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Charlie Vaude Recalls Some Experiences While
By CHARLIE VAUDE
In Collaboration With
J. M. ROHAN
Radio entertainer Charlie Vaude says that
no artist ever bod the stages of the Tivoli circuit
without knowing the meaning of drudgery
and hard work. He maintains that turns required
a shining brightness to win recognition
in the first place, and an enthusastic public to
keep them on the bill any length of time. The
patter team, Vaude and Verne, hold the record
of 38 weeks continuous showing for that prince
of showmen, the late Harry Rickards.
In this story Charlie Vaude tells of his experiences
before making the Tivoli grade.
T
HE double turn of Vaude
Verne made its bow to Vic- and
j
torians under the emerald green I
banner of that grand old showman,!
Dan Barry. He instructed us to go to.
Willismstown to support his film of
the Bauer Murder. Dan didn't care
what artists were on the bill so long
as the murder film received full pub- >
licitv. For the benefit of young folk,
the "Bauer murder took place over 30
years ago and films In those days
lacked The detail we see in them today.
In those days artists thought themselves
lucky if paid at all when working
the suburbs, but Bill Verne and I
received a shock when we were paid
before doing our turn. I asked the
manager what the idea was. He told
me that he and Dan Barry had to dash
oH to bill another suburb for the following
night. The explanation seemed
feasible.
While awaiting our call we heard the
crowd cat-calling the artist on the
stage, while voices could be heard calling
for the Bauer Murder. The per-
iormer endeavored to quieten the
crowd by telling them that it would be
shown later He walked off the stage
unheard The pianist struck up a
march and an old film was shown, but
the cat-calling gained in intensity. -
The man in charge of the bioscope
sent for me and implored me to tell
the crowd that the police would not
allow the Bauer Murder film to be
show.. I toid Bill Verne we would do
our turn and tell the crowd about the
Elm at the finish. We went on and
pattered at a terrific rate. As we were
new faces we got a hearing.
Pedigrees Originated
About this time I originated pedi-:f
crses. I told Verne that I had backed
a horse that afternoon called Noisyman.
"What's his pedigree?" he asked.
the wmgs for safety, while Bill Verne
whispered that there would be another
murder if I chanced any more
wisecracks of that nature. However,
the crowd took it on the chin and applauaed
loudly.
The Bauer murder picture
attracted crowded houses in
many suburbs, but, strange to
relate, just as it was due to be
screened an announcement was
made to the effect that It was
stopped by the police. The
o
a
sympathy of the audience always
went out to Dan Barry.
I did not wake up for months
that
the
same
policeman
stopped it everywhere.
As Vaude and Verne had to make up
f0r the non-showing of the Bauer pic- V
ture we
"tons" of practice.
a
'Dead" Man Saves
Situation
A number of suburban engagements
ollowed our Dan Barry season. Often
we showed two and three times each
night. One night will linger in my
memory for ever. We showed at Port
Melbourne and had a later engagement 1
a farce—was being acted. The audlence
were in a nasty mood. They
thought the.v were not getting their
"bob's" worth. They were calling loudly'g
for_Vaude
The farce
and
in
Verne.
progress was "Doctor:
l
Cut Em Up." Harry Leggett was the 1
comedian. He was on the table dead.;
He spotted me in the wings. Sitting 1
up. he waved to the crowd and called
"It's all right. Vaude and Verne
are here." He dropped back dead again
the crowd laughed heartily at the
™» L c!,V, e ,rnJ^ „•=
seen by Jim XL^J??! Douglas, 1 SlSSLPJSi
manager of the
\\ axworks and Melbourne representa-:
tive for Ben and John Fuller, who were
Fullers,
in New
who
Zealand.
replied
Dougtas
offering
caWrtL^.
Vaude and'
erne a six months' engagement
nenL We
He
ccepted and sailed
r — The Bluff
strafehtawav It was one of the most
enjoyable trips of my career. Members
of Shackleton s crew were aboard our
boat to The Bluff Thev told me it
was too cold St the Antarctic to catch
a cold.
On the dav I arrived at Dunedin I
was invited to a send-off to the City
Engineer The leading citizens were
present. I wrote topical songs about
them. Tliey thought it clever, as I had
none Help
„ „ ..
cessful season. By the way, the enineer
farewelled was Mr. Richards,
ater Lord Mayor of Sydney.
The Dunedin press never
failed to herald my trips, riving
me Taluable publicity. When
I burlesqued Sir Conan Doyle's
act my turn received more
publicity than his original act.
! B m veme asked me if I was of the
5ame f0i10Wing as Conan Dovle. My
answer was: "No. he's high church and.
im low. He's a spirltuSlst. and I'm a
He belines in mediums, but
j Relieve in pints with handles " The
brightest gem of his serious lecture did
.
not
J^j,
register as weU as my jokes about
: W m ' !
1
c
r
D
.
ipiriruaiisric
Dug
Thpr. , littlp doubt
slr Conan T
„™ ere ls mtIe
,
. ,
w
mat
was responsible for many theatricals
getting the spiritualistic bug. Many'
turns of a similar nature blossomed,
some making good money out of their
acts.
A well-known comedian
friend ol
mjne thought he would have a shot at
spiritualism. He took two hard cases
tilth three bottles of beer. He asked if
there was anybody with whom they
would like to get in touch. One said he
would like to speak to a departed
aunt. The comedian put out the
light, thought tor a while, and said:
"Joe. I can hear a voice Basing. 'You're
drinking too much'." Joe replied: "It
cant be my aunt; she could drink me
blind."
Be turning to Sydney from New Zealand
after our Puller en^ement ue
rent for^v Mr^ Jack^Hb£v
RwLSrt n sVhJXr whf wif^'.,^
f a S
brother He S b u Brisbane ™^
fewTiks TOien w! were tostricted tS
proceed uj K m e T ™ ™ t iov
0r 1. C1 , 1 " n L
10 .f
l ," 8 S o o s bl ? s " ow we had
*" hold tlie front ' * curtafn — — - for '— 14 " minu«es.
It was an opportunity of whiebwe' 1
made the most.
jack Leete had good reports from j
Melbourne, so he featured our act in
ydney. For a local turn to be feat
ured was pracUcally unknown. How-1
ver, we were a hiCand tolMelbourne j
manager, Fred Aydon, asked that we;
be sent down to show over the Cup!
^ ™ 1 He^ve us a good posltlofi!
in the second half of the programme.:
^r^^^hr W sfhk n if addl " 0n ^
j*^""" earing 6 in uie nrst nail.
Harry " Rickards' Dt-L-J-.C Surprise
Harry Rickards had just returned
" j .u ,, J
ffom a trip abroad. On the Monday
« after our opening he occupied a box.
6 :
introduced.
intrwllfced' He'^^^/fe? ,^
land and
" it
ns nsrtw h.H
was wastTmo^ the most
f™
refresh- re«! ;
ing patter he had heard for many „ a! :n
tay.
He added that he
...u^..^
.
s;™™
^ ke;pt my good patter for.
Ul<> second h a "
a
At our
second
appearance
s
Bill Verne and 1 received trrniderful
applause when we put
over our patter, bringing in
tbr names of the Melbourne
Cup horses, owners, trainers
and jockeys. Harry Rickards
paid us another visit and said:
"Splendid; Your tuples arc tiplop;
where do you gel them
from?" He was surprised to
find that they were original.
.
:
I
I told tlie prince of entrepreneurs'
0'that I would have a wider field if lie
au^ed jokes about poliUcians and
rominent I fell flattered
when lie said Well, I ve told others
not to do it, but I'll allow you If you
promise that when in doubt, you cut it
; 0 u l"
From that day Vaude and Verne had
unrestricted llcence. I thought his
iSlogan a good one. I never departed
' from it.
Harry Rickards was anxious to hear
10Ur turn after giving us so much rope.
We
,
let
Andrew
loose with great
the
success
1 ^,£>
on the
h^AnOrewFlsJier, Ule late Sir
Thomas Bent, the baby bonus and
other topical Items. And no one ever
felt that their dignity was lowered as
a result of our good-natured lokes
Finding that I was a cockney Uke
himself, Harry Rickards wanted to
know all about me. He nearly had a
seizure when I told him of my expert-
_ _ , „. „„„
ences as an amateur actor ana Perhaps auctioneer
is as in good West as Australia any other time to
n '
Hprl,n
now
recount "' the funny incidents of those
days.
W.A. Experiences
I made my first appearance on the
stage In Australia with Billy Warner in
W.A. He was a versatile artist, whose!
interpretation of The Light Brigade.
and Albert , . Chevalier's „, "My Old Dutch.": . „ ,„
were classics. Warner encouraged me to
ad lib, which in other words means to
. what comes w vou on Ule spur of
the moment.
I'll never forget a Warner melodrama
in which I was a Corsican innkeeper,
he hero and the heroine's brother
ere to fight a duel outside my inn.
Tliey had to step out three paces, then
turn and Are. You could have heard
a pin drop, but like most stage pistols,
they failed to go off. The heroines
brother did a beautiful stage fall, wliicn
» e had rehearsed for weeks. 1 lie liero
shouted 1 Saved s "™
by
" v my lucky
""^v
penny
Sensing that the audiencc were
nenm.
get-
The crowd called wildly for
mc to sing. "Brown Hat,
Charlie," lliey roared until 1
gave the pianist a nod to strike
up. While I was giving the sons
banjo, the heroine lay sobblnr
over her dead brother. When 1
concluded the sonc the melodrama
went on as though nothing
had happened.
same night the villain, a Count.
came o n foIlowed
'
b - v 1,ls do d0B
F' ^
barked all over the stagc: Afi attempts, ittempts
w coU h i '» « ere futilc 1 eu me
- 'left the; C
5 ""5 C and, grabbing the scene shirter's ;
stiPP^r of sandwiches, I returned Uj thei
A PP" a !?- ltn !. u « ! •[ "Ajl
have tills counter lunch." ~
TUe_ actor was not pleased wlth_the i
way I saved the situation, but Billy
Warner gave me permission to ad lib m
n n V o! hie shows but the Shakespearian
ones. Whether by accident or design
-!' eft me out of his sliakespeare productions,
and I've been out of them
ever since
The chap killed in the duel was my ;
partner In a patter turn later in ther
programme. There was a roar when I
walked on and said. "I've resurrected
! h "" " ^ """ Unable 10 Pr0Ceed '
, ,
__
Auction
Room
Fun
I am certain that more fun can bej
In
I
! llaa ln ^ auction room than in a
theatre. Most of my first two years in
!Wefi[ Australia was spent as an auctloneer
1 realise
- « an auctioneer
W1UJ a
Ldman&Ef had^lanv^ipfis ^^ COmetUan bUt 1
'
aa_ The many man^ laughs. whohelri im thi»
Deing sold was my pa
partner. He fed me with jokes to shoot
t Ule crowd. Even thOligh We didn't!
sell the most we held the ffirgest ffrwa rrnwri* crowds:!
Believe me when 1 it is hard to 1
mft-» r ne J? ' , say 11 15 nara IP
make people laugh when you are sell-1
ing them sandsoap, watches, and clocics 1
tliat only go when you carry them, and
other merchandise that could scarcely
be called necessities of life.
My partner had a good voice. There
were occasions when it saved nasty
situations. I could sense trouble when
I saw an old face enter the room nursing
a watch chain that was sold pre-
v l °, u ?J s with
' the guarantee" "that*""it
; R ' ould never go into mourning.
J"st when it appeared that a "Donnybrook';
to would my partner take behind .place, the I would par
whisper
tition to sing "Those Endearing Young
Charms." It never failed to soften the
hearts of those present and put them
back in a buying humor. I was often
offered a good price for an article if
my "cobber" sang again. In tliose days
buyers were easy to find. Our trouble
was to find suitable goods to sell.
While auctioneering at York, West
Australia, an old showman invited my
partner and me to be his guests at his
show. His big drawcard was the bioscope.
It was something new in those
days and I was anxious to see it.
The bioscope failed to work. The
showman told his audience that some
little gadget that made the flicker had
broken. He would have to send to
Perth for a new one. He apologised
VAUDE—Continued
and said that he had two friends m ;
m
the audience who tt-ould ^Jlblv
!i'n"and"doT J.„„®," al i" C _ e
tZ'n JThev^S^eiOSl'ttI
little encottfacMneiit
little encouragement
T. They put ,, their hands together
in no uncertain fashion.
1
We couldn't refuse such an invitation.
We gagged, sang, ;
1
(old stories and held the crowd
for Zi minutes. When we left
the stage my partner said:
"'Struth, Charlie, they took it
sweet about that little gadget
that made the flicker."
Gadget Tale Overworked \
It W'as the birth of an idea. We went
further north and with a camera
mounted on a lorry went round towns
turning the handle. We stopped outside
the business places of the town at
lunch time and told all and sundry to
come to the local hall that evening to
see themselves on the movies.
It attracted good houses, but the
little thing that caused the flicker always
went wrong. However, we always
gave value for money received,
and no one seemed to worry about our
bad luck with the little gadget until a
raucous voice called one night from
the back of the hall: "That little
gadget went bung at York, North am
and another few towns; It's near
time you carried a few spares."
Next week Charlie Vaude wants
you to meet "The Guv'nor."
Charlie Vaude as he is today. Help
Charlie Vaude as he is today.
$