New-York tribune., 1920-01-25
Harriette Underhil
Admits She interviewed
This Actor i'm Her Lap
By Harrictte Underhill

Mr.. William Rhodes climbed into our
lap and gave himself over to the more
or less doubtful pleasure of being in
tcrvicwed OF course. when one is new
20 the business, an interview IS thrill
ing thing, but after one has been on
the stage for fourteen years. as Will
liam Rhodes has been, it simply means
one more bit of work which has to be
gone through with before one may call
ii q day.
We'll" we said, excitedly. as we
squeezed Mr.. Rhodes s hand, Its a big
Int. isn't 1t
Yes answered william, without
half of our enthusiasm. 1T does look
ments out in 'front.'
"Oh. the people are wild about the
play. and the girl who sat next to us
in 3-B said, Isn't he a dear? | should
love to kiss him." Mr.. Rhodes looked
at us and winked solemnly.
Was she pretty?" he asked. you
know. worth whilc?'
Very much so; she was our own
Miss Ross
You can't find her. can you? You
know nan has to have some excite
mcnt now, with this prohibition thing
III order
Billy" we said swcetly, "how old
arc you?''
well I'm getting d excuse me,
! mean pretty old I'm twenty-three.
and after a fellow has been on the
stagc for fourteen years the work be-
gins to tell on him"
And it isn't only the work either,
Rlly," we said sweetly; "you know you
arc carrying on altogether too many
exciting games outside the theater."
We'll, man has to SOW his wild
oats, and wasn't it another William
Mr.. Rhodes looked so intriguing
when he said this that we almost
kissed him ourself, but then we remem-
bcred that he never forgot that he was
twenty three years old, even if other
people had difficulty in remembering it..
After our opening sentence perhaps We
should have explained long ago that
Mr.. William Rhodes is the famous Lit
tie Billy, who opened Monday night
in Rachel Barton Buffers prize play,
"Mamma's Affair." Billy opens the
costume and a pair of No. 6 patent
leather boots.
Although we know Billy quite we'll,
we never had interviewed him before
and we never knew anything about him
excepting that You have to be on your
guard all the time or you'll grab him
up and stick him in your muff and
run off with him. But when you in
terviow person it gives YOU chance
to say all sorts of impertinent things
that you couldn't possibly say other
wise.
where were YOU born, Bily?' we
asked first. "and how big were you
when it happened?"
Il was born in Lynn, Mass, and
don't remember just how big l was,
bus about the usual size. / guess, what
ever that is. Mother says I've grown
several inches since then. Why, I've
even grown since I went on the stage.
I'm at least an inch taller than / was
then. I'm the only child, and you'd
,hink my mother and father could
have done better than this, wouldn't
you?'
Isn't your mamma proud of you ?"
we asked, forgetting again for the mo-
ment that Billy was twenty three"
She is not; she thinks Pm a joke!
Why, she will come TO the theater and
stand in the wings and laugh all
through my most tragic scenes. l like
TO make people laugh sometimes, but
there are moments when a man wishes
u be taken seriously. My mother is a
dear, OF course, but | don't think she
quite realizes how old am. She