The San Francisco call., 1909-11-07
AON1|NG BIRD5 OF CQMGD1E16N

temporarily of Market street1 When
his twin soul-his corporeaI self
Eddie Foy. missed a three cushion car
ON IN Graney's. IL was neat play
well executed, but fate, assuming the
Quality OF two inches. interfered and
Eddie missed. The cue bali passed
harmless, bounded from the cushion
snd settled itself al a comfortable dis
tsnce from the place where it ought
TO have beer. Foy was muttering some
thing about rottenness in Denmark
when we were introduced.
''Whither wilt thou lead me: speak"
said he, just as though he were the
Dane and I the ghost.
We removed ourselves to a far cor
ger and Foy. beckoning a nearby per-
son and resuming his Hamlet manner.
suggested The air bites shrewdly: il
j. very cold" meaning, of course,
'whatll you have?"
pooh" said he when told him.
s.You speak like a green girl. Give me
leave. Here is the water, good; If a
man goes to this water and drown him
self. it is, will he. mill he, he goes;
mark you that"
sure" said I. at loss for quotation.
Here's a GO
AYE, marry said Foy.
You do not dream how solemn Eddie
Foy. can be when he isn't paid for be-
ing funny His temperamental kinship
10 Hamlet becomes a lugubrious GER
tainty. He is as mournful as Chopin's
funeral march played by the towns sill
yer cornet band. He is more than SOL
emn. He is a calamity. and you roar
with delight al his pain.
We'll" he continued. wiping his lips.
i suppose my hour has almost come
when 7 TO sulphurous and tormenting
flames must render up myself"
Meaning this interview
Aye. marry again. he said. What
do you want Of me unless it is an in
terview. I'm showing you how much
know about Hamlet. Might have been
cast for the role straight if friends
hadn't prevented. At that. 1 think my
straight Hamlet would have been fun
nier than Goodwin's shylock."
you are with the Shuberts now
said I; tell me a story about the the
atrical situation; about the struggle
between the syndicate and the opposi-
tion."
'Har' said Foy. with comical pull
ing Of his mouth into an angle such
as a male quartet basso profundo un-
covers when he wants to shiver the
chandeliers with note. .Ha, but that
Lam forbid to tell the secrets of this
playhouse game I could tale unfold
whose lightest word would harrow up
thy soul" and so forth and so forth
Whether Eddie Foy's resentment at
being disturbed at his favorite pastime,
billiards, had subsided, or whether he
ran out Of Hamlet speeches 1 do not
presume TO say. / think he knows the
2 Shakespearean play backward, but he
says he only knows il upside down
However. he consented to speak the
vernacular and he did unfold a tale
which. while not narrowing, was inter-
esting.
10Y is going to be a syndicate all
by himself He says he's tired of
working for somebody else. Just
because a man or a set of men own
string OF playhouses across the coun-
try is no sign that they are competent
10 gauge the tastes Of the public meas
ure the worth of players and recognize
the value OF play.
IN my scheme OF things producers
like Klaw e. Erlanger or the Shuberts
or any other exploiter of the drama
occupies third place. First comes the
playwright, next the actor; then comes
the producer. The present method of
valuation is the other way around. The
producer. being the businessman. takes
first place; the actor comes next. and
then. il there's any money left, the
playwright comes a lame third
Never thought of that, did you?
We'll, I have. and I'm about to try a
little experiment Of my own. I'm get
ting up caravan. Got the idea when
] was in France. / stopped in town
near the French capital one night and
along comes tented theater. The
entrance was made to resemble the
front of a playhouse, but the theater
itself was tent After the show
the owner packed up his theater, put
it in some wagons and went on his
way. II he did a good business he
could come back. build his theater |
all over again in couple of hours and |
produce his show. IL he didn't like the
financial backing which the community
gave his enterprise he didn't have to
come back, but could seek pastures
neFv.
what's an old stunt. 1t was old
before ] was born. It is practical and
would go in this country. At any rate.
I believe it would, and may say 1
believe it s21 900 worth.
The monopoly OF money, the pride
Of the dollar is in ali our theatrical
departments. Theater owners think
they are the entire institution They
forget that the people viii go wherever
there is an attraction. Take the Va
ioncia tbeater. for instance. When the