Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1905-01-11
An hcToR's GOOD JOKE.
How Fritz" Emmet Played It on an /.
Audience That Thought he
!. .=....** Was Drunk.

.
them, according to an exchange. "A
man who once gets a reputation In the
theatrical profession as an occasional
roisterer and date breaker is never able
OF retrieve that reputation, no matter
how many years of sobriety he puts in in
the effort to live down his record.
Some actors suffer a great deal from
this sort Of thing. No man In the bust
ness. however, ever got 1t coming and
going SO badly as did Fritz Emmett on
account OF his jamboree record.
Il was member of Emmet's company
for number of years, and l know that
there We're many times when, without
having taken drop for months, he was
too Ill to go on, from natural causes, but
did go on, for the sake of preventing the
word to be flashed over the country
that Joe Ensmet was on another drunk.
One night. nearly 20 years ago-it
was on March 31-Emmet was booked
for Kansas City. He'd been on the wa
ter wagon for many morshs but he was
i'll that night from an attack of malarial
fever and he positively couldn't raise
his head. 1t was out of the question for
him'to 60 on. He wanted to in spite of
his wretched feeling, but even his man
ager wouldn't stand for it.
Fritz went to bed, took hot lemon
ade, swaddled himself up in the bed COW
erings and slept off his mean feeling.
when he got the papers the next
morning he found that he had been so
unanimously drunk~the night before
that he hadn't been able to keep his en-
gagement. It wasn't the newspapers
fault that this story appeared. The story
had been given out that way from the
theater.
"Emmet's feelings were lot bruised
up by that story, and we all figured that
he'd go on bat then. anyway.
But he didn't. He got on the train
with us ard went UP to Leavenworth
where we were booked to play that
night-April l.
"The manager Of the theater where
we were to play was surprised to see
Emmett in first rate trim, so far as sobri-
ETY. went, and he sent out handbills that
Emmett would positively appear, despite
the story that had come from Kansas
City. There was an overflow audience,
yet I don't suppose that half the people
In the audience really expected Emmett
to show up.
They were skeptical and silent until
the rise OF the curtain. You remember
how Emmett used to make his first ap-
pearance In Fritz with lot of little
children tagging after him?
well, the moment for his cue arrived,
the orchestra struck up the opening mu-
sic for his entrance-and on came En-
met, Keeling and apparently spiflicat-
ed and googley eyed and picked to the
gunl. He seemed to be barely able to
keep his feet. Instantly the long hiss
ran around the theater from the orches-
ira to the pit
Fritz essayed to sing his opening
song, but the words died in his throat
drunkenly, as it certainly seemed. At
this the hiss became like the music of
10000 cobras.
Suddenly Fritz Strengthened himself,
and became as erect as a spear. The
DOISA 6AAA Sp4 eau OVcE Ills features.
and he made gesture with his arm for
quiet. The house instantly obeyed.
"'Vell,' said Emmett, supporting his
chin with his left hand in his character
istic fashion, I fought We could some
April Fools hat alreatty yet, nod?' and
then he leaped into the vortex of his
singing and dancing with a charm and
ont L..
never seen him display before.
I'LL bet you could have heard the
cheers that rang around the house for
half mile every time Emmett made his
entrance or exit after that"