rOUr criticism. A anuutu never iiyo
v ni invm wiLn any noD di D.
but in this present missive I do
THE GENESIS OF
. ABE AND HIS
PARTNER
written to any of tbtm with any hope of
punr rniv mil in inia urrsriiL ntiiiivn a
embody such a hope. Finally, I wish again to
Here Is Montague Glass coming along
with Btlll another play, and the assumption
is. that presently no season will be com
plete without one or more plays by Mr.
Glass, who wrote "Potash and Perlmutter In
Society," which comes to the Garrlck next
week.
Tho story of Mr. Glass's early, struggles
with the partners Is cheering, considering
the heights to which he has since ascended.
The first P. and P. yarn was written eight
years ago, and was 'titled simply "Potash
and Perlmutter." The story concerned
Mawruss'a marriage and Abe's grief there,
over, and with the change that overcame
the senior partner when large orders began
to roll In from the cities that Mawruss was
visiting on his honeymoon.
One publication after another turned the
story down most of them because they
feared that Hebrews would be offended by
it- Then an obscure publication In the MIU
dle Wist accepted It, and printed It In May,
1906. Then It accepted another and printed
It and then went out of business.
Thus encouraged, Mr. Qiaos sold the next
story to Robert H. Davtt. who ran It In
one of the Munsey publications. The next
one went to George Horace Lorlmer, who
bought It It was "Taklnc; It Easy," It
duly appeared In the Saturday Evening
Post, and thereafter tho world ticked on as
usual. The story jrTade nary a splash. But
the piece with the splash was, on the way.
It was "The Arverne Sacque," "The Ar
verne Sacque" put Montague Glass on his
feet, and the appearance of Abe and Maw
russ on the stage was a foregone conclu
sion from that moment They have been on
the stage In Ejsgllsh, French, Russian,, Ger
man and HuftVarlan.
A BALLY RUSH TO
CARE FOR THESE
JOSEF HOFMANN
WILL BE HEARD
. IN RECITAL
emphaslre my prefatory statement that I am
in no way cna,iienFiiu jBgnniuwauii a m-m v.m
that you will make It a little mors ample for
my benefit. Yours truly,
BOOTH TAnKINOTON,
Princeton. N. J November 4.
(Mr. Tarklngton'a question concerning
the revolver Is answered In the, editorial on
this page. As to the other matter, Mr.
Tarklngton remains "America's most skill
ful delineator of small-town characters,"
even $hough he Is also our most skillful
delineator of many other things) K. M.)
The artistic perfection of the Dlaghlleft
Ballet Russe, due soon at the Metropolitan,
Is largely made possible by the untiring
skill and patient labor of Its mechanical
and working forces. A special department
ha1 to be Installed, having for Its exclusive
care th transportation and packing of the
Instruments and the music. For all of
these purposes special trunks had to be
made, fitted for the wearing coast-to-coast-and-back
tour.
The same department also handles the
276 cases of costumes and shoes, Jewelry,
eta, and Its head spends his entire days,
and nights, too, many a time, leading the
straying trunks Into the right path for the
tour, while keeping a wary eye on the
baggage smashers, who are quite neutral In
their desire to "bust" any trunk, Russian
or Italian.
Josef Hofmapn's recital at the Academy
of Muslo on next Thursday afternoon prom
ises, to be as successful In point of attend
ance as the one which he gave here last
season, when the audience numbered more
people than at any other piano recital given
In this city, with the possible exception ot
one. Hofmann Is such a superb artist and
stands so high In his profession that he Is
always assured of a sympathetically appre
ciative and cultured audience, and the pro
gram which he has arranged for his recital
on November 9 makes a special appeal to
muslo lovers of all classes.
The series of five recitals for the benefit
of the endowment fund of the Philadelphia
Orchestra, under the management of Aithur
Judson, of which. Hofmann's recital Is the
first, Is perhaps the most brilliant group of
recital attractions ever booked In, this city.
The artists who wilt be presented have
1 reached the pinnacle of fame and represent
the highest development of their art The
second recital In the. series will be given
by Mme. Olga Samaroff on Thursday after
noon, November 16. Madame Gluck will
appear on Friday afternoon, December 1;
Zlmballst, on Wednesday afternoon, Janu
ary 10, and Elman on Thursday afternoon,
February IS. ,
It V
"LOOK PLEASANT, PLEASE"
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Mr. Tar.k'ington Want's to Know
S' IMPLE sincerity, not to mention good-tempered graciousness, is too seldom the virtue of a play
wright when criticizing a critic-or of a critic when criticizing a playwright. But here w
a notable example in the letter from Booth Tarkington about "Mr. Antonio," printed i$ another
column, and here, I hope, is a reasonably gentlemanly answer from the critic.
Mr. Tarkington asks for information bearing on the fbllowing sentences from my review:
7 Of 'course, ho could bo as simple on the stage as ho is in his "Penrod." But that isn't the way of tho
novelist Instead ho quails before tho awesome figure of Thespls and hauls out a revolver. When
the Mayor casts a loaded revolver in the way of the lunatic, in order that ho may kill Antonio in the course
of his cap-pistol campaign well, it is just one sign that a novelist ought to keep to his own business or -else
havo moro respect for cither his own trade or the theater. With humble simplicity, Mr. Tarkington
could make Mr. Antonio a triumph. When ho brings in the revolver of melodrama he merely arras his audi
ence and puts it on the defensive.
From this Mr. Tarkington believes that the Evening Ledger's critic objects unqualifiedly to the
rovnlvpn the Se Mr Tarkington knows that he successfully filled "Beaucaire" with swords, and
St She?idai "id fshake'spearrwere not above cold steel. Mr. Tarkington concludes that, "the
fact that i weapon is a revolver and not a sword has no bearing on the case. Dramatiaally a
weapon is an instrument of death-it may be a bomb or a rapier or a broken washbowl." And,
naturally, he "wants to know. $
There are just two things to be said; f , . ...... ,,
First. A revolver is different from a rapier 'or a washbowl. It is capable of a nerve-shattering
racket, which make its introduction uponthe stago( the signal for an extreme and violent state of
CrVK or dramatic-is several times as
'of a niav dowuVt afford opportunity for one character 'to talk another to death. But there is uch
a thing w kimSg symboUam by not Wing about it at all. Thus, when Mr Tarkington puts an all
important Wei Into a single sentence located between a revolver shot, and a third-act curtain, it
becompt to introducing a revolver into a play. But there is a
tiacidftd okiection to introducing nothing else but a revolver. Amanmay safely wear a loaded gun
in RHtonKBSt Square-if he also wears a policeman's uniform. Otherwise ha may be mistaken for a
"irrlt JlT:J?r- nf- r,vHrrTnn revolver is almost the onlv dramatic action in "Mr. Antonio'
Vr tekat ttbi vLlance is able to dwarf everything else, Including much good character study. A mere ,
trickwhttrdeigned to. spread symbolism or make a climax, betrays the dramatic weakness of the (
Of ooTSTw difiulty at bottom i that thU bit of violence is not in character, eithty with the
Wav whTaSleTudyr thVMayorof Avakta,-whd eausw it, Waving instrumenU' of, death
Pa Or at any rate. Mr Tarkington hasn't built his play to make it aeem ..
" 1'Jlw ti vLv wlBltlad bv the extra'nemw idiot in "Mr, Antonio" Mema to me a very.
. . E .!! -JF L m Jhhsum T4 ea i' dunh rHtMsMsl i
dlareaDeet for the niwn " w uws.urm. i. m nvy sh hi
V By OTIS
AVKnT keen student of the theater, Dr.
Brander Matthews, lias said .that to no
artist does popular demonstration and ap
proval eome 'o readily and In such abund
ance asslt does to tho actor, tfhere Is a
sound reason for this. The actor's art
plays upon the more or less unrestrained
emotions of his auditors, to a degree not
to be compared with that of the appeal of
the sculptor, the painter, the poet, the nov
elist, the architect, or even the sensuous
art of the dancer or the more emotional one
Qt the musician. To bo sure, there Is a
close kinship In the enthusiasm evoked by
a Rifted orator or celebrated soloist, but
even In these Instances there Is not fhat
complete amalgamation of the artist and
his product that we And In the case of the
actor. Canvases may be hidden In rub
bish heaps, sculptural masterpieces burled
In the dirt ot ages, muslo scores locked In
forgotten trunks and mill be perfect works
of art, but the work ot the actor Is never
accomplished without his actual presence
and the presence of an audience. Nothing
In his art Is oyer alive until that moment
ot collaboration and contact..
While art for art's sake' is never absent
from the player's purpose, his thoughts, or
even his prayers (If he says them), It Is
art for audiences' sake that becomes his
achievement of supreme endeavor.
I have referred to audiences as the ac
tor's collaborators: perhaps I should have
said. Instructors. We 'So often mis
calculate our effects In study and rehear
sal. I recall my experience In "The Honor
of the Family," a play which up to the first
entrance ot Colonel Drldan was one that
rather got on the nerves and bored the
audience. It was a long series ot dem
onstrations and preparation. Two per
sons were plotting and conspiring to get
away with an old man's money, when at
the end of their plotting Colonel rnilip
Brldan appears upon the rceno. He Is
there to put these plotters to flight At the
entrance of the Colonel the doors fly open,
and slamming his cane upon the table. In
a loud voice he demands to see his uncle.
They are amaied at his appearance. He
tells them he Is going, out to smoKe a
cigar, that he Is coming back Jn Ave min
utes, and that If at the end ot that time
he cannot see his uncle, eVery one con
nected with this .operation can clear out
This struck me as being a very spirited,
very forceful, very interesting end of an
act. but I was not prepared for the recep
tion that that bit of acting- received. The
howls of laughter that came up on my ap
pearance wan something that nearly dis
concerted mo, and Immediately on the drop,
of the curtain a continuation of their
laughter waa something that I had not
considered possible. I knew that Colonel
Philip Brldan was humorous, but not In
tensely funny. The audience then told ma
what Brldan was and thereafter my ap
pearance was greeted with laughter, and
I saw that It was a character whose comlo
possibilities outweighed, his serious ones.
So the audience gave mo my flrst lesson as
to .how to treat Colonel Philip.
I had the same experience In the char
actor of Hadji In "Kismet" Tho character
of Hadll Is that of a wily Oriental doting
upon his daughter and seeking erevenge for
the wrong done him by his ancient enemy,
Jawan. I saw a very excellent melodrama
In this play, but I failed to see the comla
characteristics' that actually worked out
for the audience. I did not know that my
bloodthirsty threats were going to provoke
laughter, or that I could commit murder
and receive howls of Joy from my audience:
but I did. Before opening the play a New
Tork theater manager said, "I understand
that there are a few murders In this play.
Do you think Broadway is going to stand
that?" I told him I thought Broadway
would at least accept It, possibly enjoy It,
but 1 waa not prepared when I found my
flngersion the throat of my deadly enemy
ty hear bursts of uncontrolled mirth; and
lator, when my other enemy waa flung Into
the pool and my hand was on his head,
thrusting him down Into the water, while
I counted the bubbles that came up, one,
two, three, from the expiring man'a lips
I was not prepared for a greeting as' If It
were a Zlegfeld Follies performance. I
was taught that these two murders were
something that had a serlo-comlo aspect,
and the- Joy ot my audience was Joined to
mine. They were not Impressed with the
bloodthirsty, horrid aspect ot these two
occasions. They had entered Into the spirit
ot this performance of a fairy tale ot one
thousand years ago, were enjoying my Joy,
and their heels were clicking together with
delight as my heels did.
Then there Is tho controversy between
Irving and Coquelln as to how much the
actor shonld, put ot himself and his own
emotions Into' the character. It is an old,
old dispute, and possibly there may be
right on both sides: but It seems to me
that the theory and contention ot the
French actor was the only one solved with
effective result, that the feelings should bo
left entirely outside In the performance.
The actor must be capable of presenting
rage, hope, despair and all as If he was'
SKINNER
presenting the same thlif. But K he-hs-dulges
himself In the pleftwure et grteC
when he represents grief, h.,jfrlef 'b. .
comes Ineffective to the audlefieis If 'k
cries real team he la apt to choke Mssrn
utterance, and yet I can recall so lmnsjt.
applicants for theatrical honors who MM,
"I know I ynn act because whenever "t
read these scenes I cry reat tears." I at- -ways
feel like saying, "Well, go home 'a4
cry them, hut not In public," here w
but one person whom I recall who hA
the capacity to cry real tears, and that
-was Clara Morris. It Avould bo a very
little matter whether or not she shed those
real tears, but It did amount to a great
deal whether she could cause her audlene
to shed real tears.
I think we can find authority for th
elimination ot the actual presence of emo
tion of tho actor In tho words of the cele
brated French actor. Mole, who once neteel,
In his diary his' disgust with his work th
night before when ho let himself go 'tarn -fully
Into the emotions of his character.
"I was real, as I would have been' at home,"
he said. "I ought to. have been real !
another way In accord with the- perspective)
of the theater." But when mechanics be
come too pronounced Uie effect on the audi-,
ence-ls gone. Wo must be filled with
spiritual exaltation: pulse quick, body an
mind alert to meet any contingency.' The
only way that wo can figure out this para
dox Of acting and emotion is' to say that ,
wo must present the feeling, we must ,hav
more br less ot It but we must always
be under control. It m'Uit be method plua
the spirit of the occasion, and not emotion
aWaassBA '
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"Y'UNDEKSTANUT" 'J, I
The only original Potash, Barnr
Bernard. In a new variety, "Potasa
and Perlmutter in Society," which
comes to the Garrick Monday.
:
minus the method. So, after all, the aottr
may feel, and he does feel.
When all Is done, tho actor will have
compllshed little ot permanency. Ho ha
written his name In water. Nothing of .hl
achievements is left behind to tell us; what
manner of man he was. ' And, In the word,
of aarrlck.
He who struts hts hour upon the stag
can scarce protract his lame throuan half aa
se,
Si? let us not begrudge him his -,
though it be filled with overlaudatlon I IAS '
too soon the clock strikes, the' ensuing (HtV
wherein Is heard the cry?" r- '
"The king Is dead I Long live the klar
"YOURS FOR VOTES AND LAUGHS"
marked aigm f diareapeet for the
i as jLay are made
. An; u ( - aua-v, fhinda that Jr. xarxinnon maxee nw nuvsusj. iw.jwmwv w uni
f Jo- f mm whs, hT far traul the atam. and flit to cheap and obvioua expadieftfa. arooa them in
r
atrumenta of death. The creator of the Gentleman JFrom Indiana and of Fettrod, and of all
tne men ana women wno.ue oeiwejen, - y" - ' , """" i?
doean't wHp vovela that way. Why ahould he write playa? X. M.
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