The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-01-14


blue. eyes. which nose glasses failed
utterly to hide or reduce In size.
She was one OF the. greatest wom-
en- the American stage has ever
known.
You see, 1t was because she haG
two things-comedy and TRAGEDY.
She was versatile. She was one or
the few who had the opportunity
to display both of her talents ana
receive equal credit for each" A
rather high collar. and tight-ntting
coat. coupled with the duty OF
waving away motors and buggies
with the cane. prevented run
face view at any time during the
walk. but lightning glances from
time to time REINFORCED the idea
That the eyes we're really as big as
they looked and revealed the fact
that the brows were heavy ana
quite golden, as was, indeed, the
hair. Or what there was of it TO ne
seen.
Which, judging from the effect with
the hat off, was quite as good a view
as any to be had. Now. here I'm
America" he went on, they don't
want versatility. If man shows
that he can do more than one thin;
the managers and the critics seem to
think that he is cheapening himself
and causing no end of row. But
II isn't that way over i'm London"
Lightning glance. "Oh, no. They
like 1t over there. The more differ
ent kinds of work a man Is able to
do the better they like him, but over
heah. it's different.
They want the very same kind OF
thing here all OF the time, whether
the people want IL or not There Is
no good reason why l should not
have played tragedy a great deal
more than l dfd-.the people wanted
1t. But the critics didn't want me to
play II. They had all sorts of things
to say about my appearance in the
role of Shylock in a production of
1.-THE Merchant of Venice" in 1901.
OF course. l didn't pay so much at
tention to everything that was said.
But then. one cannot but help heed
ing the warnings of some of the crit
les. But ! did prove in an advertise
ment which 1 once wrote up and had
printed that the box office receipts
for my appearances in tragedy were
much larger i'm one instance that the
receipts for my appearances as a CO.
median. The difference amounted TO
several thousands of dollars. II that
isn't conclusive proof that the publlc
likes to see a favorite in more than
one style of work, don't know what
proof iS."
There was sufficient apparent sim
certify on the part of Mr.. Goodwin to
give the interviewer courage to ask
question which needed an answer
in al good faith. DO you think
that the critics nowadays are worth
paying any attention to-" Another
one of those Elances and then a
chuckle.
We'll. you see it's this way. We
pretend that we don't care one single
bit. and look TO our audiences for our
sentence. but on Tuesday morning
we run out or have somebody else
run out and buy the papers. and
then we read what Is there. and then
throw the paper on the floor and
say, oh, what made me read that
stuff" But we always read it.
Yes. like this vaudeville. but
dye know /. can't feel as IL l am on
the stage. Not bit of it, l feel so
close to those people out front with
their heads all tilted up. just across
the way. and l simply cannot treat
them as l would an audience on the
legitimate stage, just get out there
and want to talk. It's just like talk
ing with people.
"Of course. on the legitimate stage
never know that the audience is
there at all. / simply do not know
that they exist. If l did. of course
would get out of my role. and that
would be fatal.
Il have just signed another con-
tract with the moving pictures for a
long period. ] ike pictures"
The conversation veered to the Ma
tional Theater and to the manager,
Mr.. RapleY. whom MI Goodwin
called young Harry, and to the elder
Rapley.
Then came the mention of many
names that were mere tradition tc
the interviewer.
| Largely, for the reason that a
the time of this comedians heyday
when he created one of the mos
successful roles OF his career. ap.