No humour found in situation

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33077, 18 November 1972, Page 15

No humour found in situation

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) i SYDNEY, Nov. 17. An American humorist, S. J. Perelman, was one of the passengers in this week’s air hijacking attempt in which a man was shot dead by police at Alice Springs, Central Australia. Mr Perelman, aged 68, arrived back in Sydney last night and told reporters: “I was unable to see any humour in the situation. “I mean, a certain common sense told me this was a hijack and this man was pointing a gun squarely at my bosom. “Like all peaceable citizens, I’m remarkably cowardly by nature.” Mr Perelman is on a short visit to Australia before flyjing on to Japan. 1 The domestic airliner on

[which he was travelling from ■Adelaide to Alice Springs on ! Wednesday was hijacked by a still unidentified man who was later fatally shot on the tarmac at Alice Springs airIport.

I Mr Perelman said: “I saw this man had a lethal weapon and he was pointing it directly at my bosom where I cherished no malice to him I whatsoever.

“He told me to get off the plane. It was about sft down. [Since there were no steps out, I rather maladroitly managed to jump to the ground |in a shower of coats and handbags.”

Mr Perelman said he did not consider trying to disarm the hijacker. “I realise I have no heroio qualities at all,” he said “They would have done il much better in the movies?