New-York tribune., 1918-02-24
How He Makes 'Er1 Laugh
In Which AL .Jolson Discusses Huror,
Confessing that the Life of Funny
Person Is Not All Beer and Skiftles
By Alexander Pierce

have to drive everything home. Az
my pet joke doesn't take the wav !.
ought to. When say that the robb.,.
chased NE for three hours and il ,o.r
me four days to get back, have ;,
give 'em few seconds to get it. Tb,..
what comes of putting in lines ths.,.
quire people to think.
1--WE got to talk dead centre al, 9.
time The Winter Garden il q.
hardest place in the world to put tbi,..
over. The Broadway crowd ere spoiisa
This house has been the graveyard ..
the comics. don't want TO name s,v
names, but it's a graveyard Of broke,
hearts. Play anywhere else and tbsx
think you're funny, but come down
here and they take it out of you.n
Unlike Bert Williams, Al Jolson does
not seek to give a portrait from life
of this or that type of darkey. His
representation Of the black-faced come.
dian is conventionalized, comic figure
but depending for effect on almos.
every humorous trick except portrait.
ure. He does not speak in any real
darkey dialect, and said that he never
feels at any time as if he were col.
ored. Reverting to the business O,
making people laugh, he said that when
he scored his hits he noticed it no.
by the laughter that he heard, but bv
seeing people rocking in their seats
and that then he rcdoubled his efforts
to keep them going.
"They say l ought to be pretty
happy guy" he pursued, "but don't
know. Nobody realizes how happy |
was when I was getting s22 a week and
had to save up a long time to get a
new suit. l used to think it over for
weeks what sort of a suit it would
be, whether I'd have a stripe or some
thing else, but now I get anything and
know that people will say whatever
Jolson wears is all right. Same thinl
about taking out a girl. No fun fol
me now to buy a bottle of wine. Tn,
only fun is to be successful.
'1n putting on a show, of course,
have to study great deal over tht
effect Of my lines. There's no suct
thing as spontaneous comedy in a big
theatre. The manager curses the actor
who pulls new stuff. 1t may kill 4
show. l have to twist and turn anc
weigh my jokes beforehand"
'lt takes a sense of values like q
jewelers." put in Ben Atwell, tbs
renowned Winter Garden press agent
for no real press agent can sit by with.
out adding a touch here and there at
psychological moments. '.Mr. Joson
has to coach everybody else. Every
move made on the stage has to be
worked out. The wink of an eyelash
can kill laugh. If somebody looks
up at a box the audience is going to
look"
"And what's the use of it all if a
black dog that may be worth 50 can
make 'em cheer by going over q
jump" queried Mr.. Jolson, with q
shade of wistfulness.
By this time he was almost ready
to make another appearance on the
stage. The final touch was to snatch
up a purple cotton rag and tuck it in
his girdle.
Maybe it doesn't look Ike much
he remarked, "but l wouldn't go on in
this act without it. Not for worlds.
found it on the floor at a rehearsal,
dropped off one of the girls rag dress
es, l guess, and l stuck it in the belt I
I've kind of feeling that it brought
me luck"
The next moment he had vanished
and Mr. Atwell took up the tale.
"Have you noticed the Instruments
tion in his songs? You want to tn.
next time you see him. He likes Il.
oassoons and oboes-nothing else psn
of the time. And you can't tell when
they are playing with him and when
they are playing against him in coun
ter melody. Oh, yes, you can hear hin
all right. He isn't big man, but be
has big voice. Going on the sane
principle, he counterpoints every char.
acter in the play.
HE has fancy for playing musiesl
instruments. He might be a good mu
slclan, but he never works with sry
one very long. It's a saxaphone nov
A little while ago he had fad for
vlollns made out of cigar boxes nd
next 1t was set of musical Jug With |
hne line of jazz tones. He's suNa
a great character for one so young
What do you say, shall we go au' 4
and spear a foolish little drjnke.'