THE LUCK OF THE IRELAND

“I’m an actor PLEASE . . . let me Act. John Ireland .”

So read the ad on the back page of the March 26 Hollywood Reporter. Why did an Oscar nominee (“All the King’s Men,” 1949) and veteran of more than 200 movies and TV shows spend nearly $2,000 for such a plea?

“It was part humorous and part serious,” Ireland, 73, told us in his familiar resonant voice. “I was watching ‘A Chorus Line’ the other day and there’s a song in which a character says, ‘I wanna dance for you.’ Well, I wanna act for you and I’m just not getting the opportunities. I felt it was time to do something about it.”

And the response?

“I can’t believe it,” he said. “My phone hasn’t stop ringing.” Among the tentatives: Producer Martin Ransohoff’s sent a script of ‘Switching Channels’ (a remake of “His Girl Friday”); there’s a possible role available for him in “Collision Course” with Jay Leno and Pat Morita, plus discussions will start on a possible regular role as a U.S. marshal on a Canadian series, “Bordertown.”

Surmised Ireland: “I guess the ad worked.”