Show I HORSE RACES VIEW EVEN ON STAGES STAS SEEM I J 10 TO EXCITE CIT PEOPLE POPI But Newspaper Man Who Wrote ChecKers Did Not Realize It Love Lo of a R good horse race seems to be inherent in in erv 6 every man and when the I genuine article Is 18 18 not Dot to be seen coon most I people are deli delighted to look Jook at a simulation I I tion of the tho exciting event e So it is that pla plays playa in in which races and race tracks end and betting rm rings I are shown have o always h been en fortunate with perhaps perhaps one exception exception tion tion- tion eill Bur Burgess Burgess' The play The The Y Year r rOne One on which tho actor spent a n fortune for tune and which ran only a few weeks week away the great great- reAt fortune fortuM which Mr r. r Bur Burgess had iad piled up with The Tho The County Fair Of course some porno of these plays playa are arc I even en more successful than others and Checkers which is to be bo the tho attraction ion tion ion at the tho Salt Lako theater next week I i 3 one ono of Ufo the most successful of or the lot With tho exception of Ben Hur and andIn In In Old Kentucky it perhaps holds hoMs the tho record for receipts of all the list of plays playa in which racing events c have o fi fig figured Checkers is tho the product of some somo years of desultory newspaper work b bj by bya a young oun St St. Louisan Henry M. M Blossom Jr Jn who grow row tired of U taking assignments assignments assign ments from a city editor an and be began an turning out ori original inal sketches which paid IH bettor and was more pleasant work The Tho sketches pleased tho the readers of the St. St Louis paper in jn which they they y appeared and nuel young youn mo Blossom som was asked to collect tho the stories for publication in hook book form Their success in itt the thA wider field was immediate im immediate mediate and surprising and tho the little book ran through h edition after edition Then came camo the idea of making tho the sketches over or into a play pla- and slowly the play evolved t d from tho the mass milS of rather rathor disconnected stuff tuff wh which ch mado made them up When it t was finished the task of finding a n producer was tackled and after the tho usual series of d discouraging in refusals tho the manuscript came camo into the hands of tho the late lato Kirke La Shelle who saw aw enough h merit in the play to give ive it a tentative production in tho spring of 1903 1003 It was first presented in Springfield Ill in March of that year and after a ni night ht or two in tho the smaller cities was taken to St. St Louis where hero young oung Blossom and his hia mily were ere well known residents The success of the tho play was immediate immedi ate and Mr La L Shelle SheBe determined to toe give e it a bi big production tho the n following reason As there were many crudities in the pIa play John Stapleton who was general stage director for La Shelle took the manuscript and made severa several important changes looking toward tho the simplification of the stor story and addin adding movement and action to the play His H One Regret Blossom had but ono one re regret whoa when besaw he be saw the veritable mine which the pIn play was wae for its is managers managers managers-it ers it it was this when he he- mado made his contract with La L Shello SheBa ho hon n agreed eed when the royalties had reached the f fire figure IC tho the play was to become become be be- come the absolute property of the man ins a ager r. r With the success which it earned in In se its it first season the was paid over to Blossom before many months had passed and ho saw the receipts piling pil ph pi ing up in great seat sums which gave e a him nira no I further furher returns Wen When he be made the contract con contract I tract he ho was a newspaper man and 10 looked like a fortune but wh n he ho I saw sw what what immense sums aro are earned by a I successful drama he ho could figure figuro out his losses by not hay having n a continuous ous out royalty contract However Checkers had established established Blossom as a playwright and ho he had no trouble in disposing of his future futuro work His next effort efort was wa the book and lyrics for The Tho Yankee Consul I in in which Raymond Rond Hitchcock made his first big hit After this he tried his bi Ater A A Fair hand at t another straight pia play Exchange which was written for Thomas W. W Boss RossI who had created the therole therole therole role of Checkers Checker in 1 Blossoms Blossom's first firt play But H A A Fair Exchange o proved a sad failure To balance this futile futie effort efort the same season saw the success of Mlle Mile 1 e. e Modiste in which h the arch and delightful delightful de de- de Fritzi Scheff starred Blossom wrote book and lyrics for this picture Bossom and he scored 3 again ain with The uThe Red Mill a musical piece in which Montgomery Mi and Stone are arc featured and which has ha been running in the cast east with remarkable success But with all al these successes pin piling ono one on another and with a n ready rend market for his wares Mr Blossom Bossom still looks lon longingly long longingly at the thc reports of enormous normous business busIness busi business ness for Checkers Checker and sighs when he thinks of the money he mi might ht bo be gettin getting get get- ct- ct tin ting from the tho play tn The Tho third act of Checkers shows the betin betting ring the tho curtain rising just justas as tho the crowd is leaving the tho rin ring after one of tho the earlier earler races Gal Gayly dressed women are walking walkin about the tho grand grandstand grandstand stand and H touts and bookmakers are arc busy getting otin ready for the tho event e of the ther day r Across the tho expanse nse of the track one sees the trees and the green reen of the tho grass glass ia 5 while tho the restless throng thron C ceaselessly s promenades amon among the betting booths staking savings s n against tho the fortune atthe ot of II the race Then when interest is at its is most intense point the tho bell rin rings and tho the horses go pint to tho post for the tho great contest There Thero are ro a few moments of breathless intensity intensity- and aDd the race be begins im Tho pro progress res of the tho horses around therin the tho rin ring tho the excitement of the finish the tho glory lory of victory aro are all nl felt in in the final moments of the tho act ct which closes with triumph for tor Checkers and the prospect of a lifo life of love 10 0 and happiness for him |