Conquerors, The

Conquerors, The (1898), a play by Paul Potter. [Empire Theatre, 128 perf.] German invaders have billeted several loutish officers in a French chateau where they brutally smash family heirlooms, invite ladies of dubious repute to a dinner, and generally behave scandalously. Later, when the men are drunk, one of them, Eric von Rodeck ( William Faversham), attempts to seduce Yvonne de Grandpré ( Viola Allen), who is not a demimonde but a noblewoman whose family owns the chateau. She handles herself so skillfully that she shames him and causes him to repent his behavior, whereupon she swoons. Von Rodeck leaves, and a second officer appears, also bent on seducing Yvonne. Learning of his intention, von Rodeck returns and kills him. When Yvonne regains consciousness she believes the second man was killed defending her honor. Von Rodeck eventually manages to convince her of the truth and to win her affection. The most famous scene in the Charles Frohman production occurred when Yvonne throws the contents of a glass of wine in von Rodeck's face. When Weber and Fields mounted a travesty of the show, their heroine threw a pie in the officer's face, probably the first employment of the long popular slapstick device.