The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1921-12-06

Mr.. Leo GARLIC, handsome, young.
clever, one of the really, truly matt
nee idol types" of the stage today,
has in lombard, Ltd for the first
time in the history of the American
stage, portrayed the character of an
Americanized son of Italy in a man
ner befitting one of the upper class,
and he has done it so charmingly and
SO attractively that his impersona-
ton will go down in history like Jo-
seph Jefferson's rip Van Winkle,"
Chauncey Olcott's Irish characters,
and James K Hackett's The Prisoner
Of Zenda."
Leo GARLIC looks for all the world
like an Italian, with his olive.
swarthy skin, his jet black hair
and his radiant color, but his
tell-tale gray-Dlue eyes defy this
fact, and when he looks straight into
your eyes and says:
Il am an Americana 1856 or 80 or
zoo per cent American" you just want
to hug him right tight and tell him
you knew 1t all along.
Leo GARLIC is one of the most at
tractive stage people l have ever met,
with his grace and graciousness and
keen appreciation, and his gentle,
human touch. In fact, he registers
1856 or 20 or 200 per cent matinee
idol" as we'll as an honest to- good
ness American, and when l was talk
Ing to him yesterday about how he
had acquired his wonderful accent in
lombard, Ltd" as the temperament
tai Italian exotic, deliciousIy suave
Tito lombard, the dressmaker, who
loves his art" intensely, forgetting
all business considerations in his ar
Il ~ ffV,cf aS f1r- ha ina of,.l
the beautiful, perfect knight etrant
In his chivalry for the fair SEX" Mr..
GARLIC said:
"I rather expected you to ask me
about that accent So L am quite
prepared with an answer. The dia-
lect that I use as Tito lombard Is
the combination of two types, the
southern and the Neapolitan Italian.
The public Is generally familiar with
the southern italian, because nearly
all Italians here come from south
ern Italy, and there is more comedy in
that dialect than any other. But the
Italian of the better class has COM
paratively little dialect, which is the
case with Tito Lombardi, so l decided
that 1t must be a compromise between
the southern Italian and the Neapoli-
tan in speech.
Il found dressmaker's establish
ment in New York, a man who makes,
who creates, the most marvellous
gowns In the world Mr.. GARLIC con-
tinued, ''and l went to his atelier and
studied his manner and his methods
when l began to prepare the role. and
where under the blue canopy of
heaven can any one find more human
nature especially feminine human
nature than in a fashionable dress
making establishment in New York or
here in Birmingham or anywhere else:
The head of the establishment the ell
entele ranging in type from the fat,
puffy old dowager duchess to the
perfect thirty-six' model, and all the
secrets of their lives are revealed In
the gossip of the fitting room!
When 1 first essayed to play tho
role of Tito lombard" Mr.. GARLIC
declared, IT felt the effort was SO for
midable that after my premier in the
role in New York imagined myself
very much like some general, for in
stance, General Cardonna, when he
captured Monte Sano and looked down
upon the plains of Austria, stretching
away at his feet.
MANY people have felt that my
ouickness in learning the italian man
ner and speech was due to my expert.
ence In vaudeville. but that is not
true. because the one thing that I
ever learned In vaudeville was not to
act, but just to be a human being.
You know. never seriously
thought of being an actor. Ny father.
one of the best men who ever lived.
was United States Judge for the south
ern circuit of California, and had in