Chicago world. (Chicago, Ill.) 1918-????, 1949-07-23

AY, JULY 23, 1949
Jeff Corey Escapes
Actors Nemesis In
Abe Lincoln Role
To the long list of actors who
have succumbed to the tempta
\ ton to play Abraham Lincoln
add the name of Jeff Corey, YER
satlle' young performer current
ly appearing in a vastly different
role in Home of the Brave" the
Stanley Kramer production
which United Artists released al
the Fox Wisconsin Theatre or
Wednesday, July 20.
Corey, who has scored as the
convict Schwartzmiller in tfCan
non City" and as the urObation
officer in Getty Across the River
is best known in Hollywood for
his sage performance of Lincoln
in the famed Actors Lab presen-
tation Of "Abe Lincoln in Him
DIS" Just as the company was
about to go on the road with
the play, Corey was offered the
featured role of the Army medic
in "Home of the Brave" the
| first Him on it's daring thine ever
to be made in this country.
Since he felt the picture would
be an important contribution to
f1lm-making, he dCYfed Lincoln's
stovepipe and accepted the
movie offer. Once the picture
was finished, the Actors Lab in
vited him to resume his role
OF Lincoln but by that time, he
had developed a phobia toward
most in his mind, he says, was
playing the character; Upper
the fact that the Aole has cast
an unfortunate spell over almost
every actor who animated the
part.
Frank Glynn, one of the most
celebrated Of Lincoln, took his
impersonation SO seriously that
he was never quite able to
Shake off the characterization
in his private life. For years he
ceased to play the role, he af-
fected the Presidents dressy
speech and mannerisms and, to-
all intents and purposes, was
Lincoln for the rest of his days.
Raymond Massey, too, relates
that casting agents were reluct-
ant to offer him anything less
than SANITY roles after he had
appeared in both the stage and
screen versions of Robert E.
Sherwood's abe Lincoln in
Illinois,"
Jeff Armistead, a celebrated
actor at the turn of the century,
left the stage forever following
a brilliant performance In the
play, 'aLincoln the man." which
ran on Broadway during the fall
and winter of 1908 and 1909.
Almistead was a young man att
the time and had promising
Greer ahead of him. But after
several months of Honest Abe,
he retired and spent the rest of
his short life-he died penniless
and crazed four years later
living out the life of Lincoln.
Alrmistead invariably sat in
heatre boxes, dressed like the
president. He spent all of his
meager savings to hire a body
guard, to whom he referred as
his Secret Service Operative. 1t
was his custom to wander thru
the streets of Harlem, patting
little Negro children on the head.
He grew a Lincolnesque beard
and, Of course, wore Lincolns
clothes and his shawl, eccentri-
cities also later affected by Frank
Glynn.
The big day in Armistead's life
was the anniversary of the sign
ing of the Emancipation Procla-
nation, january 1, 1868. He used
to go to the New York Public
Library and hold court on the
] front steps. He wan alwas mo-
! rose and morbid, and wags would
say unkindly that he was de-
pressed because Lincoln and not
he had freed the slaves.
Armistead died on November
10, 1913, in a charity ward, mum
bling the Gettysburg address
fifty years to the day after Lin
coin himself had acclaimed the
memorable speech.
Jeff Corey, the roles --latest in
cumbent, cOnfesses that during
the entire plays run he would
unconsciously grasp his coal
lapels "a typical. Lincoln man
herism) in the course of normal
conversation, and often inter
spersed his everyday talk with
with the Licoln-like comment
'tNow, that reminds me Of a
story. -" a line which actually
keeps recurring in Sherwood's
drama. He thinks that producer
Kramer's offer for him to appear
in the down-to-earth Home OF
| the Brave" perhaps saved hin