New-York tribune., 1912-02-18
WRITING 0NE-AcT PLAYS
Cecil and William De Mile
Talk of Their Work for
Vaudeville.


Though felt sure I'd interrupted busi- :
reys conversation, remembered the inter-
viewers brazen reputation and fought my
way bravely through the veil OF smoke
that hung between us. soo; grasped
cordial hands and cigar and began to
add TO that cheerful haze that walled US
IN and other intruders out
Mellowed by the atmospheric and
klndly-cordlal--I voiced my regret at hay-
Ing interrupted them.
william de Mile replied, that they were
lust discussing a little vaudeville matter
that
At the word vaudeville l made mental
leap for them.
Don't let me stop you ! spluttered.
fearing to let them cool from the subject.
i've Just come here TO start you"
well. then. let's compromise and all get
into the middle" suggested Cecil de Mile,
seating himself, feet a-swing on a huge
carved chest that stood under a window.
We'll pretend that you've made some kind
remark about the success we've botn had
recently in vaudeville; that We expressed
our properly polite appreciations, and that
you turned to my brother and asked him
why, in the face of the great success OF
"The Woman" here and in Chicago, have
you taken TO vaudeville
And | am answering" William de Mile
said, hastily catching his cue and getting
into the part II have not taken to yau-
devile. Vaudeville has taken TO me. The
little sketch, In l999 now In its second
week al the Fifth Avenue Theatre, wrote
in couple OF hours one night, three years
ago to please myself. 81 gave IL to those in
charge Of the Twelfth Night Club to pro-
,duce at their revel on January at the
Berkeley Lyceum. OF course. / was not
surprised to have il go with what you
might call such picked audience. But
even my creators faith in it was justified
when | received several fattering and IN
s!stent offers for its future that night and
the next morning. I was fortunate in con-
signing it's future TO Jesse Lasky's Won
derfully competent hands, and, Now, look
al e-anem.-successful thing.
"I wager half your friends were sure
you'd booked failure interposed here,
remembering What the common" or gar
dem variety OF vaudeville had been up TO
a very recent date.
"Oh. the calamity howlers were all
dreadfully concerned he answered laugh
ingly. II was assured that the fun vas
too subtle: laughs would be frozen into
wondering stares:. that the really modest
would's see vulgarty instead Of the helpful,
reflective problem meant, the 'sunragist
and the 'sufIraSetts would rail and lose.
the point OF satire that IS the strongest
weapon in their favor. and-and-and
couple OF nioae ards that nave forgotten.
because the applause OF TWO audiences a
day seems. somehow. to drown II all.
81 gee You feel th1j TIE head Of the
vaudeville audience docs NOT look 80 low
as the scoffer would have us believe
said. happy to find kindred sppreciator
Of yaudeville's possibilities.
Nothing is over tho head OF a vaudeville
audience if it has the dramatic punch.
ne asserted in warm reply "slapstcR
methods and the oyerdramatizing, so oa$
in favor. are merely attempts to con-ci
dramatic weakness and hand II tn thcm -
fast tney cannot appreciate It's w'gk
points"
II speak .".rl tho producer ~ Woll ~
the writer's point OF view Cecil do nnie
interrupted here. and. take II from ne,
tho DAYS of inferior and vulgar bundllns
together OF material for the vaudeville
stage are utterly past. II has hccn q SO"
but natural cvolGtion-I should say royo-
Iuticn To-day We put just rs much work
ard detail on a vaudeville production a. IL
II were to he shown at any of the play
houses"
"And you are in a position to know"
assented.
YES, ! think / am" he agreed. thought
fully. II have been associated with Jesse
I.asky this season writing and putting on
some first class musical sketches. Mr.
Lasky is the Christopher columbus of vau-
dcvile. He is one of the pioneers who dis
covered the new field. He has great coT-
age and supreme faith i'm his audience. Tie
will have nothing but high class work, with
good actors 10 interpret ii. He occupies,
in relation to vaudeville matters the same
position that Mr. Belasco does TO the 'le-
climate
Are the modern productions for vaude-
Vile as elaborate and expensive as us
crafty press agent would have US believe
| asked boldly, feeling We knew each other
well enough by this time to really tell the
truth.
well, for instance, the two musical coni-
edies both of which l wrote the book ior'
The Antique Girl and California. head
liners on Mr.. Lasky's circuits, cost about
$4,000 to produce"
| At my whistle of amazemeni he added
pillng on the agony while he had me down.
"Oh. that fades into insigniicance when you
realize that we are booked straight through
for a long. long term. And was told, just
as my brother was, how foolish we were TO
put so much time and money on failures
lover the heads OF the audience. 'mu'
sic too good, ct cetera." chimed in William
de Mile. And they have proved SO TAR
over the heads that audiences climb INTO
the theatres twice a day just to reach f'r
them"
"Why. the vaudeville audience Is tne
quickest. almost, u get point, CeV"
dc Mile interposed here with the Warm'"
of conviction. They have been sateo'
hustled. bored and almost bullied "hn
points and. believe me, they SNOW them
now and get tnem when they're there. tor
instance, in. In 1899 the laughter Begins
when the curtain rises-before word nss
been spokcn-shcwing how the aulienee hA'
crashed the whole situation at "A sah.j
and simply because 'the man sits at taoie'
sewing" "a.
AFTER all why should there be TINS
or,azement at the success OF better
,hipgs?' William de Mile cut i'm. IN fur'
ther hot defence '"rhe vaudeville sneVe'
Is the short story of dramatic Literature
II varies fIom the play as the short S.o',
does from the novel. 1t is capable OF )us'
as artistic treatment, as you know Du' ."s
form Is. OF necessity. more condensed anu
compact. That is all"
The ALI" in its finaiity. rather stsi,s-