I don't feel 'funny' inside when I'm this hobo character. I'm a misfit (as Weary Willie). Life is passing me by. Maybe it's Willie's attempt at a little dignity in spite of everything that tickles folks.

A clown's makeup and character, that's all he has to sell. He loves and believes in that character.

A clown's makeup and character, that's all he has to sell. He loves and believes in that character.

By laughing at me, the audience really laughs at themselves, and realizing they have done this gives them sort of a spiritual second wind for going back into the battles of life.

Incongruity, they say, is one of the main ingredients of humor. Maybe it's because everybody can feel superior to me. I honestly don't know.

'Weary Willie' is very real to me. He is a man who has given up. The boat has gone and left him. The cards are stacked against him. He's content to make out with what he's got. He knows he'll go no further.