ESCAPE FROM HATRY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 441, 5 December 1930, Page 10

ESCAPE FROM HATRY

NEARLY JOINING GROUP INCOME OF £30,000 PROMISED It will l»e news to most of the countless admirers of .Seymour Hicks, Ike actor, to hear that only a few years ago he nearly bccaiyc a city magnate with a xast income and in association xvitr. t'l. icnce H.-g y. S, vm >ur dicks makes this interesting revelation in his book. “Between Ourselves,” published a few weeks agoIt was 12 years ago. just before Hairy’s Commercial Bank and Glass Industries crash, that Inc was nearly per suaded to leave the stage and join Hairy in the city. “Aly guaranteed minimum income was to have been £30,000 a year,” he says “and £lO,OOO was to have been deposited in iny bank at Ilatry as security. “ Before accepting the offer, Seymour Hicks sought the advice of the late Mr H. Y’. Higgins, the solicitor whose comment when llatry’s elabor ate establishment was: “That seems to me to prove beyond a doubt that, ha has taken a single ticket for Carey- Street.’’ “However,’’ says the actor, “the solicitor met Hatry and after much dis cussion as to what my duties were t* be—it being specially stipulated that 1 was to have nothing to do with share transactions of any kind —even the oh jections ol lhe doubting solicitor wore overcome by one of the most persuasive "“■.I I have ever met and he advised m c tu accept the offer. When Hatry “Went Smash” “I had four months to wait before joining the Hatry group,” adds Sey-

mour Hicks laconically, “and during that time, Ilatry went smash, so I did not.” This book is crammed with good stories told in Seymour Hicks’ inimitable way. He first went on the stage i —the fact is difficult to believe —in I ISS7, and since that time he scorns to! have met. everybody of interest. lie tells stories of eminent singe folk, of Royalty, of Bohemians, of legal lights —even of criminals. Many great wits figure in these pages. Wilde is one of them and Soy mour Hicks writes of that unfortunate ’ genius with compassion. Who can for get, he writes, his answer to the gush ing bore of a lady, who, after five minutes’ continual talk with Wilde, staring rather blankly at her, said. 1 “but Mr Wilde. I don’t think you re-' member me. I am Mrs Smith.” “Of; course you are,” said Wilde. “Howi delightful it must be for you to be Mrs* Smith. How stupid of me- I always re ■ member your name, but l can never think of your face.” There is a good stoe* annul that brilliant ami wayward poet and journalist.; T. W. JL Crosland. Alargarct Cooper; once asked him to lunch to persuade, him to write some lyrics for her. “What about terms?” said Crosland,! who was really hard up at. the time. I “Wcdl.” said Miss Cooper, “for the first lyric I. thought, five guineas —you see, Air Crosland, though you are al great jioet. I am not certain that n>yi public might, not Grid yonr work abo'«*j them—and then a larger sum if the songs are a hit.” “Five guineas.” said '.'rosinml. < “Why, I ran borrow that!” ct, < r, I