Virginia Hughes

“ When Peggy didn’t say anything, Tom went on. “Yes, I thought there wasn’t any use in going on. What was the point? But Tommy gave me back the faith I’d lost. I don’t know where he gets so much courage. He doesn’t have a very happy life.”
“I didn’t know that,” Peggy said. “What’s wrong?”
“He’s alone so much of the time,” Tom explained. “The family’s terribly poor, and both his mother and father go out to work all day. They don’t want him out on the street and there isn’t much to do alone in the house. That’s why he loves the banjo so much. It gives him an interest.” Tom laughed. ”

“ At first glance there was nothing particularly unusual about Tom Agate. But a closer look revealed a quality of gentle, almost melancholy, humor that seemed to dominate his face. Peggy held it out at arm’s length. “He looks so sad,” she said. “Somehow I expected him to be gay.”
“What did you think he’d be like?” Johnny asked quietly. “A circus clown?”
“No,” Peggy said. She shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“Don’t be embarrassed,” Johnny said hastily. “All great clowns are sad. Or didn’t you know that?” He took the photograph from her, slipped it into a plain Manila envelope and returned it. ”

“ May was saying to Amy, “from the hall you two sounded like the cheering section at a football game. I couldn’t imagine what had happened. I was sure it was a Hollywood screen test at the very least.”
“Not yet.” Peggy smiled. “That’s a long way off.”
Amy looked out the window dreamily. “You never can tell,” she said hopefully. “Why, the phone could ring any minute!” She turned to May for support. “Isn’t that true?” she demanded. “A big producer can see you one day and the next day you’re out in Hollywood. It happens all the time.” ”

“ Elated over winning the role, the aspiring actress quickly learns that a good play does not necessarily spell success. It takes good people too!
She aids in the search for a character actor to play the male lead, feeling triumphant when she locates Tom Agate, beloved but retired vaudeville trouper, who reluctantly consents to audition. But Katherine Nelson, the prima donna who is to star in the show, throws a temper tantrum, claiming it beneath her dignity to play with a “has-been” comedian, and demanding both Peggy and Tom Agate be thrown out of the show! ”

“ Tom Agate passed a hand over his face. His eyes were lighted with a shy smile of delight. “Nothing to it,” he said. “After all, look at the help I had.” He cocked a quizzical glance at Peter. “Do you mean to say that this girl here”—he waved a hand at Peggy—“isn’t playing the part of the daughter?”
“I’m afraid not,” Peter admitted. “Just the understudy.”
Tom shook his head. “What a waste!”
“It certainly is,” Peter replied. “But Oscar Stalkey thinks she needs some more experience. And the right people to work with,” he added significantly. ”

“ Her voice trailed off in confusion as she anxiously watched Johnny’s reaction.
Johnny nodded in comprehension. “Different from an old fellow like me doing the asking. Somebody who’s through, himself. Is that what you mean?”
“Yes,” Peggy said almost in a whisper. “Except for one thing. You’re not through. You’ve still got your work. People need you—the newspaper needs you. Nobody needs Tom Agate, and he probably thinks nobody wants him.” ”

“ In other rooms exactly like hers throughout the big brownstone house near New York’s Gramercy Park, half a dozen hopeful, equally tired, but determined young girls about Peggy’s age were doing the same thing.
At the Gramercy Arms, a rooming house for young actresses in the middle of Manhattan, this was a daily ritual known lightheartedly as the “cocktail hour.”
Peggy sighed a second time, wiggled her toes in the steamy water, and flopped back on the studio couch.
“What a life,” she murmured darkly. ”

“ Amy looked up in despair. “Oh, I couldn’t!” she breathed. “Mama would be the laughingstock of Pine Hollow.” Another thought seemed to strike her. “Oh, my goodness!” she wailed.
“What’s the matter now?”
“Daddy!” Amy cried, jumping to her feet. “What’s he going to say? You know Daddy wasn’t too keen on my coming to New York in the first place.”
Peggy smiled, remembering the endless discussions that had gone on in her own family. “Fathers are funny that way,” she observed.
Amy threw her a trapped look. “You don’t have any idea! He’s always thought my wanting to be an actress was silly. ”

“ Peggy said, slipping her arm through his. “Come on and sit down. I think they’re almost ready for us.” She could feel Tom shiver as they walked down the aisle.
“How were the auditions?” he asked, almost hopefully, it seemed to Peggy. “Did Oscar find anyone?”
“Mr. Stalkey doesn’t take me into his confidence,” Peggy replied with a smile, “but I don’t think so.”
Tom didn’t say a word, but hunched into a seat beside Peggy. In his lap he held a copy of the script of Innocent Laughter. Down in front Peggy saw Peter Grey leaning over Oscar Stalkey and Craig Claiborne. ”

“ Amy cried suddenly. “Maybe we could see it tonight!”
“Not a chance,” May said emphatically. “You wouldn’t be able to get tickets.”
“Standing room?” Amy suggested hopefully.
May looked at her watch and shook her head. “Too late.”
“Oh dear!” Peggy started to get up, but May pushed her firmly back down on the studio couch.
“You sit down, young lady,” she ordered. “There’s no point in worrying about something you can’t help. Besides, I think I can give you some idea of the play.”
“You can?” Peggy cried eagerly. “Oh, May, you’re an angel!”
“Flattery will get you nowhere,” May said. ”

“ The counterman collected the empties and retreated behind the rows of soda stools.
“Which one do you think it is?” Peggy asked as she stirred her tea.
Peter shrugged helplessly. “That’s the trouble,” he said moodily. “I can’t believe that Tom has a job. My original objection still stands. Why didn’t he get one earlier? On the other hand, he just isn’t the type to sponge off an old friend, no matter how close they once were.”
“But, Peter,” Peggy said with a trace of a smile, “you can’t eliminate everything. It’s got to be something.” ”

“ Oscar Stalkey waved a hand in Pam’s direction. “You see?” he demanded with a wry smile. “There’s fame for you, Tom Agate,” he said, turning to Pam, “was just about the most famous song-and-dance man in vaudeville. You’ve heard stories about the good old days in the theater—about the grand troupers who always went on to give a performance no matter how they were feeling—”
Peter put his hand over his heart melodramatically. “Even if they were crying inside.” ”

“ Peggy leaned over the table and watched Peter check off each stopping place. “We open in Baltimore on the twelfth of next month. That’s just five weeks away. We move south to Washington, swing west for a series of performances through Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, up to Ohio, over to Indiana, and eventually to Chicago. It’s a rugged tour. A lot of one-night stands in theaters that haven’t been properly used since the days of vaudeville. Oscar Stalkey believes in bringing live theater to all parts of the country—even if it kills all his actors.” ”

“ The producer rubbed his hands together with pleasure. “And that,” he said exuberantly, “is exactly the quality we want for the young schoolgirl friend in Innocent Laughter. The only question is, are you good enough to play the daughter—even as an understudy?” Stalkey looked at Peggy searchingly, almost as if a careful examination of her face could reveal the extent of her talent. ”

“ Peter added. “She’s got to have her own way or she throws a temper tantrum. Just like a child. I sometimes wonder what ails that woman.”
Pam looked at him sharply. “Don’t be dumb, Peter. She simply can’t face the fact that she’s not the romantic star she used to be.”
“Well, I wish she’d act her age,” Peter said moodily. “It’d be a lot easier all around. Let’s change the subject. Any more questions, Peggy?”
“One or two. Who’s the rest of the cast?”
“Let’s see now. The grandmother—a wonderful part—is Emily Burckhardt. The daughter is Marcy Hubbard. Do you know Marcy? ”

“ May went on. “If you follow it tomorrow, the rest will take care of itself. You’re a good actress, Peggy. You have a lot of promise. He’ll be able to see that.” May got up slowly and drifted over to the window. “I used to know Oscar Stalkey pretty well,” she said. “He’s a strange mixture of a hard-boiled Broadway producer and a sentimental little boy. He’s been in show business over thirty years, and he still thinks the theater is the most wonderful thing in the world.” ”

“ With a start, Peggy realized that despite her youthful figure and carefully made-up face, Katherine Nelson could no longer play romantic parts.
All this passed through Peggy’s mind in a flash, before her train of thought was evaporated by a throaty voice that rolled out in accents of anger.
27
“You’ll remember whom you’re talking to, Oscar Stalkey! There’s only one Katherine Nelson in the theater, and if you’re not aware of it, there are hundreds and thousands of people who are. People who are prepared to stand in line all night, if necessary, to get tickets to my plays. ”

“ Peggy, look at me.”
The young girl raised her eyes. “I think you’re a good actress. I can’t tell you how good, because that depends on you. It depends on how hard you’re willing to work and how fast you learn. But you have the basic equipment to make it.”
May raised a finger to emphasize her point. “Even so, that’s still not enough. You have to want to do it and you have to have a deep faith that you can do it. Tell me, Peggy, do you think you could play the part of the daughter in Innocent Laughter if you had to? ”

“ It sounds real corny today, but they actually did it, and Tom Agate was one of the greatest.” As he walked back and forth, from one corner of the room to the other, his eyes shining with excitement, Peggy suddenly saw what May Berriman meant when she said that Oscar Stalkey had all the enthusiasm of a little boy. He was in love with the theater, after thirty years still as stage-struck as a newcomer.
“Tom Agate,” Oscar Stalkey was saying. “Why, I’ve seen that man hold an entire audience in the palm of his hand for more than an hour.” ”

“ Telling herself that tomorrow was still a long way off, Peggy picked up a fork and tried to concentrate on Tony’s wonderful spaghetti.
Why, she wondered miserably, had she ever thought she could be an actress? Why hadn’t she stayed home in Rockport and become a schoolteacher as her father had wished? ”

“ Peggy interrupted. “That’s the Greenside Studio. I did an audition there once. It’s a converted stable.”
“It’s still a stable as far as I’m concerned,” Amy replied. She hugged her arms closer to her body. “Brrr! Was it ever cold!”
“Get into something warm,” Peggy urged. She looked at Amy critically. “Why did you wear that thin dress? You know what those television studios are like.”
“It’s the best dress I own,” Amy said as she rummaged through her closet. ”

“ May sighed and stood up. “Then why do you want to leave New York? Innocent Laughter isn’t the only play you’re ever going to audition for. And the next time you’ll do better. Let’s have a little backbone, Peggy.” ”

“ I used to think it was hard for a girl to get established as an actress, but believe me, that’s a cinch compared to finding a good job in production. Producers,” she continued, warming up to her topic, “are all alike. In the first place, they’re nearly all men—”
“And that’s the way they want to keep it,” Peter finished with a smile.
“That’s right.” Pam nodded vigorously. “That’s exactly the trouble.” She turned and appealed to Peggy. “What’s the matter with a woman being a producer?” ”

“ Years ago, May had been a successful character actress on Broadway, but when she had left the stage she had taken over the management of the Gramercy Arms. The girls who stayed at the Gramercy Arms were, for the most part, struggling young actresses like Peggy and Amy. With her wide knowledge of the theater and her vast common sense, May was more than just a landlady to “her girls.” ”

“ Peter said in a pleading voice. “You know a lot more than you’re telling us. How about a break? We don’t want to bite the man. We just want to offer him a job.”
Johnny seemed startled. “A job? But he’s retired!”
“He’ll come out of retirement for this part,” Peter said confidently.
“Oh, it’s a play?”
Peter nodded. “A wonderful chance.”
Johnny shook his head and smiled. “Tom Agate’s heard that so many times. Believe me, he won’t listen. He’s finished with the theater.”
“Do you know why?” Peggy asked. ”

“ Peter said. “When we get that settled, we’ll start to think about the people.”
“Oh, I wasn’t complaining,” Peggy said hastily. “I’m sure everything will be all right.”
81
“I’m glad you think so,” Peter said dryly. “I wish everyone was as easy to please.”
“Why? Whom do you mean?”
“None other than that great lady of the theater, Katherine Nelson.”
Peggy felt a funny sinking sensation in her stomach. “Is she in the cast?”
Peter nodded grimly. “Oh, yes. She’s the mother.”
“The romantic lead!”
“Yep.” Peter grinned at her. “Don’t look so surprised. What did you expect her to play? The grandmother?” ”

“ Peter Grey said you were great.”
“It’s nice of him to say so,” Tom murmured.
“How about going over a scene or two for us now?” Oscar Stalkey took him by the arm and led him toward the stage. “But first I’d like you to meet Craig Claiborne, our director.”
Tom seemed reluctant to follow Oscar Stalkey. “There’s one favor....” he said tentatively.
“Anything at all,” the producer declared expansively. “You name it.”
“I’d like to read the scene with Miss Lane.”
Oscar Stalkey shot a quick glance at Peggy and turned back to Tom. “Sure thing, Tom,” he said, putting his hand on the old actor’s shoulder. ”