in the back seat was his daughter's dog, tubby. as the bridge began to twist, it was impossible to drive. >> coatsworth tries to get out of the car, but he can't open the door, so he climbs out of the window and tries unsuccessfully to walk on the bridge. >> he didn't get very far before he realized that the situation was so dangerous, he might not get back, and he better go back for tubby. >> but the bridge twists and writhes so violently, he can't safely go back for the dog. >> he was continually being thrown to the pavement and staggering off to one side or the other, virtually crawling part of the way to the safety of the east tower. >> another person trying to escape from the bridge that day is professor bert farquharson. >> professor bert farquharson was a professor of engineering at the university of washington and he was an authority on bridge structures. so when eldridge and lacey murrow became concerned about how much this bridge might move, they hired bert farquharson to conduct some studies. >> as part of his study, dr.

. >> corden was the tubby kid among the raucous students. >> don't ails understand poetry. the stars -- ♪ >> the stage production drew full houses and won best play awards in london and on broadway. and since then james corden has pretty well cornered the market playing the rollly-polly amusing one. >> you've got to keep -- >> he's written and acted in various hit tv shows. >> what are you doing? >> just hanging out. >> his bumbling best friend act in a series called "gavin and stacey" made him a household name in britain if not a national institution. >> how popular is he? try taking a quiet walk with him along the river. >> is it wasn't for the "history boys" really i don't know if -- i'd had the confidence to -- >> they recognize you? >> i don't think that was for me, i think it's more for the camera. >> it was for him all right. yet the 36-year-old corden is about to leave the comfortable confines of the london show biz scene and take the biggest risk of his career. not once but twice. ♪ he stars in the soon to be released christmas mega-movie musical "into the woods" a