The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-03-11
WARFIELD'S FIGHT
FOR SUCCESS
Now Famous Comedian Tells of His
Early Day TribuIations.

carry LAY lFtDuidIlOn5s
David Warfield in the Theatre Maya
zine.
After many narrowing experiences in
San Francisco, decided to try my for
tunes in New York, and scraping to-
gether enough money for the trans
continental journey, landed in Man
haitian with exactly S45
I arrived at the Liberty street ferry
station and asked my way from a
policeman He directed me to Broad
way, and I started TO walk TO Forty
sixth street, where a friend had en-
gagged a room for me. I walked and
walked, and gradually the size Of New
York dawned upon my San Francisco
consciousness But I had no intention
Of taking a car. and a cab / would have
thought maniacal extravagance.
walked until I reached the Hoffman
house. 1 had heard Of that hotel and
went in and looked around. 1t gave
me a hOmesick turn and / hurried out
and walked on up Broadway. At last
1 took q car and rode to FOrty-siXth
street. I found the room my friend
had engaged for NE. It was an ordin-
airy front room, shabby enough and
cheap enough for most persons, but
not cheap enough for noe. 1 hunted up
room on Thirty-eight street near
Eight avenue. BY a curious coinci-
dence 1t was just such a room as the
miserable attic in the last act of The
Music Master" It was rallied in like
that, no partitions, no comfort, nothing
but the landlady demanding and re
ceving her rent regularly. That rent
was S1.75 a week. I ate only when I
had to, not when I was merely hungry,
but when I was terribly hungry I
could get two rolls and a cup OF coffee
at a bakeshOp around the corner on
Eighth avenue for six cents, and that
bakeshop had me for a faithful, though
somewhat irregular patron
I tried the concert halls without sue
cess for three weeks. Finally I found
a man, the proprietor of a place on
Eighth avenue, near Thirtieth street,
and I think ii was called Paine's Con-
cert hall, who listened while 1 told him
how great I was He said he wanted
to see what I could do. So I climbed to
the platform, and with the proprietor
for an audience gave my speciality that
the people of the Wigwam hadn't liked.
The Eighth avenue patrons who had
paid the same fee to get in, did like
it. They gave me a chance, for they
listened. My engagement was a sue
cess, as I measured successes then, for
I lasted for a week and was not dis
charged. The proprietor paid me ff-
teen dollars I would have signed
with him for ten years If he had asked
me, but he didn't.
The Coleman house, now the Met
rOpolitan hotel, was a favorite resort
Of actors and mana gers at that time.
William A. Brady lived there when he
was in town, and in the corridor
met him one day. I asked him If he
had anything for me and he said he
had not But in a few days I passed
him in the lobby. He was talking with
another manager, but he nodded to me
and raised his hand. I understood that
TO be signal 10 wait for him, and I
did He came over to me and said,
I've got The Inspector That was
play about police life in New York
that had failed here and that he in
tended taking on the road to see what
could be done with it there He said.
"Can you play a jay" ooh. yes"
answered, with inspiring confidence.
Then III engage you TO play the jay
and put your speciality in the last act"
"Au right" / said. What salary do
you want?'' Il don't know anything
about salaries" I admitted. 7 will
leave that TO you" IN give you
twenty-five" he said. twenty-five
dollars a week, I wanted to shout for
joy, but restrained myself and tried to
look as though something very ordin-
airy had happened to me. Mr. Brady
gave me the name of his stage manager
and said: "Go around there tomorrow
morning and get your part" The
next morning I was there a half hour
before the time and waited to see the
stage manager. When he came he
gave a staggering blow. THAT parts
TAKEN he said. But Mr.. Brady sent
me-" ct don't care about that" he
said. Ct tell you the parts taken"
and he went in and closed the stage
door with a slam. I hurried back to
see Mr. Brady He was in bed, but
that didn't matter. 7 ran up to his
room and raped loudly. He let me
i'm and 1 told him of my interview with
the stage manger. He said Just one
word. wait" He dressed and went
around to the stage door with me.
Scratch that name" he said 70 the
stage manager. i've engaged this
man." That was very nice of Mr.
Brady. I thought. and I've put him
down in my book of men who have
heIped me toward success.