The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 68, July 1964 - April, 1965 Page: 501
574 p. : ill., maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Texas Collection
Boys of my station of life made friends with Mr. Zimmer, the man
who had charge of bill-board posting for the Grand by day, and also
had charge of the stage-hands by night. We kept in frequent touch
with him in the hope of doing chores which would yield a "pass"
to the "buzzard roost." Under these circumstances I got to see those
performances of many of the great actors and opera singers; and it was
under these auspices I got the opportunity to appear "on the stage"
with Madame Bernhardt in the tragedy La Tosca; and moreover to
get paid for it.
I was tipped off by the stage hands that the Bernhardt show would
need some "supes" to appear as soldiers. The date must have been
subsequent to my mother's death in May, 1908, and probably was
1909 or 1910 as I was a tall youth despite my teen-age. With me was
my West End neighbor and schoolmate James Ownby Walsh, son of
T. P. Walsh. He also had the size of a man. I had advised him of the
possibilities, and we went to the stage door (on Crockett Street) of
the Opera House at the time appointed. Assembled there were some
fifteen or twenty others hoping to be taken on as "supes."
In ample time before the curtain, a "foreign-looking" Frenchman
appeared at the stage door and looked the crowd over, and selected a
sufficient number to make up a firing squad. Jim and I were among
the favored few. We were ushered into the basement under the stage,
where the dressing rooms and paraphernalia were, and were directed
to remove our hats and outer garments, and were supplied with
"Napoleon" uniforms and chapeaux, and handed a sword-belt, with
sword in scabbard. In the last scene we were provided with muskets
loaded with blank cartridges. The Frenchman, in broken English,
described to us the parts we were to play. This was done before each
act. I remember his instructions in connection with the finale-"When
Madame she throw herself across ze stage.. "
While waiting for the first act, Jim and I got into the spirit of the
thing, and drew our swords and began mimic-fencing. I remember
Jim's challenge-"and Porthos with a flourish .. " One of the
Frenchmen was outraged at such levity and angrily intervened and
halted our horse-play. He reprimanded us in the French, and might
have been swearing.
I shall never forget the last act-the scene being the embattlements
of Castel St. Angelo. During the first part, as I recollect it, the "sol-
diers" paced silent in the background near the "parapets," and occa-
sionally stopped and looked over the "parapet" as if observing some
"occurrence" below on "the Tiber." The final appearance was in for-
mation as the "firing squad," and at the signal we levelled our mus-
kets at the shirted-breast of the unfortunate lover and dispatched
him to "that bourne from which no traveller returns."
The play was entirely in the French but Madame Bernhardt trans-501
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 68, July 1964 - April, 1965, periodical, 1965; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101198/m1/588/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.