The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-12-23
GETS LONESOME
FOR BURNT CORK
Veteran Would Like TO GO Back
to BIackface Role Just
Once More.
PLAYED PART OF NEGRO
IN THE CLANSMAN'
Got His Chance at Stage When
He Unwittingly BOmbarded
king" With Dirt.

Don't YOU know ] often get lonesome
for that old piece of burnt cork. eN-
claimed George NJ. DE We're, the veteran
black face man. playing Julius in Inc
Travelling Salesman" Il, his hotel Thurs
day afternoon.
'Whcn / Joined "Thc Clansman' two
years ago I received instructions To make
up like a brown negro-almost a mu-
Iatto. ] made q preparation OF my own
and have been using II ever since. DC
casionally | get 10 wishing that ! could
bc real black once again. even for just
one night
You ask me when ! first entered the
show business? Hist, II was in 1879. AT
Booths theater. Twenty-third street and
playing was King Henry the Fifth |
received 30 cents night for tossing gold
coins in the path OF the king as he came
upon the stage to review his ,rIny. lhe
king was George RiGnold who at present
owns a number Of theatcrS in Australia
He was tho star of the company L.
with some other boys. was stationed on
Il bridge when we threw the coins.
Bombarded King With Dirt.
''onc nigh, some OF the younger boys
proposed TO have n little fun at my cX-
pense and they mixed a lot Of dirt In
with the coins was To toss. When the
king came under the bridge ! let him
have IL He was hit upon the crown
knocked from his horse.
The next day all Of us boys we're called
before the king and the director of the
supcrs. The king picked out two youths.
wholly innocent Of throwing The dirt. as
the guilty parties and had them dis
charged. The unfortunate boys were botn
choir boys and their places had TO be
filed with singers. The musical director
asked for Volunteers and stepped for
ward like 2 little man. He tried my
voice and gave me the singing job l
was Immediately raised 10 S15 a week.
When discovered that could sing
a. little | took UP minstrel work, and
have done this most OF my lue. WIN
various partners among whom was Billy
De Nerc, who played as my brother: Joe
Flynn Of the Orpheum circuit and Harry
Alien. whom left III 1890, played n
time in all the principal vaudeville houses
For twenty years | have been In the
dra matte line. doing black face In these
years have been with J. Il. Little. James
II WaIlack. George NJ. Adams. William
Lee and others,
Among the attractions that have
been In are Hearts OF Gold Ninety
and Nine. Captain Darlington When
Johnnie Comes Marching Home. The
ClanSman,' THE Travelling Salesman and
several more.
Others i'll Blackface Roles.
1t is interesting 10 note that many
prominent legitimate actors have been
black face comedians. Edwin Booth, Ed
win Forrest Joe jefferson. Francis Will
son. Andrew Mack. Chauncey Olcott
James r. Powers, William III. Crane and
Otis skinner have all appeared in black
face roles.
II have had the experience OF taking
out number OF shows. too. 'Pecks Bad
Boy' and The Black Diamond Express
were mine for a time. Also. in my varied
career ! have had charge OF the Eden
thcatcr in. Paterson, y. j.. and l.. j.
Deminelings music hall. Rockaway
Beach. Long Island. was also inter
ested in the old Barlow. Welch & De
We're minstrel show that Travelled over
Long Island. Mit Barlow was the we'll
known minstrel with the Barlow. Wilson,
OF our firm, was shot and killed by an
other actor in Dicks place In Boston d
number OF years ago | also had expert
encc with those pioneer minstrel shows
the United States Minstrels. Cal Wag~
ncr's Minstrels and Sllcff & Gaylor."
Interested in Coming Book.
The veteran minstrel man says he is
much interested In the book, "Monarchs
OF Minstrclsy" which is being prepared
contain sketches OF the lives OF the men
who have made the world OF minstrcay
In the past 10 years.
DE We're says he would like to spend
Christmas in Il cosy little home on One
Hundred and Sevcntieth street Bronx
and a daughter reside AS he cannot be
there, however, he says he js going To be
as merry as possible right here In Salt
Lake City.
De We're is being approached with Of
fers TO go into vaudeville again next sea-
son with Frank White in the laughable
skit called The Sand Wagon"