The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-03-06
Wherein Is Told
Why Harry Lauder
Is a Great Artist

Just because Harry Lauder is a
highly paid performer and came here
heralded as the greatest entertainer
of the age, each one who has his own
idea of a great show and a great en-
tertainer at once conceived that
Lauder must be a super George NJ.
Conan, a super John Drew, with a
dash of Victor Morley, a super George
Evans, Lew Dockstader and George
Thatcher, not TO mention the late
George Fuller Golden, and the late
J. w. Kelly rolled into one.
When they found that he was Just
Harry Lauder who danced gracefully,
gave character studies that George NJ.
Cohan might have written, and Vic
tor Morley portrayed. had they been
American; sang songs with q toe
tapping Tilt that Gus Edwards. Harry
Won Ttlzer or even Charles X. Harris
would be proud to own. and deliv-
cred monologue which for unity.
clarity and humor would be hard to
match, they owned they were disap-
pointed.
They expected too much.
Harry Lauder Is just Harry Lauder,
even as Albert Chevalier was the in
terpreter of life in whitechapel---
with this notable exception: Lauder
Is burlesquer, a refined caracaturist.
at times. as we'll as a straight come
dian. He has his own peculiar meth
cd of getting the point of his Jests
home. and he never fails to do so,
In spite of the handicap of his Scotch
dialect. He is slow and deliberate
In his work of necessity. He is
obliged TO lead up slowly to the point
and then emphasize 1t in order that
The audience may understand. His
d. T. l. a Il. Sy<a D
ne understands his audiences. usually.
Lauder has methods all his own.
They are as far apart from the work
II any other comedian as the work
Of George Grossmith or Albert Cheva
her. They are as distinct as the work
of Richard Mansfield in Prince Karl.
Edward Harrigan and Tonly Hart are
the only Americans who have reveal
ed as distinctive character creations
as Lauder,
Sotch humor. however. is not the
kind that appeals TO the average
American theatergoer. 1t lie too SOM
bre. A real Scotch joke usually has
corpse~-vernacuiar. "corp"-at-
tached to IL. Lauder does not over
looked this, As the half-witted boy
he tells about the two "bitties" he
has. which the 'mither' has told
him are poison. He adds; II gle ane
TO wee While Tampson. Wee Wui-
He'll eat his III necht. II he is no
dead tn morn. I'll eat mine" Which
brand of humor is essentially Scotch.
Lauder can tell a Scotch story with
all the JUNCTION possessed by the late
!. W. Kelly in telling yarn in Irish
dialect. No one will dispute his
talent as oan interpreter of 49, sss,ntch
character. but IL is In hts clever carl
catures that he la at his best. He
Ia droli and his burlesques are SO
defs, the shading SO wonderfully fne
that few can distinguish between his
straight work and his buriesque. AS
dancer he Ia nimbie. as a Celt, or a
Gaul should he.
Lauder has a wonderful gift al
writing popular melodies. in which
ne does not hesitate to use rythyms
that would delight a Salvation army
captain. He is not above henelv SEN
timents, yet there is no ooarseness in
his verses. at least in those that are
familiar here. He is no Robert
Burns, but there Is no false sentf-
ment about his ballads, Simplicity is
his keynote.
And when an entertainer combines
the gifts OF a George Conan with
the barney Of A J. W. Kelly and
with the ability to portray characters
worthy Of the traditions of Harrigan
and Hart. he Ia nothing less than a
genius
Harry Lander ia all that.
JAY LEWIS