| Show I j PHIL MARGETTS GETTS OLDEST LIVING j SUBSCRIBER OF THE HERALD I RECALLS DRAMA DRA OF EARLY ARLY DAYS 7 C l I a t t It 6 I 1 S i t 2 I I t tk k J JI I er 4 k 2 j I Phil Margetts as he looks today arid and as he appeared when The Herald was as established in 1870 Yes said old Phil Margetts the veteran veter n actor and indeed the dean of dramatics In this state 1 I recall the very first Issue of The Herald and the day it was started I have the honor to be the survivor among the first subscribers have I Well do I 1 re remember remember remember member when the venture was first thought of of E L Ia Sloan and W V C Dunbar were the founders and as I remember they started the paper off early in the summer of 1870 As I recall it ft Mr Sloan was the editor and a large portion of the local staff and Mr Dunbar was the business manager having haYing associated with him later In this capacity John T Caine With a number of others I remember I gladly paid a years subscription in advance to help launch the enterprise and we were all very proud when the thu new paper began publication The Herald in those days as now had Its office on Main street and at a point which was at that time the cen central central central business part of the street It I was ti h small building as I recall it i lust just north of the Deseret De eret National bank and owned I believe by Captain William H Hooper Later on as the business grew and It did from the first additional space was secured d on First near the offices occupied by Roseberry Merritt So The Her Herald Herald ald aid really came to surround the bank on two sides It was not till many years ears later than the seventies I think t ink that The Herald moved to a new new and In those days magnificent structure on West I Temple and First South streets and here it stayed till in recent years ears It moved noved back to Main lain street and finally as the present age knows to its fine new home homeNo homeNo homeNo No Blaring Press Agents What connection do I recall recal be between tween the stage and the press of r the th earlier days Well Yell as I remember it It Itt there t ere was sits not a very close connection but there was always a great deal of courtesy and the kindliest feelings There were ivere frere no blaring press agents going ahead to advertise the drama and yet I think there was some won wonderful wonderful dramatic work in those days Of course Mr Caine who was one of the owners and proprietors of ot The Herald was also a manager with H HB HB HB B Clawson of the theatre in its early days and no doubt he had much power In bringing theatrical matters before the people But we e needed little ad advertising advertising There were no counter at attractions attractions attractions tractions and there were truly great actors and actresses on the Salt Lake La e boards all of whom I have had ha the honor to support sUp ort I recall scores of names of great men and women now passed away awa of whom mention would be made as aDopt about to appear in a drama with the local company was no such thing as a traveling troupe com corn coming comIng corning ing here But from time to time as we could secure them we would get a great actor to be the star in some great play The parts would be sent forward and portioned out among the members of our own stock company Galaxy of oj Players When the star arrived only a few rehearsals were needed to put the play playon on and if I do say It It was well put on There were great actors in those days d y and nd their work York was inspiring to an au au wun Vun came in m contact conaci They The did not depend so much on t seen cen scenic ic effects or gorgeous costumes yet these were not wanting but they were great in the matter of ot interpretation There were clever local Joeal players too and we were re never ashamed of the work of ot our own stock company when the star came to go on the stage with us Among 1 I recall today especially as gracing the theatre in the theold theold theold old days and leading in the plays with Uh the old stock company are Booth and nd Barrett of course coune Stoddard George W C Julia Dean Hayne E L Davenport the fa father father a ather ther of Fanny Davenport Irving Den Deli Denman De Deliman 1 man marl Thompson Adelaide Neilson Mrs Irs Barrows Junius Brutus Booth Edwin Adams Mrs Lander Joseph Jeffer Jefferson Jefferson Jefferson son Janauschek Modjeska James A AHerne AHerne Herne Heme Rose W L r Florence Stuart Robson Mrs Siddons W V H Crane E El H Sothern and hosts of others whose names I do not recall so readily The plays were not all alton allon on the light lighter er order by any means I see by some local note that one great groat actor boast boasted ed of playing in seventy different plays pla s and committing all the parts to memory I 1 can show by actual count 20 plays in which I 1 have learned the parts and while I should need heed to brush up on them now 1 I 1 can recall many of the parts yet Some cp f f the greater tragedies we ve essayed with some of the illustrious thespians of the past were Othello Macbeth and we played it as I have never seen s en it played else elsewhere where Hamlet Much Ado About Nothing As You Like It and even Aladdin and arid His Wonderful Lamp No Electric Lights This Jast ast named we played in a day when there were no electric lights too but it Just plain lamps lamp and those none too for the time Later on we had gas and for fOJ the footlights we had hada a long tube or cover with which we extinguished them on occasion And Andas Andas as I recall it after the building of the theatre the results were fully as ar artistic if not so startling as they are today But the Salt Lake theatre when it was completed was a great step in the production of the drama coming as it did after years ears in first the Bowery rod and then the old Social hall ball which Is still standing The Bowery Bowers Bower was an im immense Immense mense structure built on the south southeast southeast southeast east corner of Temple square and you youcan youcan youcan can imagine It was rather a crude crud per performance performance performance of necessity which was put unon UDon its first stale rr The hall hail n was vas a vast improvement but the thea theatre theatre theatre tre was palatial Indeed it is today one of the best constructed of the west and was at that time the only one west vest of Chicago o For Love of Drama I shall always feel that the building of that structure Vas as due to the ef efforts efforts efforts forts of the Mechanics Dramatic as association assocIation sedation which was formed very early after the coming of the Ion rs We I had what we termed a Trades Walk Valk Walkin in those days and paraded in our iner mer chanies clothes making quite a cred creditable credItable creditable showing I wasa vasa blacksmith at the time but was much interested In dramatic work from childhood I organized from these mechanics the Mechanics Dramatic Dram tlc association and we gave an entertainment playing The Honeymoon Hone moon in the Twelfth ward hall hail We invited BrIgham Young He ber her C Kimball and Daniel H Wells to be present and it was immediately after that that the plan for building a areal areal areal real playhouse was put forward Of course all of us mr In those days played for love of the drama and not for money but later when the theatre was built many of us went into the dramatic life seriously and devoted years of our life to furthering the sue suc success cess of It Strange to say the first play in which I took part was The Tho Honeymoon and the last given two years sears ago or such a matter was The Chimney Corner But I could go on playing the old parts today although as I say 1 I should need to brush up a bit on them List of Pioneer Players Player Many lIany of the members of the old Deseret association which was vas flourishing at the time The Her Herald Herald ald aid was established although organ organized organIzed organized many years yean earlier I recall as dear friends Only fifteen of them could answer to today I found I the full and I think the only authentic tic list among my papers recently and here it is isA IsA isA A H Raleigh president nt Ash Cal Calkins CalkIns Calkins kins secretary James Cummings treasurer Robert Campbell stage manager R H T Burton assistant man manager manager manager ager Howard Coray Cora prompter H K Whitney prompter John Kay H B Clawson James Ferguson James Bar Barlow Barlow Barlow low J 1 D T McAllister H P Rich Richards Richards Richards ards Philip Margetts James Bond Jonathan Edmond Ells Ellsworth Ellsworth Ellsworth worth I M Simmons Henry Mar Margetts Margetts getts J T Caine Lyman S Woods O 0 K Whitney George W Crocheron William C Dunbar Charles H Bas Bassett Bassett Bassett sett David Candland D H Suther Sutherland Sutherland Sutherland land Thomas Hall George D Watt W R Judd Francis Fletcher John Cook W M Thompson W F Ca Cahoon Cahoon Cahoon hoon William Clayton A M 11 Musser William Wllliam Glover Gloer G D Gran William WilliamH WilliamH H Kimball William Robinson Rod Rodney Rodney Rodney ney Badger N V Y Jones John Whit Whitney Whitney Whitney ney D H Wells E D Woolley W WC WC WC C Staines F O 0 Angel Angell Joseph H Felt William Willam Ward Yard L S Sprague George Hales Seth Set RIgby A N Hill HIlI William J F Hutchison John M 11 Jones leader orchestra Wil William liam Pitt Tames James Smithers Stephen Hales E B P Edward Martin George Wardle Wardlo Dominico Ballo Wil William William liam Westwood James Weight Fred Weight Walter Baker William G Dunn Durin Mrs Margaret Clawson Mrs Marlet Smith Mrs E M Grimshaw w Mrs Martha Jane Coray Corny Mrs Eliza Dyer Mrs E B Lockley Mrs S A Cook Mrs Mary Ann Wheelock Miss Electa Elects Woods Miss Sarah Laurence Miss Martha Babbitt Miss Ann M 11 Broomhead and Miss Jane Broomhead Since the interview was written Howard How rd Coray who is named as the prompter In the original association above has Joined the silent majority of the th old players Mr Coray and his wife Martha Jane Knowlton Coray who died in 1881 were members of the association for all the early years of its life |
