New-York tribune., 1910-11-13
DISCOVERED IN AMERICA
Weedon Grossmith, Humorist
and Actor. Tells of His Career.

on the stage but of. One has TO under
stand him. however. to appreciate him
But once knowing him one laughs at near
" everything he says
In MIR. Grossmith's clubs in London ali
he has 1o 90 is TO say Good morning,
How do you do?" CT y beg your pardon"
and everybody laughs One has 10 for
everything he says is funny.
He is q little man. for one thing, AND little
men are very likely 10 he funny. Let Mr
G~ossmith walk on the stage with tail.
beautiful woman like Miss Charlotte Gran
Vile, and one has TO iauSh-if one knows
Air. tSrossnith or has seen him in play
once having understood his particular
method Of acting one laughs when he smiles
CT when he lifts an eyebrow. lie doesn [
have 10 fall over chair. wear patches on
his trousers or take long swig out OF
black bottle 20 make You laugh Neither
Goes he have 10 make broad remarks. ges-
xicuiate wildly OF shout IN q loud tone OF
voice he does with the slightest indica-
ton OF arr what many Others try 10
DO in exaggerated efforts Each par
ticuiar muscle Of his face seems 70 be
producer Of HlIrth- Let him raise an eye
brow and its z joke Let him smile and
the audience laughs. Let him roll his
eyes &nd some old lady in the orchestra
places her handkerchief 10 her mouth and
says 20 her companion: oh. dear. Mir,
Grossuith IS the funniest man l have ever
seen And all the while Mr. Grossmith
i as serious as an archdeacon-that's why
he is so funny.
This faculty Of beng amusing die not
come te Nj Grossmith at once He seems
10 have had it always. but Americans were
the first 70 discover him professional
humoTisi
IT is vouT own fault Il you Americans
cont like me-" said Mr. Grossmith over
the footlishts on one occasion, for you
made me
In speaking OF hls first appearance in
this country twenty-four years ago, Mr.
Grossmith said the other day;
You know ] was q painter then am
now for that matter; Just before left
London took an order for lady's poT-
trait In fact ] have brought my paints
over with ne bur don't expect to 90 much
work here. Just before went on the stage
7 was 2 struggling young artist in London
and I was foolish enough 10 take studio
that cost me E4ao year soon became
financially embarrassed, and my friends
knew II ! was sitting on the top OF
coach one afternoon during that period
watching football game at Eton. when my
friend Cecil Clay said 10 me, Weldon
hear YOU are hard up for funds hesl-
tated bit
...Oh don't want 10 loan You money
he said I want YOU to go on the s'ase-
am going over to America next "eeh
VIII vol go with me-
How soon must you have an answer
l asked
Al once he replied
...Au right. tn go I said And IN fe"
a.,-. haa nacked up my boxes and was
-aaav 10 start While waiting lot ooa'
et Liverpool we gave perIorIiidii0e u WV
sben sailed for the States
.s1Ve opened at the Globe Theatre, Bos-
-. =, Ans+ev's The Tinted Venus soon
@.a- we came 10 New York, where We
,lsx,ad in a number of pieces ~ the oiaiiu-
ord Theatre for Two months before we iooh
on. The play in which we maze oui Hi'
zvss The Pantomime Rehearsal IN WHICH
7 had the mart of Lord Arthur n"8
cs1i-5 ~Vokes's Dude We played Ihefs 10
,,roudsd houses After being on the s'asN
only three months l found myseh liou'
80 had all sorts Of cfTers from MAN
.rars here. but I foohshly Went oach ~
41nRland. Il ] had stayed in the STATES :
might have maze fortune
IT had 10 begin all over again oi liiN
o,+er side They knew me as an af"e
over there They wouldn't take my Noru
for II that i was an actor. Ano thes s'i"
nlv wouldn't believe the press notices
Esnauv I got a chance 10 play WIN ifN'hs
Be,e's how IL happened: One night "hiie
,n,svine in New York. irving was oih''is
with Jefferson and Booth He toio tneH
-nzt n. wanted q good man for the part o,
=.
rooie- ne said, was playing 70 eeH'elAihs
else. and so was David James
:. eEx-r. don't Won get Weldon Grossraith3
said Jefferson
45ross,nithr Irving replied. nont
,,no,y onv actor nv the name Of Weedon
,.rossr,ith. l knew weedon Grossn1ith' the
.r+;.t but there is no actor by that name
..toh. YES. there is said Jefferson. He
has been playing over here with Cecli Oias'
and he has done very well, inceed'
1.-The result was. when Irving came nacK
20 London he sent for me- He asked fhe
how l would like the part OF Jaqhes
f-stropne hat he was careful 10 say that he
had engagedAsomebody to take H. You see.
he didn't want 10 disappoint me ] said
10 him:
q sOb. il is lust the part l would like.
Jse was drawing me out III Anstilihs
should happen to this other man, sald' !
would Ike nothing better than to take IL
How long would il take You TO work IL
sJp?' was Irvingss next question
- Oh. no time at all, j replied
Gould you rehearse next week.
a. Certainly ] said.
What salary would you expect?
oh. blow the saiary.' / replied III
take anything,
.-The result was, he engaged me then anc
there. A short time afterward ] read IN
the Philadelphia papers about Our Weed
pn's Upward F1ight-Engaged by Irving 1
had played there. you know, durins my
American tour.
Il remained with Irving for year; then
/ went with Richard Mansfield. who VAS
then playing in England / acted with him
in Prince Karl and The School for Scan
dsl' Mansfield wanted me 20 play the
LORD Mayor in Richard H. which is a
rotten part and ] wouldn't play IL told
him he could probably get somebody else
for less money ana who would probably do
IL better. He quite agreed that il was not
a good part but IL was the best he could do
for me So left him. Ny. but he was
wonderful coach. Then Joined Beereohm-
Tree and played in Henry Arthur Joness
wealth I wac with him for five months.
Then ] became member OF MIS-. Jenn
wooee company in Aunt Jack she was
handsome attractive and witty. ] have
never known any one like her since
Aunt Jack ran for one year al the Court
Theatre.