Hastings Lynn “Wants to Fish”

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 408, 17 July 1928, Page 13

Hastings Lynn “Wants to Fish”

LONDON COMEDIAN ARRIVES COMES OF ARMY FAMILY “I must do some fishing here.” Hastings Lynn, the English comedian, leaned over the rail of the -Marama this morning and gazed with admiration at Auckland’s harbour. “Yes, I must do some fishing, but it must be harbour fishing. I don’t want any of this shark fishing. I tried that in Sydney, and I don’t like it. . . It might be as well to add that when Mr. Lynn was taken on a fishing expedition on the Sydney Harbour he was asked to thrust a spear into a 12ft. shark which had been captured. But he could not force himself to do it. He went into the cabin of the fishing launch and pressed a syphon instead. Mr. Lynn is a brother of the famous London comedian, Ralph Lynn, who has been playing in Ben Travers comedies for several years with great success. There is little he ha s not done in the theatrical and sporting world. For instance, he rode 17 winners in France after the war at various informal meetings, and is considered a very fine horseman. He has been on the stage for 25 years, but really comes of a military family. “At the time I decided to go on the stage I had nine uncles all holding commissions with the British Imperial Forces,” he said this morning. “Our family has always been military, but circumstances forced me into something different, and here I am. No I don’t regret it. Neither does my brother Ralph. I put him on the stage, and he has made a wonderful success of it.” Mr. Lynn gained his stage training in the hard school of experience. At 25 he played “Hamlet,” and later appeared in several of Shakespeare’s plays. He has appeared in musical comedy, straight comedy and pantomime. Now he is one of London’s recognised light comedians. Ben Travers, author of “Rookery j “Thark,” “The Cuckoo ;n the Nest” and several other amusing stories, has made a fortune since his books were adapted for the stage, produced by Tom Walls and played by Ralph and Hastings Lynn. During the four and a-half years the Travers comedies have been playing in London their author has made £50,000 in royalties. Now Mr. Travers contemplates coming oyt to Australia with the test cricket team. Mr. Lynn is a great personal friend of another well-known playwright, Frederic Lonsdale. “It is not so very long ago that Lonsdale borrowed 2s 6d from me,” said Mr. Lynn this morning. “Now he is worth thousands and one of the most brilliant authors of sparkling comedy in England.” During his stage career Mr. Lynn has appeared with most of England’s famous players. At one time he understudied Cyril Maude and later played the leading parts in Maude’s plays. He spent four years in the Army, most of the time in France. “Yes, I’m loving this trip. We are just off to Rotorua for a rest before we open the Auckland season. I’ve heard so much about your geysers that I believe I could walk straight to PoI hutu at Whakarewarewa.”

And the marvel of this remark was that Mr. Lynn’s pronunciation of the Maori words was perfect.