The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-03-07
A FUNNY MANS WISDOM.
George sidney Grows Analytical
,L,ut nj. Tendencies.

ebEhN
ABOUT His Humorous Tendencies.
George sidney. who walked around
the corner from burlesque TO h
legitimate" and became amous IN
. night for his representation OF the
producing manager In James
Forbes 5 M ewes comedy hit, 'The Show
shop. at the Hudson Theatre, says
that the great change n his life"
abou, which his friends and the pub
lie make such constant comment IL
largely imaginary. that the business
OF making people laugh in one the
atre " precisely the same az the
business OF making them laugh IN
another. and that when all com
mon ties fail them the great majority
OF people Of all known assortments
will still laugh az the same things.
81, has been said before, ] know.
he said the other night in his dress
ing room. that humor is universal.
pu, you'd think nat n people who
talk TO me had never heard II before'
They think that 10 20 from our
les1uc 70 the legitimate Is TO remahe
yourself from your head to your
heels lis r now and It's r
all the time and everywhere that
comedy IA the real brotherhood or
man.
The basis Of all comedy - truth
No man viii laugh at What he doesn't
believe. | don't IRE how many antics
you perform TO tickle him. But II you
go out on a stag and show up a
mans little weaknesses. his Naniues,
, his cowardice. his greediness. his IN
consistency. and II You do those things
so that the fellow on the other SIDE
~ the fn1tlights says: BY solly. |
know A dozen Ike MIN, or A hundred
ike him you've made a comedy Int
81 know the theatrical manager in
side out and hackward-lNe heeh
one There isn't any little weakness
ma, don't know How many times
do Won siInpose I've had to tell some
man that | was going 10 get rid of
maj 'ihts theatrical business had 10
make No all good gamblers And how
many times do YOU suppose I've tried
To- cover up my tracks SO rs NOT 10
hurt Mis- feelings or show myself up
Why. | couldn't count the tunes u"
result * that when | have 10 play thhl
mlnagcr | have b air OF a sa""p-
killing dog. just like | knew myself TO
be In re,i li.e. And the audience
! thinks I'm funny I'm being truth
ful, that's all.
",,d .ata my word for ii. II had
,ha, selfsame scene 20 play in a bur
lesuue house I'd do Il Just that same
way. II l did it any differently they'd
sense the fact that | wasn't being
truthful. that ! was trying TO be
funny. which IS always deadly
ono of the things that ! learned ~
tine burlcsuue houses ~ that huriesqu,
su,t ruuny' No. I'm not trying to M
smart. | mean jus, that In fact.
never was very certain why they
called il 'b~urlcsque,'
If Won think back To the old Webei
and Fields days youN remember tina
that pair Of wonder workers didu'
do anything but im%personate truth
fully. II the audiences at the o'
music hal hadn't seen scores ant
hundreds Of German Americans strns
Cling 20 make themselves understo"'
N q strange language n stut'et'hi
md suffering ana getting chok'u II
death with ii, they never Woul" nav
seen anything iunhN III N'""' a"'
tl"'ds' ti o"prs" no" III sI'"N'''
lINi OF the hotine' no" "' NV
''oh. hu' 'hf s,'u'''"" ~ "F Wv
1taN"flRnl' not the "N'"'
Marie DRESSER was funnN N thos'
b~uriesques' not because she wat
really b~urlesquing anything nut De
.at,Ea che una mis- true 10 fNDe