J. M. CAMPBELL.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVII, Issue 976, 19 November 1908, Page 18

J. M. CAMPBELL.

THE FUNNY MAN’S CAREER. Of all the comedians that have been imported to Australasia from Great Britain, there are few who have made such a lasting reputation as a storyteller and mimic as Mr J. M. Campbell, who first appeared here with that clever troupe, the Merrymakers, and who has just finished a season in this city with Messrs J. and N. Tait’s pictures (says the “ Canterbury Times”). His now famous character sketch, “ Mrs Wizzen,” will be green in the, memory for a long time, and his Mulligan stories have become almost classical absurdites. Theatregoers will have an opportunity later on of renewing acquaintance with the smiling Scotchman, for he has been engaged by Mr J. C. Williamson as principal comedian for the next Christmas pantomime, “Jack and Jill,” in which he will proabbly play an old woman part. Mr Campbell was born in Dundee “ a long time ago; well, it’s longer than that, really,” he says, and can' just remember the Tay Bridge disaster. He was sent to Stanley House (Bridge of Allan) School, where more attention whs paid to athletics than to mathematics, and after several years there he was placed in a merchant’s office to learn the jute business. “ Not that I had any love for jute,” he adds; “and all the time I used to poke my long nose round stage doors and give pierrot shows and concerts and things, and think I was a fine actor.” Anyway, the alluring prospect of keeping up with the price of jute palled, and Mr Campbell took the bull by the horns and went on the road as his own manager, accompanied by an Irishman, and they played “ The Shaughraun,” “ Colleen Bawn ’’ and a play that the Scotchman wrote himself, called “ Rogue Riley.” The Irish person left for parts unknown one day, and then Mr Campbell was engaged by Bandmann, and played in the first production of “ Trilby ” under that manager, with Mr Gaston Mervale as Svengali, a performance on which he was complimented by Mr Tree. It was some time afterwards, when Mr Campbell was one of a gathering at the house of Mr Will True, the well-known poster 'artist, that he got a chance as a comedian. He gave a number of imitations of well-known members of the profession, Dan Leno, Sullivan, the “Polite Lunatic” of

“ The Belle of New York,” and others, and he was advised to try the halls. An introduction was obtained to “ Charley ’ Morton, manager of the Palace, and the father of the present music-hall system. Campbell sang to forty members of the orchestra, three directors and several thousand empty seats one morning. The orchestra was convulsed with laughter, but the directors looked glum throughout. “ I went off the stage,” he says, “ and looked for the manager to do a bit of head-punching, for I was certain they had made a fool of me. I found the manager and squared up. He dodged, and said, “You can go on this evening, young man.” So J. M. Campbell, mimic, was engaged.” He was taken on for four weeks, and stayed twenty-srx. It was the experience in the old days with the wild Irishman that stood Mr Campbell in good stead. He was called upon to play “ any old part,” and used to unconsciously mimic the other barnstormers.

After that, again, he went into the poster business, and was engaged for some time at, theatrical printing. Then he went back to the halls, and when Mr Herbert Clayton organised the Merrymakers he joined them. He has played in drama, pantomime, musical comedy; in fact, the whole gamut of the business has he run. “ 1 know the show 1 biz ’ from posterprinting to turnip-dodging,” is his terse autobiography. “ Stories? No, I won’t tell you any now. I’m saving ’em up for my next trip.”