Bob Fitzsimmons and THE HONEST BLACKSMITH (1900-1902)

[Caractacus]

Anyone have a compete listing of all the places and dates that Bob Fitzsimmins presented his play at ?

There is an old small Opera House on the main street in the small town that I live in Nebraska and I often wonder going by it
if any famous old time boxing champions had ever once did a stage tour there
The Opera House closed in the 1930's and made into a Bank and all of the such records were destroyed many years ago and even the first ten years of the towns newspaper were never archived
for future presentation but the town is located along a railway line so a boxer could have made a one night stop over
to make a few bucks for a townsfolk starved for entertainment back then.
What other Boxers had stage touring dates ?

[Caractacus]

the Ads for the HONEST BLACKSMITH read.

SEE FITZ:

SPAR THREE ROUNDS
MAKE A HORSESHOE
PUNCH THE BAG
SHOE A HORSE
SING A FUNNY SONG

[Caractacus]

here is account of someone who had seen the play and still remember it years later in 1917.

" I went to see Robert Fitzsimmons The Honest Blacksmith.
He was thinly disguised with the name Bob Fitz.
I shall never forget his performance on account of the literary quality of the dialogue.
The play was highly virtuous, almost offensively virtuous.
The heroine was pursued through the three acts by a designing villain,
and about the middle of the third act as the villain was about to seize her,
Bob Fitz, the honest blacksmith, appeared opportunely, caught the villain on the jaw and rescued the maiden.
Now came the literary part of the dialogue.
At that precise moment was the climax of the play.
She said," Oh, Bob ,God will reward you."
" Don't mention it," said Bob

That "Don't mention it," still rings in my ears yet."