The San Francisco call., 1904-03-13

sure a pretty bad bill. There was
- and -- before me; she was
clever little girl, but he can't drive
a truck Well, Dale went right
through and roasted till he came to
me- Then he said Collins act was
funny in spots, and black and blue in
other spots. That was all. Ha ha!
But l wasn't black and blue"
You have been in vaudeville most
ly?"
Sure. But I've done everything;
I've done a Dutchman, Hebrew,
Irish, dago. Then l was with the
Black Crook as Greppo for eight and
a half months in New York, and of
course with the Dalys."
Have YOU" I asked solemnly, ANY
Shakespearean aspirations?"
Me-" Collins shrieked, and I
feared for his ears as his mouth
spread gorgeously. He got up then.
hand on heart, and said: My dear,
you hatten me- No, I have never
thought Of doing Shakespeare; don't
think l could. 1 don't know whether
i can act or mott was as much to
himself as to me that he addressed
the speculation. Still, one must be
able TO act a little to do what 1 do?
And-well, I can do a pretty good
French character, and a dago, too. 1
don't know. One does one thing. an
other another. Schnapps is his, beer
is mine. But 1 love Shakespeare. I
saw Nat Goodwin in in vot iss?
Midsummer Nights Dream?'"
Sure; 1 was crazy in love with
that"
Mister Collins,"-came through the
door
"Good-by; but won't you come on?"
the comedian invited. jamming on his
wig, and rushing on the stage.
We followed him. to his scene with
Donald Brine. ard watched the little
comedian harvesting his laughs.
He returned TO pitt on the professors
disguise, saying: They don't Iiven up
on this first scene, you know. But now,
there was places where they laughed
more tonight than they did last night.
Did you notice that new one? Just
came to me. Installation Brine says.
l say 'smallation.' Oh yes! tall, thin
gentleman. know him WELL It's little
things like that. you know"
Then you do gag"
Yes, mem, I believe you" Collins
replied. He said then, with those child
like eyes of his asking approval: It's
according as things strike me locally
Now last night, you'd notice 1 said
North Shore railroad for a bad one.
In New York we say the B. and o.
1t lost me a laugh, and every laugh is
like little piece of gold to me. I'm
going to try the Union Pacific on EN-
tonight
That lost him another.
Then from under the corsair
mustache he had donned came the
eager inquiry: Now, sure, you can
tell me. How did that joke go about
the 'Japs doing Russian business?'"
I'm afraid said bully" 1t was the
one bright spot to me.
What do you think?" the comedian
said again: Il got so excited at Salt
Lake City that 1 said the Russians
were doing a Jappish business OF
course the people didn't know what 1
was talking about. But the company
did. I haven't heard the last of it yet"
Don't the authors mind your gag
ging?"
"They may" he said. Some
shouldn't. The stage managers do, too,
sometimes. What do you think? We
had stage manager"
mot really" 1 irreverently inter
rupted, for there's a good deal about
THE Silver Slipper" that suggests the
absence of that functionary.
"Oh, we have a new one now" Col
Inns remarked. Then, pulling the ends
of his mustache wrathfully, he went
on: The other fellow objected to the
gags. And what do you think he did?
He wrote stick to the libretto' on my
mirror, with grease e-paint my own
grease-paint. He hadn't nerve enough
to come and tell me. And I ask you
where is the libretto? Fancy a score
without a single song for the chief
comedianl Never had to work is mine.
and Mr.. Brine fixed up the music and
dance to it. Librettol"
sam Bernard had the part before
you"
Mister Collins"
"Oh, just tell me how you say Mar
tell tried 'em with 'Hennessey three
STAR last night and it didn't co.
The artist supplied the missing pro-
nunciation and the comedian disap-
DEdLtu Dul lClls llllC &C Sldis NEHl
as fatty as Hennessy. Our morals will
soon be beyond suspicion.
We watched then the lightning archi-
lecture of the stage, the building Of
the second act, while the comedian
made his change. He answered me
afterward about Bernard as though we
had never been interrupted.
"Yes, Bernard came before me. He's
great. It's a personality you know.
But I get as many laughs"-the busI-
ness-Iike statement got another. II
was a little afraid of the part, you
know I knew / couldn't do it bit
like Bernard and told Mr.. Fisher that
he'd have to let me have my own way.
They did and I made good. But I was
let out, business secrets why, after five
weeks. I went to take Frank Moulan's
then with Savage"
''Moulan had slipped his contract. I
remember"
Yes, and then the courts decided
that Moulan could act only for Savage.