Evening star., 1934-07-29
SorrOU Had Place With Cdyety
In Heart of Marie DressLer
But World Nerer SatC Former In Life
of Woman Who Made 1t Laugh
and Forget Oun Criefs.

or Marie. as she chose to call her
self-in food, clothing and shelter.
OF course. she had given her age as
1S to get the job. She had, more
over, given her hard-working, patient
mother this assurance: when I get
set. mother, you'n dress beautifully
and never have to work any more:
just sit around and read all day"
Marie Dressler would tell you in
life that she kept that childish
boast. She would tell you with tears
in her eyes how her mother, before
the end came. knew the pleasures of
idleness and luxury.
Newspapers Her Teacher.
The mother worried because the IA
year-old Marie couldn't have any edu-
cation. She made her daughter prom
ise to read newspapers every day as
an educational measure. Marie kept
that promise. All the education she
had in the world came from reading
papers and listening to people.
Her first important role was that
of Cigarette in Under Two Flags. q"
At that time she'd tell you she was q
romantic and very impressionable
young woman. She fell in love with
all the handsome leading men, who
never noticed her. And she wrote
poetry to the miSeries of unrequited
love and the heartbreak of a woman
who sees her soulmate only to watch
him pay his addresses to another and
fairpr member OF her sex
About this romantic time Lillian
Russell came into Marie Dressler's
life. The two-one very beautiful
the other comically homely-were to
become fast friends. 1t is one of the
most interesting facts of that friend
ship that Marie was never jealous
of Lillian's beauty and that the two
were the most loyal friends the stage
has ever seen. Marie was with Weber
& Fields then. Some little while be-
fore she had seen her name go up
in electric lights above the marquee
of the old Winter Garden in New
York and, childishly, had rented q
| room nearby, where she could lean
out the window and watch her newly
won fame twinkle in the New York
| night.
She once told me: 'I could never
forget the hush which followed Lii
lian'S first gorgeous appearance on
the stage at each performance-that
hush Of sheer admiration for her
beauty. Then the burst of applause.
It's funny, but I was never Jealous
of Lillian or Of any of the beautiful
women I worked with. It certainly
was lucky for me I was born that
way. To tell you the truth, I've
always been sort Of glad I was born
| homely. So many beautiful women
never amount to anything. They Just
drift along. resting on the laurels OF
| their loveliness."
A Parade of Successes.
Marie's life at this time was a pa
rade of successes. To name a few
Of them, ''The Bohemian Girl" FRA
Diavolo," BLACK Robinson Crusoe, u
Lady Nicotine" and many others
Her smash hit was in Lady Slavey, u
which reminds me somewhat Of the
Emma" of her later years. She
played in this for four years. In
between she made excursions In
vaudeville, and London knew hel
when she took her comedy and songs
into various theaters there.
Then Marie Dressler crashed the
-four hundred" of New York.
1t happened this way: Mrs. Stuy-
vesant Fish had asked famous prima
| donna to be an entertainer at one
Of her parties. With this difference:
Mrs. Fish wanted the prima donna
to remain all evening, stay to dine
from time to time instead Of rising
and going through a stiff program at
q given hour Of the evening. The
prirna donna refused on the ground
that she was an employe, not guest.
Marie Dressler was asked to do the
same thing and accepted. She sat