Arizona republican., 1908-02-10
WHEfLOCK THE ACT0R'S
 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
Recites Events Both Humorous and Entertaining During His Career Be- fore the Footliehts.


 Considerable interest revolves around the presentation of The Man from Mexico" by the Country Club in this city on Februar- 2. one of the chief reasons is due to the fact that Joe Wheeock Jr. will take the leading character in the play and ie directing the staging of the popular comedy. Though he is widely known, and has been written about much. believing that a word from him would be enter taining to The Republican readers, MT. Wheelock was approached by a report CT and requested to tell something of his life's work.
 You want me to say something about myself2" repeated Mir Vince lock Well, never knew an actor that was not willing to talk on that subject T went !nto tine theatrical profession naturally l suppose as it was in my blood NIr great, great grandfather having retired from it in 1752 in New York, he being the first really good London actor that ever came to this country and was persuad- ed to come by the British officers that were then stationed in New York I
  field in his first big production of Richard IL In the first act I was the left behind pole on the canopy over the queen. We escorted her across the stage up a few steps and then over the draWbridge that spanned the sup posed moat. On New Years eve at Wallack's theater, my mind being oth- erwise occupied, l stepped off the Ibid still being occupied. l arose Neptune like, from the moat, crawled back on the bridge. took m- left behind pole and marched off. In the meantime the poor queens hat had been driven down over her eyes and the entire theater in az uoroar.
 T have played many comedy parts since, but have never gotten such a laugh. I then left MT. Mansfield's company, I will omit to say how rapid ly. ] then had two or three years on the road finding out what bad hotels really were and also discovered that no train ever stopped at small towns except at four o'clock in the morning. W. II. Crane next had the courage to engage me to play in Brother John. IL was the first serious boy written for the stage and I being long legged and gawky. made something of a talk in the part as uo to that time bows had always been given to short, dapper young men. T stayed with him for some years, playing quite a number of parts. the most important being Slender" in the Merry Wives of Windsor"
 I saH. then that to really learn my profession I had to get more exper- ! fence which could only be done by | playing different characters and lots l of them, so in summer, instead of | flying off to England, 1 went to Wash | ingtOn in summer stock at the Nation | al where We had a really wonderful | company. l played here for four sum- | mers. Mir Raply was the manager, | and after a few evenings out with him | Mrs. Raply informed Mir. Raply that I l was either in the last act so that he | might come home before l got chance | at him, or that she would take the | family out oc town. After that, parts Were written in for me- and the things did made the rest of the cast weep | with rage It did me a world Of good ! tfDugh,for l played everything from heroic young men to even on one oc- casion an Irish scrub woman.
 T left MT Crane to be the comedian of the Lyceum Thcater Co. in New York, opening the same night that Mary Mannering made her American debut. I was then loaned to Charles Frohman for his Empire Stock Co, and for some reason or other he took a fancy to my work and refused to re- turn ne to the Lyceum when they asked for me. About this time my head assumed the proportions Jf Cam el Back. Here I had many good parts and New York had become so used to me that they thought I was a good | actor. Realizing this, l never would play elsewhere except the big cities that were near, Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia. You see, l did not dare give them a chance to,find me out. One and when I made my first entrance some ore threw a fit or something happened that made it sound as if Fl had a tremendous reception. After the play l met him at the Lambs Club and he told me he had an idea for a play, and if I wanted it he would write it for me. I looked pale and calm, and assured him l d:d. l did not tell him that if he tried to get away from me after saying that that I would mur- der him. Mir Frohman slapped me on the back, told me he would have a