The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-06-22
ON AND Off The STAGE.
Arthur Dunn as Amusing In Private
as Before the FootIights.
An Interesting Chat With the Dlmlnutivs
Laugh Provaksr at KeIth's.

| stage and as known i'm private; but in
| the case OF Arthur Dunn, the diminu-
| tive comedian, who is the chief conspi-
rator in the laugh-provoking business
at keith's this week, this is hardly
true. In private he is quite as anus
ing and entertaining as when seen
across the foothghts, and even without
the aid OF makeup and grotesque cos
tune Is "a whole show i'm himself"
Il may be little" he said ths morn
ing, but I'm AN old rounder i'm the
business. for l entered it 20 years ago.
when / did black song and dance
for Tony Pastor.
'Tll never forget II, for my salary
was even smaller than /, and l couldn' [
afford 10 buy soap to wash off the
burnt cork. SO 1 borrowed of other
performers until one night 1 seemed
To have exhausted that vein and L
couldn't get any more, and had 10 go
home with the black still on my face.
Ihat settled the black-fa business
with me; and from that hour l deter
mined that never again would j appear
i'm black-face. determination L have
Kept better than New Years reso-
luton.
Later i Joined The Heverly juvenile
'Pinafore' company and played Dick
Deadeye so long with my left eye that
the right eye looked like the left when 1
hItShtus EDnlt bi tnDSt Juveniles nave
grown up and now have children big
ger than / am. among them my sisteI
Jennie, who used % do a vaudeville act
with me for years and who is now Mrs
Ezra Kendall and the mother of six
children, who insist on calling me Ar
thur instead of uncle because | am 50
small. In fact all but the baby call
my sister Jennie. The baby can't tall.
yet.
You may think there are SOM,
drawbacks about being so little; bur
you don't know how much fun / have
out OF IL, afSer all. I'm very often
taken for a boy-eXcept by conductors
They all seem TO have "A good eye. Last
week | took my mother To a New York
roof garden reached by an elevator.
The elevator was well filled and when
the boy tried 10 start IL the thing
wouldn't bulge, so the elevator boy
turned to mother and said: That boy
will have 10 get out
Many time in a hotel I've started
up stairs with a pitcher OF water in my
hands and been stopped by some other
guest, who inquired Is that for my
room? taking me for a bell boy
In Philadelphia, where they are
very strict indeed about selling any
kind OF drinks To minors. / have Ia
keep my beard on I'm order to avoid a
half hours argument with the bartend-
er if L happen 10 want "A glass of beer
before going TO bed at night.
II have tD exercise "A good deal OF
care, too, i'm selecting my hotels. for
you can imagine that IL must be mighty
4nennHaniant- tn be unahIe- ln-reach- tho
gas or electric light fixture To 'dousa
the glim' before getting into bed. I
don't like 10 have To call on the bell
boy every time ] want the light ,crned
off or on.
over at the Narragansett. where I
am staying this week, they have tube
running into your room. Whenever
you want anything you blow through
it, and If you stand in with the tube.
you'll get IL. / can just reach that
tube. and talk about my blowing the
tin horn in my act-its not i'm 1t with
the way | blow myself through that
tube. The very first day | was there
i blew my voice down into the office.
which accounts for my having TO say
TO the audience on Monday. i can't
sing the old songs. Monday night they
very kindly blew il back to me. after
Landlord Johnson had heard ME IN the
afternoon.
Yesterday I blew down for my bill
and when tffev-bfeH- Il up,the- -hlnM al
most killed me, So I've stopped blowing
through that tube and hereafter will
blow myself i'm the hotel cafe.
Yes, l played with T. T. Rice at
Hammerstein's theater. now the New
York, two years ago i'm Excelsior, ,Jr'
We were there six months. and while
there i had the pleasure of playing pri-
vately before Cornelius Vanderbilt
who impressed me strongly as being one
Of the most democratic OF men. He
seemed so much delighted with my
songs and stories that | left him pic
ture of myself and the pants | wear on
the stage.
"Yes. ! have played q great many
times for MI. Keith. The last time |
played here was two years ago. i'm Fair
week. j remember il mighty well. be-
cause We had good deal Of discussion
as TO who should close the SHOW my
self or Herr Grais and his educated
donkey. Finally. 7 threw heads or
tails with the donkey, and ho threy
heads first. IL was my head. so =
closed the show.
''Oh. yes. ! like vaudeville very much
| shall remain i'm IL during the coming
season and then contemplate trip ~
Europe, forAXhich / have standing Of
fers.
yes. / originate all OF my own work.
and the coon songs. I've Got Him
Dead and I'm a Little Too Stout. So
My Baby Says are OF my own COM
position
Did Paderewski ever see my imita-
ton of him? Yes, | believe he did
once in New York. and I guess that's
" hat drove him back to the other side. |
Yes. Miss jerome has been with mo
all this season. She has been IN the |
stage five years. She comes from n
theatrical family, and first appeared !
when she was but is years or age.
Where shall | pass the summer? |
Wen. from present indications IL looks !
as II 7 might pass il on the Keith cir |
ruit: but. there, you must excuse me. |
FOR I'll have 10 get my little horn and !
run out and blow IL few times FOR |
hat big bunch OF people out there. for I
YOU see my card is up. Come and see |