The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-02-12


 A married-but you needn't hold that against him; he has the most adorable silver gray hair and big brown eyes, 50 you can just readily see how nice he must be.
 | Terribly punctual, too he was there right on the minute for a o'clock en- gagement yesterday afternoon, al- though he quite frankly confessed thai | he'd rather have tooth pulled any day than to have some matinee girl newpaperperson" asking him questions and boring him to death with this ever 1 lasting Interview business. However, I remarked upon his punc- | tually, to which he bowed with em- pressment, and said:
 'Punctuality, my dear lady, to quote our friend MT Bulwer is the stern nec- l essity of men of business, and the grateful courtesy of princes"
 Now, what could body do after that beautiful speech?
 This is what did: "Balled" things up outrageously and stuttered and stam- mered and didn't know what to say when I was trying to be so nice and clever, too, and finally stumbled on "Br-er-we1l-any way, tell me something else about yourself.p
 Just don't say anything much about me-" he requested in the most beauti- ful basso profundo voice you ever heard, which caused us to render Decision No. 2" in "The Defendants" favor namely, that besides being very good looking and real "star," he had the most fascinating voice imaginable. Why mention my name" al I uIxrra ryo terribly accommodating. "But story without name is like letter without a stamp"
 "Oh, very well; I'm at your mercy do with me as you will" he said hope lessly-just in that same beautiful tone of voice he uses on the stage when he says he's at the mercy of the jury. |Pm always throwing myself upon the mercy of the court it seems to me for some reason or other"
 You don't look in the least like a defendant" I said, noting him scrutin- ousIy and observing that he had the incest, kindest, gentlest eyes in the world, and the other tell-tale feature even more dominant than the eyes-a wonderfully good mouth. How did you happen to play such part?'
 "I was in New York at one of the Broadway playhouses doing part in A Modern Girl" said MT Baker, when Mr. Arthur Hopkins happened in one evening and saw my work. It was just at that time that the Chicago company of on Trial was being organized. MT. Hop kins liked my work and suggested that the part Pm now playing was mine if wanted it. I accepted it because l liked it; I thought it was capable of great pos abilities. The Chicago production was held up for a time on account of another success, Under Cover so the company was detained for a while, but as soon as various obstacles were overcome we opened in Chicago and I played there all the time. Frederick Perry was playing the same thing in New York"
 Before that" MT Baker smiled as he noted my interested expression. (Of course, he didn't say he noticed it, but I felt sort of like he couldn't help notic- ing). T had been with Miss Anglin in Lydia Gilmore, and later with the New theatre. when MT. Winthrop Ames or ganized the company which first opened in that wonderful playhouse"
 And why was 1t so short lived?" I asked
 Probably I can answer your question best by telling you what vaudeville actor told me once" MT. Baker said. He observed that if an actor came out and informed his audience that he was going to be artistic--the whole thing fell flat. What the audience wanted was for him to be artistic without announcing the fact. That was the trouble with the New theatre. It proclaimed to the world that it was going to show the public what act ing really was and in so doing lost all pos- sible hope of ever making a success of the venture; 1t was the same old story that the vaudeville man told; people want to be shown and not told"
 How did it all start with you, this be- ing an actor man?" I inquired. Infant prodigy big black eyes, long, black