The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1913-10-14
THE FAIREST, FATTEST AND FUNNIEST
LITTLE COMEDIAN is Mr.. HARLAN
BY DOLLY DALRYMPLE

Oh listen to this glad refrain.
! Mr.. Otis Harlan Is with us again;
! Fairer. fatter and -funnier by far
Than IN the old days at the "Bijou"
| When he first was a star"
From Dollys 'Dallyings.''
The shortest known interview" on rec.
ord is that given out recently by Mr.
Charles Frohman to a reporter who was
as young as he was insistent.
Said the cub" to the big manager:
Mr. Frohman. it means good deal
to me to get statement from your
On what subject?" the big manager
questioned.
I'm getting up a symposium on the diff
ference between New York and out of
town audiences, and | would like to know
what, in your opinion, is the difference
Fifty cents" said Mr.. Frohman .lacon-
ically.
I don't know what that little story has
to do with the one I'm going to tell you
about Mr.. Otis Harlan, but maybe it will
be-apropos as we progress, and l say that
1t was about the hardest proposition l
was ever up against to get an Interview
at all with Mr.. Harlan, even ever so short
a one, for believe me, he's some popular
mar
As it was | managed to get enough
''dope,' as we newspaper people call It,
for q little .tee-ny. wee-ny story, just
about as long as Mr.. Harlan ia tall OH!
no; you misunderstood me. didn't say as
wide; certainly not; few things are, and if
I'd gotten that much could have written
a book instead of a newspaper story.
You know they allow me just so much
space
I can't edit the whole paper
Mr.. Harlan, very kindly "sandwiched''
me in between his numerous engagements
and we had to talk fast and quick, and 1
was so sorry because there was so much
to talk about.
We of course alluded to his "size," and
may say en- PEASANT that he is living,
breathing cerification of the fact that
there is no truth whatever in the old
adage about nobody loving a fat man. for
If there ever was a man that had slews
and slews of friends that everybody loved
it is Otis Harlan
Back in the old days of the Bijou,
when he and Gertrude Hoffman, and long
before Max Hoffman began to get fam
Gus and write music for the Rogers broth
ers and Anna Held. Birmingham loved
him; when Little Chip" and dainty Mary
Marble, and John Dunno, and Dan Marble.
and Marie Fanchonetti, and all those good
looking chorus girls were there-don't you
remember how everybody in town adored
Otis Harlan?
All those people are famous as we'll as
Mr.. Harlan.
He married the pretty little girl who
led the line" just opposite Gertrude
Hoffman,!
Her name was Nellie Harvey. and she
| was a beauty
! She and Florrie Madison and Suzanne
Rocamora We're the prettiest things in
the girl line that anybody ever saw!
| Mrs Harlan retired from the stage after
she was married and Mr.. Harlan speaks
with the sweetest and most gentle affec-
/ ton of her and their little 9-year-old girl
Marion Louise whom he declares is a bet
| ter dancer than her fiat old dad"
| Really, it was lovely going back &c
those good old days, and hearing Mr.
| Harlan tell about his experiences and
| even farther-yes, years ago, when he got
| his start with Mr. Charles Hoyt, the
greatest playwright of them all. And how
when Mr.. Hoyt launched him in "a Trip
to Chinatown" and later wrote "A Black
Sheep for him he had to take him home
to live with him at the end of the tour,
after he'd spent all his money and in self