COLLEGE SLANG LOFTY IS CATLETT'S CLAIM

"Most college slang goes a mile over the heads of the common run of theatre goers," remarked Walter Catlett, comedian in "Lady, Be Good" as he disentangled himself from a small boy costume, following last night's performance at the Colonial Theatre.

"The expressions and terms which originate in the colleges and universities as a rule have both the subtle, and the extremely ridiculous elements which make good humor. They are, however, of too local a nature to be appreciated by most audiences. The primary requirement of the stage "wise crack" is that it be comprehensible to a majority of the listeners.

"Many a current slang phrase or expression is the creation of a dizzy brain overheard and remembered by a clearer head. The streets of New York between midnight and dawn, when the inebriates come sailing home, are productive fields for the professional wise cracker," answered Mr. Catlett when asked about the source of his humorous sayings.

American Negro Is Slang Producer

"Then there is the American Negro probably the most slang productive race in the world. It was the Southern darky who first spoke of his tired and aching feet as 'dogs'. This word has gone through a hundred stages of development and its ramifications and embellishments are to be found in the daily conversation of many people today. Slang is the effort to economize in the use of words--to make a single one do the work of several sentences--as well as to be funny.

"For example 'hot dog' or 'hot diggedy dog' the latter one of my own expressions, are exclamations of joy which express more than could be conveyed in half a dozen sentences."

Mr. Catlett, who first gained great popularity a few years ago in "Sally," when he played a comedy part along with Leon Errol, has invented a number of widely used and expressive phrases Among them are "So's your old man," and "Press the flesh," "Give me five," and "Mitt me," the last three all invitations to shake hands.

Italian Invented "So's Your--"

"The phrase 'So's your old man' came to me while in a rather an amusing situation. It was at a benefit banquet and a group of actors, including myself, were waiting on the tables. A little Italian buss boy volunteered to explain to me my duties. The last sentence of his very broken and totally unintelligible discourse sounded like some remarks about my 'old man,' so I replied 'So is your old man' and the expression started. As you can see the emphasis was, in its first use, on the third word."