"The Fatal Card," by Haddon
Chambers and B. C. Stephenson, at Palmer's Theater. He did it with an
admirable cast that included May Robson, Agnes Miller, Amy Busby, E. J.
Ratcliffe, William H. Thompson, J. H. Stoddart, and W. J. Ferguson.

A big melodrama now became part of his regular season. He leased the old
Academy of Music at Fourteenth Street and Irving Place in New York,
where, as a boy, he had seen his brother Gustave sell opera librettos,
and where he became fired with the ambition to make money. Here he
produced a notable series of melodramas in lavish fashion. The first was
"The Sporting Duchess." This piece, which was produced in England as
"The Derby Winner," was a sure-enough thriller. The cast included E. J.
Ratcliffe, Francis Carlyle, J. H. Stoddart, Alice Fischer, Cora Tanner,
Agnes Booth, and Jessie Busley.

Charles Frohman's next melodrama at the Academy was the famous "Two
Little Vagrants," adapted from the French by Charles Klein. In this cast
he brought forward a notable group destined to shine in the drama, for
among them were Dore Davidson, Minnie Dupree, Annie Irish, George
Fawcett, and William Farnum, the last named then just beginning to
strike his theatrical stride.

Still another famous melodrama that Charles introduced to the United
States at the famous old playhouse was "The White Heather," in which he
featured Rose Coghlan, and in which Amelia Bingham made one of her first
successes. With this piece Charles emphasized one of the customs he
helped to bring to the American stage. He always paid for the actresses'
clothes. He told Miss Coghlan to spare no expense on her gowns, and she
spent several thousand dollars on them. When she saw Frohman after the
opening, which was a huge success, she said:

"I am almost ashamed to see you."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because I spent so much money on my gowns."

"Nonsense!" said Frohman. "You did very wisely. You and the gowns are
the hit of the piece."

Frohman here established a new tradition for the production of melodrama
in the United States. Up to his era the producer depended upon thrill
rather than upon accessory. Frohman lavished a fortune on each
production. Any competition with him had to be on the same elaborate
scale.

Fully a year before Maude Adams made her stellar debut Frohman put forth
his first woman star in Annie Russell. This gifted young Englishwoman,
who had appeared on the stage at the age of seven in "Pinafore," had
made