And Babe?
Babe deals with his own vexations: twenty-six pictures as a stooge for Jimmy Aubrey, who never likes a frame of film that does not feature Jimmy Aubrey, although Babe does not hold a grudge, and will later put in a word for Jimmy Aubrey when Jimmy Aubrey needs work. They both will: Jimmy Aubrey is from Lancashire, just as he is, and serves time with Fred Karno, just as he does, and is a former understudy to Chaplin, just as he is, and works on pictures with Chaplin, just—
Never mind.
And Jimmy Aubrey also serves Larry Semon, but lasts longer than three pictures.
Because I didn’t want his laughs, Jimmy Aubrey tells him.
—I didn’t want his laughs, either. I just wanted my own.
—Well, with Larry Semon there weren’t enough laughs for two. There weren’t that many laughs in the whole wide world.
He should be more like Jimmy Aubrey. He should remain silent and cash the checks, but he doesn’t have Jimmy Aubrey’s patience, and he doesn’t have Jimmy Aubrey’s common sense.
And he desires it all too much.
It could be that he is more like Chaplin than he wishes to believe.