[00:00:03.07]
(passionate, strumming music)

[00:00:44.08]
- [Interviewer] All right,

[00:00:45.06]
how do you think we
should begin the movie?

[00:00:49.02]
- Well, if I was listening, which I do,

[00:00:52.07]
I don't miss any complimentary,
is that how you say it?

[00:00:56.04]
- [Interviewer] Documentary?

[00:00:57.02]
- Documentary, yeah, on TV,

[00:00:58.05]
but if they talk and talk
and talk, I shut it off.

[00:01:02.04]
Just telling ya, because
they have nothing to show,

[00:01:05.01]
but look what the things
I got to show here.

[00:01:06.08]
I don't have to do a lot of talking.

[00:01:08.03]
Is that right or not, I mean it.

[00:01:10.04]
You've got things for people
to look at and to hear.

[00:01:13.06]
(rhythmic thumping)

[00:01:15.07]
I played every city that
could have a theater

[00:01:18.05]
that people could go
to, I played every one.

[00:01:22.05]
(rhythmic, energetic strumming)

[00:01:34.05]
(cheerful, strumming music)

[00:01:41.04]
♪ Chicago ♪

[00:01:43.07]
(cheerful, strumming music)

[00:01:59.09]
(Roy quietly singing)
(cheerful, strumming music)

[00:02:38.06]
- [Interviewer] Do you ever
wanna stop and settle down?

[00:02:39.09]
- No, you got that in your blood.

[00:02:41.03]
No, you wanna keep going, traveling,

[00:02:43.03]
another city, another
city, meet new people.

[00:02:48.07]
I'm glad you asked me that because eh,

[00:02:51.05]
you have it in your blood,
you wanna keep going.

[00:02:53.02]
That's why Berlin wrote,

[00:02:54.07]
♪ There's no people like show people ♪

[00:02:58.00]
Those lyrics mean something,
that's not just another song.

[00:03:00.09]
(energetic, strumming music)

[00:03:20.02]
(energetic, strumming music)

[00:03:55.05]
(audience applauding)

[00:04:00.06]
I did get a break of a lifetime.

[00:04:05.04]
The manager of the Knickerbocker Hotel

[00:04:07.06]
was a friend of a Sam
Warner, Harry Warner,

[00:04:10.08]
how can you beat that?

[00:04:12.00]
Friend to him.

[00:04:13.02]
So they're talking there, he said,

[00:04:14.03]
"Early next week we're
gonna start having auditions

[00:04:16.01]
"for the first sound
pictures in the world."

[00:04:20.03]
He said, "You know
anybody you'd recommend?"

[00:04:23.00]
He said, "I got a guy sleeping up here,

[00:04:24.02]
"plays a uke, puts a
harmonica in his mouth,

[00:04:26.00]
"turns the uke upside down,

[00:04:26.08]
"plays the banjo, does everything."

[00:04:28.08]
"Where?"

[00:04:29.08]
Said, "He's up on the second floor, 212."

[00:04:33.03]
Said, "Call him."

[00:04:34.03]
Said, "Hello, yeah?"

[00:04:35.06]
He's sleeping, "I'm sorry I woke you up."

[00:04:37.00]
His name was Eddie Bell, he said--

[00:04:40.00]
- [Interviewer] This was New York already?

[00:04:40.09]
- Yeah, on 45th Street,
the Knickerbocker Hotel

[00:04:44.03]
and now he said, "Roy,

[00:04:46.04]
"put the robe on, bring
your instruments down,

[00:04:49.09]
"I want Harry Warner,
of the Warner Brothers."

[00:04:52.09]
I'm telling ya, my heart
was going so fast that I,

[00:04:56.01]
he woke me out of a dead sleep.

[00:04:57.06]
I said, "I can't play now."

[00:04:59.02]
"Get in the elevator.

[00:05:00.06]
"I'll send one of the
bellboys up to help you down."

[00:05:03.06]
He did, I went in the greenroom, I played.

[00:05:08.02]
When I got to the ukulele,
Harry Warner said,

[00:05:11.01]
"That's what we want."

[00:05:18.01]
(energetic, ukulele music)
(harmonica music)

[00:05:57.00]
Right after that, I got on the big time.

[00:06:01.07]
My first date was in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

[00:06:04.04]
I got off the train, I
see streetcars that say,

[00:06:06.08]
"Roy Smeck, Wizard of the Strings,

[00:06:08.05]
"the first artist to
make a talking picture."

[00:06:11.04]
I got scared, I didn't wanna
walk in the stage door.

[00:06:14.01]
Really, I got scared.

[00:06:15.09]
Before, nobody even wanted me at $250,

[00:06:18.01]
now I'm gonna get $1,250 a week.

[00:06:23.05]
When the manager came
back in Tulsa, Oklahoma,

[00:06:26.06]
he said, "Roy, very nice to have you."

[00:06:28.07]
Yeah, thanks.

[00:06:30.05]
So he said, (muttering)

[00:06:35.05]
he's counting it and I'm
sitting there, (muttering)

[00:06:38.07]
my little uke.

[00:06:39.05]
So when he finished, he said,
"You gonna count the money?"

[00:06:42.03]
I said, "No," I said,
"you counted, didn't you?"

[00:06:44.08]
He said, "No," but he said, "if I leave

[00:06:46.05]
"and you count it and
it's short, that's it.

[00:06:49.01]
"I want you to count it."

[00:06:50.00]
And I said, "You counted it,
that's good enough for me."

[00:06:52.07]
And I said, "I thank you very
much the way you treated me.

[00:06:55.01]
"You've been wonderful to
me, I thank you very much."

[00:06:57.06]
He said, "That's the way you
want it, "there's your $1,250,

[00:07:00.06]
"I hope to have you back
here again next fall."

[00:07:02.08]
And I said, "Thank you."

[00:07:03.07]
And I picked up the money

[00:07:06.01]
and put it in the uke case. (chuckles)

[00:07:08.05]
Tell you, that's true.

[00:07:09.07]
- Roy never went in for sports.

[00:07:12.00]
Roy didn't, on account, those hands.

[00:07:14.09]
He never played ball, he
didn't go to a bowling ally.

[00:07:19.07]
He didn't play tennis.

[00:07:21.06]
He didn't go fishing

[00:07:23.03]
'cause if anything happened
to his hands, forget it.

[00:07:27.06]
At one time, his hands were
insured with Lloyds of London.

[00:07:31.08]
(cheerful, strumming music)

[00:07:49.07]
- [Mel] When I picked up the
guitar, it was back in 1927.

[00:07:53.03]
I bought about every Roy
Smeck record I could get

[00:07:56.00]
because there were no teachers.

[00:08:00.04]
The other professionals stayed
mostly around the studio

[00:08:03.07]
or in the big orchestras.

[00:08:05.09]
And Roy has done more to
inspire the young performers

[00:08:09.06]
because they had opportunities
of hearing him on recordings

[00:08:13.04]
and they had opportunities, like I did,

[00:08:15.07]
to see him perform in person.

[00:08:18.02]
(cheerful, strumming music)
(Roy muttering rhythmically)

[00:09:05.06]
(men laugh)

[00:09:08.05]
- That's the greatest.

[00:09:10.01]
(playful, twangy music)

[00:09:32.08]
- Roy Smeck played all
this Hawaiian music.

[00:09:38.07]
First we didn't have no instruments,

[00:09:40.03]
the Hawaiians didn't have no
instruments, remember that.

[00:09:43.08]
And the Spanish brought the guitar over.

[00:09:47.05]
So the Hawaiians took the
guitar and they played it, see?

[00:09:52.01]
They played the slack key and
their fingers got hurt, see.

[00:09:55.07]
The original guy was Joseph Kekuku.

[00:10:00.03]
So he took this pocket
knife and laid it on a lap

[00:10:03.06]
and played this knife on this string

[00:10:07.07]
and that's how the steel
guitar was invented. (laughs)

[00:10:13.01]
Now all this country music you
see the steel guitar playing,

[00:10:16.07]
you notice, and the cowboy music,

[00:10:20.00]
they learn it from the Hawaiians.

[00:10:22.09]
(playful, twangy music)

[00:10:58.04]
- There was quite a few
steel guitar players, yes,

[00:11:02.02]
but naturally Roy, in that era,

[00:11:06.07]
was perhaps, the tops of all of 'em and

[00:11:10.02]
he was kept busy all the time

[00:11:12.02]
because he worked a lot
of good record dates

[00:11:15.06]
with many of the recording artists

[00:11:17.09]
and also he made records of his own.

[00:11:21.02]
♪ To that silver haired daddy of mine ♪

[00:11:26.07]
(nostalgic, twangy music)

[00:11:32.06]
Every time that I came to New
York for a recording session,

[00:11:35.09]
we would try to get a hold of Roy

[00:11:37.07]
and have him clear three or four dates.

[00:11:40.00]
He could work just about any
kind of dates that we wanted.

[00:11:45.02]
(dramatic, Spanish music)

[00:11:59.04]
- Some tone, yeah?

[00:12:01.01]
- [Interviewer] How much does it sell for?

[00:12:02.09]
- $700.

[00:12:04.04]
(man laughs)
And it sold for $50.

[00:12:07.01]
(everyone laughs)

[00:12:08.06]
- [Woman] Inflation.

[00:12:09.06]
- They say, what goes up
must come down, right?

[00:12:12.07]
But not this.

[00:12:15.02]
(dramatic, guitar music)
(muttering rhythmically)

[00:12:46.04]
(people chuckle)

[00:12:48.02]
(people applauding)
- That's fine, Roy,

[00:12:49.09]
that's fine, but we got a
little baby guitar here.

[00:12:51.09]
See what you can scratch
out on that, will ya?

[00:12:53.06]
How about "The Tiger Rag?"

[00:12:54.08]
- [Roy] "The Tiger Rag?"

[00:12:55.06]
- Start scratching, Roy, that's fine.

[00:12:57.05]
(audience applauding)
- Okay.

[00:13:00.07]
("Tiger Rag" ukulele music)

[00:13:18.08]
- The Portuguese came to Hawaii.

[00:13:20.06]
They brought this ukulele and
they call it small guitar.

[00:13:25.00]
We call it ukulele.

[00:13:27.01]
Ukulele means a bounce, look like a flea,

[00:13:29.04]
the darn thing look like a flea,

[00:13:31.00]
and the jumping flea, that's
what it means, ukulele.

[00:13:34.06]
(energetic, cheerful music)

[00:14:18.08]
(audience applauds)

[00:14:20.05]
- I said, "I'm Roy Smeck."

[00:14:21.09]
"Oh, Roy Smeck, the Wizard?"

[00:14:23.09]
I said, "Well, whatever
you wanna call me."

[00:14:25.09]
He said, "Gee whiz," he said,
"this is great," he said,

[00:14:28.03]
"how do you want me to
announce you tonight

[00:14:29.07]
"when we have your show."

[00:14:30.08]
I said, "Well just say Roy
Smeck, The Wizard of the Strings,

[00:14:32.08]
"and stage screen and recording artist,

[00:14:35.03]
"something like that."

[00:14:36.04]
"I'll give you a big buildup.

[00:14:37.09]
"Oh, I've seen you many
times in Vaudeville."

[00:14:40.03]
He said, "Geez, it's
certainly good to see ya."

[00:14:42.00]
And he walked off and now the show is on

[00:14:44.09]
and now it's for me to
go on and he comes out.

[00:14:47.03]
He said, "Hey, hello everybody."

[00:14:50.01]
He was loaded now, he was
so drunk in the afternoon.

[00:14:53.03]
He said, "I wanna tell you something,

[00:14:54.08]
"I got a fella over here,

[00:14:56.03]
"you've never heard anything
like it from one person.

[00:14:58.00]
"He plays the banjo and the
uke and the Hawaiian guitar,

[00:15:00.00]
"Spanish guitar and I'll tell you,

[00:15:01.03]
"you're gonna have a big treat.

[00:15:03.00]
"He makes records, he's
been in the movies,

[00:15:04.05]
"he made the first movie,

[00:15:05.04]
"he's played for the king and
queen, he's done everything.

[00:15:07.09]
"Gives me great pleasure to
introduce The Gizzard on Wings."

[00:15:12.06]
(cheerful, energetic music)

[00:15:19.06]
"12th Street Rag."

[00:15:21.01]
(cheerful, energetic music)

[00:15:37.08]
(muttering rhythmically)
(cheerful, energetic music)

[00:16:13.00]
(audience applauding)
(cheering)

[00:16:22.01]
Houdini, he was in Vaudeville.

[00:16:24.05]
Blackstone was the next big name,

[00:16:26.06]
he was in Vaudeville, they
all start in Vaudeville.

[00:16:28.01]
Even Bob Hope started in Vaudeville.

[00:16:30.00]
Gracie Allen and George
Burns, in Vaudeville.

[00:16:32.08]
Jimmy Durant, Jack Benny,

[00:16:35.02]
you name 'em, you name 'em
and they were in Vaudeville.

[00:16:38.08]
Every week the people,
they go to the theater

[00:16:41.03]
and they see nine different acts.

[00:16:44.00]
They open up with a dog act

[00:16:46.00]
and you'd get two dancers,
you'd get a singer

[00:16:48.05]
then you get a sketch,
then you get a soloist,

[00:16:51.05]
so entertaining.

[00:16:53.03]
(cheerful, strumming music)

[00:16:55.09]
Then you had talking
pictures, people see a movie

[00:16:59.01]
and they see Vaudeville
for the same price.

[00:17:01.01]
It was a great thing to see the picture

[00:17:02.06]
and you see five acts in Vaudeville.

[00:17:05.03]
(cheerful, strumming music)

[00:17:21.05]
And then when TV come in, I said, "TV,

[00:17:26.01]
"that's a box where
they buried Vaudeville."

[00:17:29.07]
(nostalgic, cheery music)

[00:17:32.05]
I used to be on the
road 30 weeks at a time,

[00:17:35.05]
but today, these people go
on and make a name, get this,

[00:17:40.00]
over night from coast to coast.

[00:17:42.06]
(nostalgic, cheery music)

[00:17:47.07]
If they wanna bring Vaudeville
back tomorrow, they couldn't.

[00:17:49.09]
All the stars are gone, all these artists,

[00:17:52.08]
all those people are all
old now, they're gone

[00:17:54.08]
and there's nobody to take their place.

[00:18:02.06]
But you can just take an
ordinary, they call a star,

[00:18:07.03]
on TV, what do you got--

[00:18:08.07]
- They call them superstars.

[00:18:10.03]
That's what burns me, they
call these superstars.

[00:18:14.01]
If Caruso got up or some of the old,

[00:18:17.01]
the real, established stars,
who strove and starved

[00:18:21.04]
and worked, worked their ears off,

[00:18:24.07]
for many, many years to get to a spot,

[00:18:27.04]
those were not called, those were stars,

[00:18:29.08]
but this drivel that's on
today, they call superstars,

[00:18:33.02]
if you please, superstars.

[00:18:34.08]
- That is right.

[00:18:35.09]
You know what, they can
go on TV, one night,

[00:18:39.09]
and be known across the
United States, right?

[00:18:44.01]
Like Mr. Tracy and myself,

[00:18:46.07]
I used to get in the town,
get on a train, no sleeper,

[00:18:52.04]
sit up all night, get off, get in the cab,

[00:18:56.03]
go to the theater, prep my makeup on,

[00:18:59.03]
tune my instruments, not even
a cup of coffee in my stomach.

[00:19:02.07]
You think there's people
today would do that?

[00:19:05.04]
- [Tracy] No.

[00:19:06.05]
- Is that right?

[00:19:09.03]
It's a new world.

[00:19:12.09]
- Yeah.

[00:19:15.04]
Roy had a, remember, Roy had
a car, Roy had a chauffer,

[00:19:21.00]
Roy had a sleep-in maid, it
was rough, had a sleep-in maid.

[00:19:25.05]
If I had one, you think
this would be like this?

[00:19:27.03]
I'd say, "Come on now." (laughs)

[00:19:32.01]
And dust the boys off while you're at it.

[00:19:36.07]
But, of course, you
know, everything changes,

[00:19:39.06]
everything changes.

[00:19:43.01]
Time doesn't stand still.

[00:19:45.03]
We don't stand still with it.

[00:19:47.04]
And you keep those memories.

[00:19:50.03]
- Smile for Tom Dooley.

[00:19:52.05]
(rhythmic, strumming music)

[00:20:05.09]
♪ Smile ♪
(harmonizing)

[00:20:14.09]
What?

[00:20:16.06]
All right, take the last part.

[00:20:18.08]
(strumming guitar)
(Roy instructing)

[00:20:21.08]
Let me hear this, one, two, wait hold on.

[00:20:24.05]
Four, hold it, four.

[00:20:26.06]
(strumming music)

[00:20:31.00]
That's it.

[00:20:36.07]
(slow, twangy music)

[00:20:41.03]
(upbeat, twangy music)

[00:20:51.02]
- [Fay] They were wonderful,
wonderful days, they were,

[00:20:53.05]
enjoyable days, but that's
the thing that's gone.

[00:20:57.09]
(upbeat, twangy music)

[00:20:59.08]
You can't capture those things, you can't,

[00:21:02.08]
doesn't come back.

[00:21:04.08]
That's why, the younger generation now,

[00:21:07.05]
they're watching a lot of the old movies

[00:21:10.02]
that would bring back part of it,

[00:21:12.08]
but not all, but part of it.

[00:21:15.07]
(upbeat, twangy music)

[00:21:40.05]
(cheerful, twangy music)

[00:21:43.08]
- I'm glad I'm alive.

[00:21:44.08]
I thank God every night
that I can get out of bed

[00:21:46.09]
and that I can pick up my
instruments and still play 'em.

[00:21:50.00]
But I had some agent say, "Roy, yeah,

[00:21:51.03]
"you do a lot of things nobody
does, but you're too old."

[00:21:54.09]
I said, "I'm too old if I
can't do it anymore, right?"

[00:21:58.01]
But I do all the things that I did

[00:21:59.07]
for the last 40 years on my instruments.

[00:22:02.06]
So why am I too old?

[00:22:04.04]
(cheerful, strumming music)

[00:22:10.01]
Hey.

[00:22:13.01]
Yeah.

[00:22:14.04]
(cheerful, strumming music)

[00:22:26.09]
(thumping ukulele)
(cheery harmonica music)

[00:22:38.09]
(energetic, strumming music)
(harmonica music)

[00:22:48.04]
(audience laughs)

[00:22:52.09]
(audience applauding)

[00:22:59.06]
(energetic, strumming music)

[00:23:08.06]
(audience applauding)

[00:23:27.04]
Thank you for being so wonderful.

[00:23:28.08]
I'd just like to say,
well can you hear me?

[00:23:31.06]
(audience responds affirmatively)

[00:23:32.05]
I'm a lucky guy and I'm very grateful.

[00:23:35.03]
I was 82 years old two weeks ago

[00:23:37.09]
and still playing my instruments.

[00:23:40.03]
(audience cheering)
(applauding)

[00:24:01.06]
(chair creaks)

[00:24:04.08]
(energetic, cheerful music)

[00:25:15.05]
(chair creaks)

[00:25:21.05]
(energetic, twangy music)