Laughter From Lumbago

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 72, 18 December 1937, Page 26

Laughter From Lumbago

YEARS ago, Mr. George Gee, who is to appear here with J. C. Williamson’s musical comedy company iu “Over She Goes,” was a martyr to lumbago. At the opening performance of a new show, it suddenly attacked him during a dance, and he couldn’t straighten his back. It was a shocking predicament, even for a comedian. Keeping his feet moving in time with the music, he made an agonised appeal to the leading lady to try t<o straighten him, while the audience became hysterical with laughter the leading lady tugged at the suffering comedian, but she couldn’t, beat the lumbago. The audience was rocking with mirth as she led the doubled-up funny man off stage. Both some how kept their feet shuffling to the tune. Even then the day wasn’t over for Mr. Gee. His understudy went on for the last act, but. flopped so far below the principal’s lumbago standard, that the management refused to allow Mr. Gee to leave the theatre. It was feared he mightn’t come back for the evening performance. Doctors and masseurs were called in. He was given injections, and they even spread browm paper on his back and ironed t<he back with a flat iron to straighten it.