Location:
Theater:
Date:
Type:
Costumes.
Comic and dramatic dialogue.
"The Old Clothes Man."
The Kaiser and Augusta, his wife, with Willy (the clown quince, as Lew Dockstader referred to him later on the same bill), in a Bronx flat, paying $27 monthly - and broke. That is the scene at the opening of "The Old Clothes Man." It's a humorous idea, and the playlet runs in a funny vein for half its distance then goes into heavy dramatics and fades away. The Kaiser carries his left arm as generally expected, and the impersonation is fairly representative. Willy is the money-getter. He has a job as a street car conductor. As the janitor is demanding his rent and Kaiser Bill is trying to stall him Willy walks in as a fare collector, wants to know what is the matter, and when told about the rent says he will take care of that, dumping much small change from his pockets, remarking: "I should worry about the company." Everybody in the family is sore at Ludendorff. When a groceryman tells the Brandenbergs (as the Kaiser is called) that their credit has been stopped and they find his name is also Ludendorff their rage is stupendous, although relieved somewhat when Willy informs his father that he slapped a man's face on his car that day because the man said he looked like the Crown Prince, and the man's name was Hindenberg. The Kaiser congratulated Willy for at least getting into a fight. The possibilities for a travesty of this sort may be said to have been missed by many miles, but the idea is so stage new, it's startlingly funny at the opening. An old clothes man is heard calling in the street. The Kaiser tells Willy to have him come up. He will sell some of his uniforms and raise a little cash. The clothes dealer appears - an old man - who offers "three dollars and twenty-five cents" for each garment he wants. A sparkling looking dress uniform of the Emperor's that the Kaiser mentioned he has especially made for his entry into Paris, having solid gold epaulets and of the finest broadcloth, also got the three-twenty-five offer. The Kaiser told the clothes man he would put it on so that he might see its full value, which he did, with a helmet also, when the clothes man recognized him as the Kaiser. The clothes man starts a tirade against him along the same lines about as was done in several of the war playlets of '15 and '16, with the torrent of reproach running to the finish, the sketch and the interest dying meantime. Mr. Howell should have the comedy continued for a full sketch. The dramatics don't belong and can't hold up the act, while the comedy would. It might be well to have the entire playlet rewritten along the main idea - the Kaiser broke and hiding away with the family characters retained. The young man playing Willy is doing a bit of work that would bring him plenty of attention in a $2 show, while the Kaiser and the Aug-gus-taah fit in nicely. It's just a fine comedy scheme gone wrong as it is.
Source:
Variety, 53:8 (01/17/1919)