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Show Kid 'Stars' Aren't New When we read of the big sums earned by the various kiddies in the movies, don't think it's something some-thing new. William Henry' West Betty made his debut as an actor in 1803, at the age of 11, and was such a success that he collected $170,000 in 56 nights. When he appeared at Covent Garden Opera house in England, the crush was so great that the troops were called out to keep order. or-der. He was presented to royalty, and on one occasion, when he was playing "Hamlet," the house of commons was speciaDy adjourned so that members could see his performance. per-formance. There aren't any facts about his fan mail, but the autographs it contained must have been worth quite a bit, tool He died on August 24, 1874. |