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Show THE FRENCH QUEEN OF COMEDY. Something About Madame. Anna v Judic, Who Startled Paris by : "Don't Tickle Me. A well-informed Parisian feuillitonist said : Judic's pathway to fame was a thorny way." From the beginning it was . a toilsome, wearisome, hearteore journey. Regnier, her taskmaster at the Conservatory, did nothing out of the ordinary way to encourage her. He failed to detect her great genius. Her tasks were out of harmony with her spirit. Pages of Alexandrines, dry and dreary acts of long-dead tragedies, and uninteresting unin-teresting duties were her daily declamatory declama-tory work. For eight long, weary months the embryo -comedienne listened and declaimed de-claimed to Regnier. But her soul was elsewhere. . Music was her solace. She entered upon her musical : studies avidiously. She loved music, and never tired of perfecting herself in the art, Regnier sighed when the uncle of the young pupil withdrew her from the Conservatory. Con-servatory. It was a sigh of relief. The uncle, Marigny, manager of the Gymnase Theatre, was not disappointed. ,He had placed her . under Regnier. simply "to bring her to her senses' 'so he told the mother. "She has no talent." Not for the dry bones of the drama. Her talent lay in another direction, but Marigny did not observe the slightest scintillation of it. "Would he give her a chance at his theatre? . Well, yes a small part." The young girl tailed, as ner uncie preaictea. "You will never be an actress," he said, with a sad shake of his gray head. And so the earlier career of the future Queen of Comedy wss clouded. Disappointment and disheartenment encountered her. Discouraged, . almost despised by her natural protectors, she found the fight a bitter one. "And yet I shall fight it to the end," was . the brave determination. The odds, were overwhelming, but .she courageously met the issue. It was another an-other "folly" which alienated her .from the strained affections of her relatives. She was married to M. Judic on April 25, 1867. Marigny was astonished. Mother Damien was indignant. She had now to fight life's battle in deadly earnest. The doors of the Gymnase were closed to her. There was no powerful friend to extend a helping hand. The managers of the theatres the-atres did not want her. She sought the Cafe Chantanes. Her reception at the El Dorado was not encouraging. en-couraging. "Let you sing on my stage ?" said the manager of that famous "cafe. "The public wouldn't listen to you. Let you trf? Well, you shall have a fair trial. "If you are allowed -to finish your song I'll talk with you." .The patrons of the El Dorado were accustomed to sug-gestiveness, sug-gestiveness, commingled with song and mirth. And it was here poor little J udic budded as a chantanse. When she bowed from the stage of the El Dorado there was a refinement of innocence and modesty blended. The first words of "Ne me chalellaz" (Don't tickle me) awoke the slumbering sensibilities of her hearers to life and compelled her to respond to five encores. Her success was the success of art Her first triumph was a triumph of modestv over coarseness. She became the rage at the El Dorado. The manager engaged her at the modest weekly salary of. 100 francs. Judic's next engagement was in Brussels. Entering the Belgian capital unknown and unheralded she quickly became "the rage." Her earnings were beyond the wildest dreams. Instead of the weekly 100 francs at the El Dorado, Judic now commanded thousands. She grew rich. " . ' ' C, , f i She dispensed her wealth with a liberal hand. The poor knew and loved her. The sobriquet, "Queen of Chansonnettes," by which she was known at the cafes, shared another title. Judic departed from Brussels loaded with honors and wealths- She then visited other cities of Europe, where she repeated her triumphs. Paris learned of her success,and marveled. When Judic " returned to the world's capital, she found herself at once noted and sought. . Uffenbach, Sardou, Sary and other noted personages of the Parisian Paris-ian stage received her with open arms. Still Paris was skeptical. When she appeared ap-peared at Sary's Theatre, Folies Bergeres, she sang "Don't Tickle Me." The audi-' ence rose and cheered. The play was lost to sight. She was not in the comedy, and only sang between the acts, still she was the talk of the house. Her success was as indisputable as it was instantaneous. instantane-ous. From this time forward Judic found her way to fame and fortune an easy road. New York Graphic. |