The Washington herald., 1921-05-08

+ Although washington tSe already
familiar with the name and the
talents of Lynn Overman, who
achieved such brilliant success as a
comedian when he was a member OF
the Garrick Players here, New York
is demanding Information as to
who this fellow Overman. who has
new show called Just Married.
really is, anyhow.
1t is of further interest to Wash
ington that the play. Just Married" !"
Is q play which was revealed at the
Garrick here during the winter with
Forrest Winant and Marie Carroll
in the roles that are now held by
Mr.. Overman and Miss Vivian Mar
tin, the flm star. 1t Is a sort of q
sea going bedroom farce that
showed promise, even in the CHASTITY
unfinished condition in which it was
revealed here.
For these reasons, 1t may be Of in
terest to know that Lynn overman,
already a Washington favorite, set
out to be an actor some fifteen years
ago, and has been all the while on
the way. In the beginning the no.
madic instinct expressed itself in
the form Of summer excursions to
nearby race tracks, and for fivs or
six years he was well known as a
jockey on the courses of the West
and Middle West His home had
been a small town in Missouri,
named Trenton, but between school
ings he would ctrike out for points
West. 1t was in Helena, Mont, that
he. was finally ruled of the course.
was then that he turned to a
stage career, getting his first ex-
perience with a Mississippi boat
show-"Ward's and wade's Masto-
don Minstrels." He remained with
this troupe six or seven weeks, re-
ceiving no salary at all, and then
Joined a cheap repertory company
that treated him but little better.
This time, however, he stayed thir-
ty-six weeks-all of them in one
night stands in Pennsylvania- When
finally he was left stranded In q
town Gales Honesdale, he was. owed
;427.
The Orchestra In the Honesdale
Opera House was . man who ran q
music store, and he gave the young
actor a job as q warbler of popu-
lar ballads in the store, thus hop
ing to increase sales. A few months
of this work paid his fare to New
York, where he arrived with little
money and Q willingness to take
the FIRST job that came along. 1t
turned out to be q minor role in
The Boys of Company B." in a
touring company headed by one
Paul Gilmore. There followed. in
the next half dozen years. q long
succession of road engagements,
punctuated by periods when there
were no engagements to be had
and when the necessity of earning
money drove him to other pursuits
than acting.
One Oh the latter was the noble
calling of barker on a sightseeing
rcw York bus, work which he did
Tor several months in exchange for
a weekly S25. A little before that,
stranded in Chicago, he had sold
candies in q burlesque house.
when finally his first New York
enlargement came alonw In Bunty
Pulls the Strings,-at the Comedy
Theater, incidentally, In which he
has now made his hit--it was far
from an unaIloyed triumph In ad-
dition 10 playing q meager bit in
'.Bunty." young overman was acting
as assistant stage manager for
Bought and Paid For" then run
ming at the Playhouse, and 1t re-
quired a nightly bit of sprinting
to remove his makeup at the Com
edy and arrive at the Playhouse in
time to ring down the, second -act
curtain.
But in the meantime the expert
ence was piling up. There came pres
entity three seasons in vaudeville,
with the summers occupied by the
Albee stock company In Providence.