Los Angeles herald., 1908-12-06
jim CORBETT IS NOW
A CLEVER COMEDIAN
BY GERALDINE V. darcy

Men who accomplish things and sue
ceed in doing the difficult tasks they
set themselves, amount to something
| in this superficial everyday world of
ours, and that's one of the reasons l
| like Jim Corbett, who, finding that he
wanted to be an actor, has worked
| sincerely and hard for the past twelve
! years, to the end that he is now really
what he started out to be-a comedian.
A fortnight ago 1 was one member of
| little party made up in San Fran
cisco to attend the races across the
bay as the guests of Archie Zimmer-
man, the horseman. There were in the
party Corbett, Eleanor Montelle, his
| dainty little leading woman in Facing
| the Music" Amanda Hendricks, an
other member of the company, one
other newspaper woman, our host and
| myself.
On the voyage across the briny to
Emeryville, Corbett, Miss Montelle and
I found seats together, and /. with an
eye to copy, started asking questions.
-"How does 1t seem to be out here on
the coast again, Mr. Corbett?" I
queried
"Oh, fine in some ways, awfully bad
in others. It's the regret of my life
| that the one part of this good old u
S. A I'm fondest of should absolutely
refuse to take me seriously as an actor.
They still talk that 'ex' thing at me
| till want to take an AK and when |
| reach a town the papers always send
| their sporting editors to see me, that
is with smile and bow to mel, al
most always. l don't like It, but
they've got my guilty past on the dope
sheet and it seems as If no amount of
hard work could wipe out the humor of
my early Appearances
Like your present play?'
'Immensely-though 1t wasn't writ
ten specially for me. It's just suited
to me- / think, and (modestly), I'm
comfortable in feeling that I play it
we'll"
And he does.
AS we sat there in the grand stand
that afternoon, l couldn't help remem-
bering back to that dim, dark past
when Corbett made his bow as an
actor.
He wasn't much as an actor then.
Uncertain of himself of his lines and
of his audience, it was merely an Eek
hibition' of the ex-champion-nothing
more His play Gentleman Jim," as
I remember it. was a wierdly impossi
BILE melodramatic affair, desig-,ed mere
ly for the end it served, but it drew
lot of money from the curious public,
as did "a Naval Cadet" which fol-
lowed it.
A season in vaudeville, during which
he played the eastern circuits, did
much toward giving Jim the finish and
ease he lacked, and then came thirty
seven weeks in the London music halls,
which did more.
How dear old fog-soaked "Lunnon"
did cotton" to our Jim! He went
over there for eight weeks and was to
have resumed his American engage
ments at the expiration of that time,
but they wouldn't let him go.
Dear, big handsome Corbett! he
must have been sailing under lucky
star when he made that trip to Eng
land, for sure as Fate, twas the turn
ing point of his career. 1t was during
the latter part of his engagement that
that erratic genius George Bernard
Shaw, saw and admired his work. He
sought and secured an Introduction,
talked over with the ex-pugilist plans
for a play featuring gentlemanly
prize fighter. Then he went and wrote
"Cashel Byron's Profession.
When after a season spent by Cor
bett touring the east in PALS" the
play was ready for production. Shaw
came to the United States to supervise
rehearsals.
That play made Corbett as an actor
The play was failure, but the work
of the star was such as to earn him
the highest of praises, and New York
willingly stamped him actor" 1t
was through his work in that play
that H. II. Frazee enBaseu Nun loi MS
present part, nominating him as a
worthy successor of Adonis L--;ey, who
created the role.
I hadn't seen JiTn's work since the
days of "A Naval Cadet" and when 1
saw him in Facing the Music" 1 was
simply amazed. He doesn't pose any
more, nor does he play upon any of
the little heroics as formerly. He is
lust g. plain, clever good comedian,
who is justly entitled to full recogni-
tlon for his accomplishments as
Thespian as ever he was in the roped
arena.