Variety (June 1913)

VARIETY THE MAN WHO GROWS AND WHAT HE DID IN . 3 • •• ■» "THK 8TAR" <LONl>ON). Wlllard. "the man who frows," is dr»w- Inc iarse audleqees to the London Hippo- drome. Unlike many performers present- ing a physiological novelty, Wlllard has also a atrong theatrical sense, and his "turn" Is dramatically Interesting as well as scientifically phenomenal. The growing man subiplts himself regularly to examina- tion by medical men. and tho genuineness of his performance Is thus put beyond doubt. Even body Is talking about WlUard. and rterybody seems to be going to watch hUn grow. 'DAILY SKETCH" (LONDON). 'THE STAR" (LONDON). •SI»C?<TINti LIFE" (LONDON). The Fashlop of Growing. Wlllard, the man who grows, started his growing season at the L.ondon HIppodrom*- on Monday last. He has created quite a great impression, and it would not surprise me in the least If growing at will became ' "quite a fashion. WfUard has framed up an act which, retpove^ the performance from the category of more ifr^aks, his pleusant personality, the by-play with his committer, and tho comedy of his assistant make it a .regular vaudeville effort. Many attempts fiave already been made to discover how t la done. That there should be a suspicion of trick- " ery was Inevitable, but the willingness of Wlllard to submit himself to medical and anatomioal examination, and the assistance ' he glv^s the doubters, puts beyond doubt •* the genuineness of his'^hpw. It Is a pleasant ' ^rformance. and oAe v^hich must cause a irreat deal of dlscusaloo. "REFEREE" (LONDON). There must be thousands of people who. •ufferlng from a lack of Inches, would dearly love to know the secret whereby Mr. Wlllard. "The Man Who Grows." causes his height to Increase by about two- thirds of a foot. Mr. Wlllard, who made his appearnncft In London at the Hippo- drome Monday, has a pleasing personality and starts his show by interviewing him- •elf for the benefit of kind friends In front. He attributes his powers of elongation to a study of the pliability of certain muacles of his body. However he does It, Mr. Wlll- ard certainly does grow considerably, and that without any apparent discomfort to himself. What to me appeared still more wonderful was the ease with which Mr. Wlllard stretched his arms until they seemed to be twice their original length F&ncy having a couple of rounds with a man who can do that! This Is where "Arms and the Man" comes Into practical politics. What good goods It would be if Mr. Wlllard's process could (for a close finish) be applied to the necks of gee-gecsf I commend the notion to the Heads at Headquarters. ELASTIC MAN ARRIVES (;an Grow at Will and Shoot Oat Neck and ■ • •■ Arms. Surprise for a Tailor. The latest wonder-man has come to town ^.- In tho person of Clarence E. Wlllard. In defiance of the Scriptural dictum and the laws of natural science he can add to his stature. .,' The genus man. prone to imagine a vain thing, has always wished himself other than he is. How many people have sighed for the unattainable, saying "If only I were a few Inches taller!" ...t Wlllard has discovered the secret, but unfortunately for the gratification of human vanity he is keeping it to himself. That is because it Is his living. He 's an American and a music-hall performer at the Hippodrome. Not differing In appearance from the or- dinary man, he ordinarily stands & feet 9\ inches, but whenever he pleases he can In- crease his height by 7V4 Inches. He can extend his arms by from 8 to 16 inches beyond their normal length, and can make one leg longer by 4 inches than the other. He can also stretch his neck a couple of Inches. These things he does without any violent contortions of the muscles or temporary dis- locations of the Joints. You are talking to him. and you may be. as the writer was, slightly taller, when .suddenly you realize that he Is getting blg- Ker. He Is looking down at you where be- fore you were looking down at him. Noth- ing about him has changed except that he has grown. In .his altered condition he has full con- trol of himself and can walk about and do things .lust as he can when he Is normal. The Humorous Side. He used to be a conjuror and handcuff manipulator, and he was demonstrating be- fore tlie police at San Francisco when he conceived the Idea of defeating the Bertll- lon system of Identification. He gave himself five years for the task. In thre«! he had succeeded. He found he could "grow" at will. There Is a humorous .side to Wlllard's unique powers, and. he is very fond of his .joke. Yesterday a Dally Sketch representative went with him to a tailor's in the Strand to be fitted for a suit. The fit was perfect. But as the head cutter turned his back . Wlllard drew himself up to his full height and elongated his arms. "Seems something wrong here." he re- marked, without movlntf a mtiscle. The ef- fect was precisely that of a full grown man wearing a schoolboy's coat. MAN WHO GROWS 7 Inches Taller In 7 Seconds on the Sta^e. An exceedingly novel "turn," which may best be described as the man who grows visibly before your eyes, has been engaged for the Hippodrome. The artist is an educated, well-set-up Colonial, Clarence Edward Wlllard. who has discovered how to make himself grow an inch a second. His normal height is 6 ft. 9% in. He appears on the stage in evening dress, and grows 7 in.—to 6 ft. 3V4 In.—in seven seconds. ..t — ^-rr- -^ —^_-__, ANOTHER MAN WHO GROWS ^ain.ISO I ;,!' \nfotwJ It Dr. Tariff Reform: I wonder how be does "SPORTING TIMES" (LONDON). As a supplementary attraction to "Hullo, Itagttme," the Hippodrome has a uovelty In Wlllard. the mun who "grows to order" in view of the audience, thanks to his re- markable knack of adding an inch or so to his stature at will.