The Washington times., 1934-05-22
Violin Lessons


the time was that he gave me
Violin Lessons
I wanted to play the piano and
% my father brought me violin
and . professor to teach me how
TO play It, instead. made no
headway with the instrument be
cause / refused to touch the
strings where the instructor had,
since he suffered from . skin dis
order Of the fingertipS. Finally
becoming recOnciIed to the violin
when I saw q man playing one In
the street and realized that l
couldn't move about with .
piano.
I had to get a job when I was
10, since my father had lost his
money. We had bank failures
there, too. I got one with q
photographer, even though I still
wanted to go on the stage. Mi
micking people and acting in the
studio to exercise the flair for
the latter. I lost the job on &C
count Of it when a customer
came in and saw me making
faces at q vase that served as
my audience and telling the boss
I was crazy, which he readily be-
ieved.
I read every book on the stage
in the bookshop where got my
next job. Forgetting to lock the
door one day when the boss was
out I looked from my reading OF
the ''to be or not to be" speech
in Hamlet" to see the boss
staring at me. Mot to be
employed by me any longer" he
answered for me.
At 13, I fell in love with q
neighbOr's daughter and fol-
lowed her about for four years
without ever telling her. / lost
sight Of her when 1 joined .
travelling troupe as chorus
man. Finding her again q year
Later, when 1 was first come
dian in a Lemberg company,
and she saw me play, 1 pro-
posed and was accepted, only to
have the prospective father-in-.
Law turn thumS down on an &C
tor. Learning that she'd elOpe
with me If I could make enough
to support us-15O gulden .
week. got up enough courage
from that to ask the manager
for that amount. I was fired
a. the result and went to Buda-
pest to join another company
At 1SO gulden, but lost the girl
In the meantime.
I organized a company Of my
own in Galicia when I was 18.
Feeling my ears burn a year later
when Maurice MaShkoWltz, the
greatest European actor-manager
of his time, who had written me
to- join him in London, looked
at me and said Scornfully. rs
this the Saltz who conquered
Galicia and Hungary? Why he
looks like a boy!" Having my
suits made larger after that, to
make me look older. Finally,
after months Of Moshkowitz' in
difference to me, I was singled out
among the other supers in the
company and asked who had
made me up. Afraid that I had
made q mistake that would mean
the sack again, decided to pass
the buck and blame the job on
the makeup man. I kicked my
SELF for it when the director said
it was a swell job, but was recog-
nized as a full-fledged performer
when he learned the truth later.
Star Laughs
Getting a bigger part and hav-
1nx Moshkowitz refuse to appear
In any play without me, he for
got himself so far as to laugh
at my delivery Of some comic lines
while he was on the stage.
Tmet and married Lillian Fein-
man, daughter Of a great actor,
in London. Coming to the United
States the following year and get
ting q job with a company in
Philadelphia at SIS . week. That
was real money in 1914. Making
D hlt with the audience, but not
with the director and starting to
look for another job. Getting on
rs an extra with the late Ray
RnOnd Hitchcock as the result Of
my knowledge Of makeup. Look
ing upon that break as the turning
point in my career and then see
ing my hopes 60 up in smoke with
the film when the disastrous
Lubin Film fire occurred.
Returning to the Yiddish thea
ter in Philadelphia, met Jacob
p. Adler for the first time. He re-
fused to recognize me profession
ally. Finally, after haunting him
for months, I got a small part with
him. He made a curtain speech to
the audience predicting that some
day I would be great actor. Com
ing to New York with him and
opening at the Grand Street Thea
&aN 0v6 hainn &roo Tod xyaTNv 0oYN.