The Washington times., 1922-09-11
Of.
BUBBLE SONG
DIES FOR PAL
Effort to Save Friends Job
Leads to Nervous Z"
Breakdown.


NEW YORK. Sept. 11.-John VII.
liam Kellette, who made millions OF
hearts sing joyousiy with his I'm
Forever Blowing Bubbles" is dead.
gone to the bourn where spirit bub-
bles blow eternal.
Back to his old home at North
boro. Mass. Kellette returned to die.
his body shattered by disease, but
his unconquerable spirit still fight
ing to achieve fame. still seeking
something new to catch, enthrali
and delight humanity. His death
came a few days ago, after long
illness.
Few men live to look back upon
q career like John William keiiette:
Born in the midst Of struggle and
poyerty in Lowell, forty-seven years
ago, his fathers death six yea-s
later sent him out into the world to
make a living for himself and fis
Younger brother. His mother, An
ME Farrell, before she married kel-
latte. n Frenchman, who worked IN
the Lowell mills. died soon after ntr
husband and the burden OF sup.
porting himself and little Joe ien
upon John at an age when cthcr
children are being first sent 10
school.
Editor Gives Him Chance.
A newsboy first, and q bootblack.
he caught the notice OF the editor
of the Northboro Daily News, VINO
made him a printers devil In that
little shop. Early in his teens kel-
lette became q compositor and learn
ed to write his own account OF tne
doinss of Northboro in a style Pc
culiarly his own. ill.,,
for a while, but when 1t was over
he returned to wed a pretty widow
Mrs. Osborn, in his home town.
Then the linotype came In and kel-
iette struggled with 1t till he be
came the champion linotyper Of New
England. A Job on the Rutland
Herald took him to Vermont ana
from there he drifted to a better job
in New Rochelle.
The Tannhauser studios there at
trscted him to scenario writing.
Though Lonergan. editor Of the stu
dos, tried in every way to dissuade
him, the printer kept at 1t till one
day Lonergan read one OF keliettes
scripts in sheer desperation to get
rid Of him, and-accepted 1t.
Quickly Gained Fame.
Fame and a princely income fol'
lowed-fame in the studios. that rs,
His skill at scenarios was too good;
ne was made a director and soon the
Universal called him to direct films
which starred June Caprice. Irene
Castle, Annette Kellermann and
host of other film beauties.
with an income Of $1,000 a week
Kellette kept Notwithstanding Tor
other things. There was a song in
his heart and II must out, but he
could never quite catch Its words OF
rhythm.
Then one night, as he drove
through the East Side in his lmou-
sine, tired after a long days work,
he saw a wretched little girl Of
six forgetting the baby she had been
given to mind and blowing bubbles In
the street, Her mother scolded her,
called her into the house, and when
Keilette, attracted insensibly by the
scene, asked about the child, the
mother answered:
Always Blowing Bubbles.
She's a torment to me; always
blowing bubbles and never minding
her work"
The responsive chord in Kel'
Iette's heart was struck. That night
he sat up till daylight. writing scores
he had studied music-drawtng
sketches. for he was no mean artist
too. and scribbiing words.
The result was a song which made
him famous all over the world. He
sold It, the story goes. for a few
v.,.All~hnra uUhn cleaned
rp a half million. But Kellette
didn't care. He had written what Re
wanted. what he had wanted 30 long
to write and never knew how or
what till that night.
The song burst from him and left
him, like one of the bubbles he had
sung about. 1t was the story OF his
own life he felt ano he sang 1t again
and again:
I'm forever blowing bubbles,
Pretty bubbles in the air;
They fly 50 high, nearly reach the
sky,
away and die.
Fortunes always hiding,
I've looked everywhere;
I'm forever blowing bubbles.
Pretty bubbles, in the air"
The song literally took possession
Of Kellette. He tried to write others,
but none answered the call OF his
spirit Like this one.
Did Friends Work.
And now the strain Of too strenu.
GUS a life began to tell on him.
Learning that an old friend, q com.
positor. was sick. too Ill to work.
with q family dependent on him,
Kellette burned the candle at both
ends. at night doing his friends task
while by day he earned q huge
salary as film director. He might
better have given his friend the
money every week, but the tascina-
ton Of the composing room held him
and he preferred to draw the pay en-.