The L'Anse sentinel., 1916-02-05
CHAPTER Il.


don't remember ever having Ind any
definite ambition to go on the stage or OF
being attracted to the life. just natural.
ly drifted onto the stage, just az the son
of storekeeper begins tending to the
counter.
With both my father and mother, how
ever, it was definite intention to put me
on the stage. can't remember when the
talk of this began. It always seemed to be
a fact generally understood in the family
that should be an actor. can remem-
Der how carefully my mother trained me
in stagecraft. learned acting as learned
to read and write.
don't remember when / began regu-
larry as professional, but remember
that ! was already working on the stage
when ! had a narrow escape from drown
remember that was on tour with .
show called ''The Yorkshire Lads" 1t
seems to me that ! could not have been
much over five or six years old; but sup
pose | must have been year or two old
er. Two or three of the boys of the com
Thames and l slipped into the stream.
! can remember how felt as was swept
down the river on the current. ] knew
that | was drowning, when felt big,
shaggy body in the water near me. l had
just consciousness and strength left to
grab hold Of the fur and hang on, and was
dragged ashore by big black woolly dog
which belonged to policeman on duty
along the river. If it hadn't been for that
dog, there wouldn't have been any Chap
lin ON the screen.
don't remember anything about the
show ] was acting in at that time. sup
pose | must have been acting or singing at
intervals during those years, but the first
show 81 have s.s any y.y very definite th
Of Cocaine" by H. A. Saintsbury, who
is a very famous playwright On the other
side.
His First Real Hit.
This was my first real hit on the stage.
j had part called Sammy, the news
boy" and j will have to admit that be-
tween the part and myself We made
terrific hit.
got some fine notices from the big Lon.
don newspapers, and from that time
began to 60 ahead.
liked playing a regular part much bet
ter than l did vaudeville work. 1t seems
to me that had made up my mind at this
time to become legitimate actor. don't
remember that comedy appealed very
much to me, either. think my parents
both had the same ambition for me that
i had for myself. NV vaudeville work
with them them was only incidental. Both par
ural that / should occasionally be used in
one capacity or another in the show. This
is the almost invariable fate Of children of
the vaudeville. But, as ] remember my
mothers training, II was all looking to-
ward career for me as legitimate actor.
The next important part ! remember,
ssf ~ss in ppsanE * Hames G1 n MSsS
had the part of Billy. ] toured all over
England in this part and did well.
Oh, CharIieI 'Fess Up.
After this / began to encounter what
Americans call hard sledding." The
worst period in the life of an actor who
starts as did is the period between boy
hood and maturity. / had a hard time
getting along then. was too big to make
boys parts convincing. and too small and
immature to take mems parts.
will reserve for another chapter my
real start as grown-up nctor.
1t seems that the story Of nobody's boy
hood is complete without the account Of
his boyhood swecthcarts. am afraHd
have nothing thrilling to tell in this re-
gard. was not the type of boy who was
very strongly attracted to girls in real
life. was too busy with the people Of
my games of pretend" Most Of my
boyhood sweethearts were wonderful crea-
lures of my day-dreams. ] have a vague
of my own age; but il 10 not quite clear
in my own mind which were the real lit
tie girls and which were the dream chill
dren. The little boy-girl firtations never
appealed to me. The young ladies avail
able did not live up to the standard of
grandeur set BY the young ladies' that ]
imagined.
II, in some way, have relegated to the
mists of unreality some little girl whom
really adored and whoee name i have for
gotten. to her / present my profoundest
apologies. will fall back on slang and
say that she was dream anyhow, which
ought to square It.
Finds Hard Shedding.
After he became old enough to be .
| regular actor" Charlie Chaplin didn't
find the going very easy.
The irony Of his fate was that, after all
his training by his mother for the career
| Of legitimate actor, the only direction IN
which he really scored was in rather rough
| quaint touch that he brought to what had
| formerly been pointless horse play.
Chaplin tells his friends that he knocked
around from pillar to post on the stage in
! England sometimes in one job, sometimes
| In another. He says that he was glad to
| exc out bare livi1g. Most Of the time he
| was working in burlesque and pantomime.
| He aGCribeG his success IN the pictures 70
| the early training that he got under the
great English pantomimists-
| About lpl0, Fred Karno put on a variety
| act called, "A Night in . London 4usic
| Han" It concerned the adventures Of
very badly spiaioated young swellin . boz
st music hail. The stage was set for .
I miniature music hall with the boxes at one
| I1ide Of the stage. The tipsy young swell
\ ~ N one sof these boxep. He tried 20
queen" all the beautiful ladies on the
mnsic hall vaudeville bill. Several timss
| hs climbed over the edge Of the hox onto
tie miniature stage. Most Of the time.
| he Was either falling into or out Of the
| box. The swell had TO do about million
| comic "fallS' during the progress Of the
| eketch. was very funny and ended n .
| Hot Of boisterous mirth.
Z In England, the part Of the tipsy youne
| person was taken BY Billy Reeves, Z velE
/ Known comedian who b now with the Uni
! 'versnI Aim company. The sketch made
| isnch bic that Karuo finally docidod %
| jScnd Il over % TIE United 6t1tes. Eoovoo
| iorovo6 20 ~ riot heES and KarDo -
| ,Sanissd and scnt ovef No. 3 company -
{suP IL weetern. s(atss. Charlie ChSpIlo
~ s.ployed \ hsed ~ No. ? eoapsny.
(1he nsxe luseol1msne n sNls ,u>or
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