New-York tribune., 1922-02-19
~ Ohm r. KELLY who died abort time
ago, once divided honors with Nat Good
. win as the best dressing room-actor'


ago. once divided honors with Nat Good
~ win as the best dressing room-actor"
in America remember hearing this
statement from the lips Of no less an su,hor1>y
than De Wolf Hopper, who added pcrtinenty
>sough that his remark was not intended to
tehttle Mr.. Kelly's work on the stage, which to
his mind was always good. Kelly certainly
contributed his share to the entertainment pro-
v;ded at Weber & Fields's but he lives in my
memory as "drcssing room actor one OF
the most amusing persons in private life that
have ever been privileged to know.
am aware that the term l have quoted is
not generally understood beyond the limits Of
the theatrical profession, but it seems to me
that it explains itself, signifying as it docs
= player who can his fellows in the
dressing room, and il he can amuse them there
10 can do the same in a club or in his own
house
An almos. Synonymous term. more in vogue
IN England than here. is "hcarth rug perform
er.' which is usually applied to the actor who
SAAN
uitativc arts, tricks manager into an en-
agement, only to fail when he appears on the
stage in acting part.
Nat Goodwin was dressing room actor
and hearth rug performer" we'll, though
he did not have 10 perform hearth rug IN
order to obtain an engagement, for he was one
cs The best Americans actors OF his DAY. ~
always seemed to me that ms success IN CT
t.rtaininy his friends and acquaintance was
1,e moro to his gifts an lmtator than u
ANYTHING else, for it was IN onas "ne OF "oI-'
4ho+ be made his earliest stage successes.
~.r,en,ber him we'll at Tony Pastors whcA.
~;,,, r,.rvc,lol,s facility, he initiated IN qulcN
succession players Of such diverse talents a.
Edwin Booth. Billy Florence and John l. Kay
,,ond. And, young and inexperienced as wa
in those days. I could not help noticing that
y, ooc, case his face rescnlbled that Of the
olsver counteIfetcd Years afterward, when
] met him occasionally in private life, and
ccard him tell stories this peculiar quality was
still more apparent.
when stood in his dressing room between
ne acts Of p!ay il which he was the ST.
and listened to his account Of conversation
he lad had that day with Joseph Jefferson
III which he quoted verbatim the remarks Of
hat veteran player. Every time he had
occasion 70 quote he uncoasc;ously assumed
The face of Jefferson and with scarcely ~.
,irort Reproduced that actors peculiar VOC
md ;ntcnation. In fact l can recall III
;ioodvins limitations quite vividiy ou. cannot
remember auy OF thc stories have heard
lin tell
+ have seen a great number Of fine .lnitarora
turing my years Of playgoirg, and nearly all
yf Them have remained initators and nothin.
acre until the very last. AS an initator
g.sni Bush has seldom been e:<celed, cspc
.iai!y IN thc AT Of reproducing the various
aects or the town. Indeed, his work was
. iue that at the present day it would be
difficult 10 assemble an audience capable Of
appreciating him. Among the very few inn
tators who became irc legitimate actors We're
Nat Goodwin and David Warfeld.
John 7. Kelly was not q great inntator but
y;sthor ar amusing story-teller possessed Of
4 rich fund of rcminsccnce and an Irish