OLD THEATRICAL FRIENDS 



ultra-shape of American boots, and clothes not of 

 super-excellent cut. Incidentally, two of his nephews 

 who are at a prominent public school took great 

 exception, bless them! to their uncle wearing brown 

 boots with a blue suit. I will not attempt to analyse 

 this debatable question, although at one time I wrote 

 columns in M.A.P., with the title "Mainly For Men," 

 part of which was to tell them what to order and how 

 to put their clothes on. An honour for Du Maurier 

 some day ; it seems inevitable after Cyril Maude. 



Then there was excellent Arthur Playfair, one of 

 the cleverest actors on the stage. His wedding was 

 assisted at, and unstinted applause given the same 

 evening to that wonderful performance in The Girl in 

 the Taxi. Arthur is a great character, most emphatic 

 about racing, but very seldom talks of his work. 

 When that noble son of his was born, it became neces- 

 sary to look about for a house, where previously the 

 flat in Piccadilly Chambers had been sufficient. The 

 right property was found at St John's Wood, and, 

 would you believe it, despite the highest references, 

 and everything in order financially and otherwise, 

 the agent expressed with many apologies that the 

 landlord would not let the house to an actor! And 

 this for a property in a district the name of which we 

 did not dare to mention when I was a boy before our 

 mothers and maiden aunts. \Miy, even Arthur 

 Roberts used to sing a song about " Naughty North 

 Bank." Of course, St John's Wood has since been 

 purged, but how in the name of everything there can 

 be anyone alive to regard any respectable member of 

 the profession as " undesirable " beats everything. 

 St John's W^ould ! — anything once. 



The first glad hand and the first bottle opened on 

 my return was by Harry Marsh Allen at " The Turret," 



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