The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-12-22
MR.. HARTS SKETCHES
Are the Product Of Constant and Per-
sistent Thinking.


"Where do you get your sketches
from?" asked the writer OF Mr.. Joseph
. Hart az the latter stood In his dres-
sing room at Keith's. transforming
| himself into "Quiet Mr.. Gay" prepar-
atory for his afternoon turn"
From here" replier the comedian.
laconically, rapplng the side of his
head with his knuckles. II have an
idea or two of what the public wants.
and / think / can best carry out my
ideas A vaudeville sketch must first
and above all be funny and entertain
ing, with some bright songs and
bit OF good dancing. People don't go
TO theatres nowadays TO cry, but to be
amused and entertained. fancy,
moreover, that can produce something
better suited to my capabilities than
can any one else; and, as long as DIR.
Chauncey,' quiet Mr.. Cav and my
other sketches succeed so well In max
ing people laugh, i am satisfied with
my dramatist.
"a man can't sit down and turn out
a good sketch like a machine, however.
At least l can't. The publis soon tires
of one thing. IL wont stand the same
old chesnuts season after season. IL
wants something fresh: and the vaud-
eville performer must provide IL or set
tie down in the ranks OF the mas
beens.'
Il don't stumble upon successful
ideas. / keep thinking, thinking, think
ing all the time. Sometimes IA brand
new idea seems to flash upon my mind
like sudden revelation: but in reality
il is only the result of my thinking,
IL must have been reached by GER
tain process of thought which suddenly
crystalizes its product i'm concrete form.
zone of these little Inspirations ~
that song to the music of Sousas stars
and Stripes march. which came into
my head as l was on train coming
from California. | wasn't sure how IL
would take; but the way 1t goes dem
onstrates that my idea was n good one
Ii occurred TO me, why not utillze the
idea OF the stars and stripes in bur
lesque vein: and SO | sat down ana
wrote the song OF "a man who got into
trouble. as men sometimes do. ana had
the misfortune 10 fan into the hands
of those blue coated guardians who
are popularity supposed always 10 ar
rive on the scene when the nsht ~
over. That YOU see. is where the stars
come in. Then the narrative follows
the misfortunes OF the leading charac-
ter through the police court until he
is sent up and is arrayed IN one or
those peculiar suits of clothes that has
nothing To recommend ii but it's cheap
ness. There you have the stripes
See?
Yes. | write all the songs used by
my wife and myself I'm our acts, both
words and music. I generally write
them first: and then there must be
something OF a plot. some form OF
story even i'm the fiimsiest and short
eat kind OF a sketch. II II Is to go.
no dialogue.
must be funny scenes and business.
II doesn't look much like "a snap does
IL? And it isn't.
"The two sketches I am doing this
fall DIR. Chsuncey' and Quiet Mr..
Cav are entirely different in char
acter: and. whatever else may be said
of them. they are at least original and
they do make people laugh. That is
the beginning and end OF their purpose
ard their usefulness: and So they full
on their mission and vindicate their ex-
istence.
II didn't go into vaudeville TO 'ele-
-,ate the stage" That's not my mis-
rion In life. | went into II to make
leople laugh 20 make men even forget
tnat thev ever had n mother-in-law or
aw other troubles
I've been in the business alp my life.
NJ, peoole We're and are all i'm il.
be .an when I was II years old. ] ran
away 20 join "A company of performers.
lived I'm Poston then and our comp
anv played small towns in Maine. I
had an old-fa shioned banjo with great
brass American eagles on IL that must
have weighed nound. and / could
play only two little tunes. | was the
whole orchestra. 1 sat and picked
ring-a-pang-a-p While the audience
show. | played the same old thing.
show. I ilaved the same old thing.
"Oh but / was "a warm thing. That
A. rIa,, 70 = nj
10 wear square -cornered double breas-
ted coats with braid corners and tight
bell -buttOned trousers. J wore loud
suit of that kind and everywhere ]
went | carried my banjo We played
20 bad business and at Dexter. Me-,
the manager came 10 me and said:
Zoe. If you've anything i'm your trunk
that you've particularly stuck on you'd
better take il out Ny trunk was at
the hotel and that was the last / ever
saw Of IT,
II made my wav back home and ii
little later secured an engagement in
Baltimore for one week at S25. | bought
n new variegated zinc trunk and went
down When | got there | was afraid
the other actors would think ! was
new i'm the business because the zinc
trunk shone and sparkled with such am
appearance of newness. so j battered
and dented il with a poker and rubbed
ashes over II To make il look old. I've
been on the stage ever since.
Yes vaudeville work is doubtless
easier than that i'm a regular company;
but IL is very eXacting, nevertheless.
The moment "a performer permits him
self to become careless, fails To put
in new stuff and keep everything up
TO date he may look for the people
in his vaudeville theatre audience 10
give him the klondyke stare i'm the
height of it's perfection. The dear pub
lie will not stand for the antique I'm
vaudeville "