Show I AND HEATH BEGAN PALS HIP WHEN GUNS WERE CHECKED AT DOOR BOOR OF THEATRE AND PRESIDENT WAS KID Too Young to Retire Say Minstrels Celebrating Anniversary By Jane Dixon NEW YORK Nov 29 A A half hal century century century cen cen- tury almost of McIntyre and Heath To be he more in the swing of the chronicler the team of James McIntyre and Thomas Heath F minstrels this week weel ls is celebrating the forty-fifth forty annir anniversary anniversary anni anni- r of the part part- Never before Inthe in inthe ii tt ail the history of the stage have the lives r and fortunes fortun s of two men been bound r more closely in the insoluble insoluble ties ties' of 01 I and work work- manship Across the trail of the years come hurtling the ghosts of a hundred million million million mil mil- lion made Heath laughs to warm the cockles of their hearts Out there op the unknown pleasure pike leading into the future a hundred more laughs are waiting to be born And McIntyre and Heath know the secret of their birth It has been a pretty merry old world for Jim and Tom I dropped in at the fourth Forty Street theatre It is here the two who raised comedy from an event of the American stage to an epic are holding forth in their latest uproar Hello Alexander I wanted to ask them to tell me something about the anniversary to a bit Right Hight h here re let us get the twain straightened out They have been so linked together in our fancy there are arefe arefe arete fe te e of personal pert friends who can cantell cantell cantell tell one from Tom Heath neither Heath neither will allow the Mister Mister Mister-Is Is the swell gem man the high and mighty wat ax lak white folks tolls Profession Profession- Professionally ally aUy he is known a all as the straight Ills IUs mission In life Ute sQ so far tar a as au audiences are concerned seems to be cooking up an endless chain of trials and tribulations tribulations tribulations for 1 Jim McIntyre Is the comedy relief one of those n no count ni nig- nig gahs His Ills professional life has been spent entirely under the spell of his grandiose side partner catering to his whims bowing to his commands extricating ex extricating extricating ex- ex himself from the tangles into which he is lured by Tom Toni heath JIM IS 67 YEARS YOUNG Well Veil well he greeted extending his hand across the threshold of the Green room and drawing me toward a chair Welcome to our house Always Always Al AN ways like to see newspaper folks Its It's a good sign Whenever you find th them m coming to talk with you It means youre you're boom in When they stay away you know it Its It's time to leave town clear out Who Vho said Jim McIntyre Is 67 years old and Tom Heath 65 How wrong they are arel Vh Why there isn't an old ye year in Jims Jim's body nor In Toms Jim is just as young today as he was on that evening In 84 when father and mother then boy and girl sweethearts sweet sweet- hearts went to see him do the clog dance just dance juat as full fuU of ginger as they would say Ills His blue eyes have the same snap his lips the same quirk of humor at their corners his limbs the same loose shuffle his hla brain the same bottomless well of wit The casual ob observer observer observer ob- ob server would take Jim Mci McIntyre tyre for 45 not a day over ovel I called to ask you when you are going to retire I baited Retire e explosively Who ever heard of ot such a thing Why Im I'm never going to retire If It I did Id I'd get old A young oung fellow like me cant can't afford to retire I bethought me of ot the beloved character character char char- acter of Alexander creale created in the days of The Ham Treo Tree and known from coast to coast as Is no other comedy comedy comedy com com- edy character on the American stage Tell me Mr McIntyre I asked where did you get Alexander The minstrel broke Into a broad grin I pot got ot Alexander one summer when I Iwas Iwas Iwas was broke and had to go to work for a living Jiving he confessed It was In a livery stable down in Henderson Ky Ivy where I acted as valet to some horses There was a a. negro In that livery stable that made my job a joy He lie was the best I ever saw and I studied him by byi i I jN rt tva 8 4 r r M rr s ISe r r f s y SS S N M INTYRE HEA HEATH 14 45 YEARS RS AGO the hour By and by when things p perked up a bit and we hit the trail again I told Tom about this Henderson darkey Tom agreed he was funny We Ve decided to put him In our act Was Vas his name namo Alexander I asked edNo ed No but Tom said that's what his name should 1 have been so Alexander Alexander Alexander Alexan Alexan- der he was Then that 2 Job In the livery stable was on the level A GOOD JOB TOO On the level I should say it was It was a a. good job too Ive I've been working working work wort ing at it off and on e ever er since think Ince think thinking ing about It off oft stage and living it over again on stage stage- Who Vho of ot the thousands who laughed viII vill ever forget t the Immortal fun line of The Ham Tree It Tree If lt I ever get back that job In the livery stable Remember the situation wherein Henry Heath and Al Alexander xander McIntyre MeIn- MeIn I tyre are arc trouping with a show and get stranded 1 Henry boss of the tho outfit corrals a wheelbarrow loads himself and his trunk on the barrow tics ties the big base drum on Alexanders Alexander's back and orders his faithful servitor to trundle trundle trun trun- dle him homeward The conversations of that eventful wheelbarrow trip have caused enough glee to shake the sides of ot Mother Earth If It I evah gets back dat ar job In da libery stable sighs Alexander resting resting resting rest rest- ing b by the wayside while his partner perches precariously atop the trunk tr a II wid yaU chides Henry grandiloquently Aint yo a fine job now wid show show- folks Aint yo 0 somebody stead o 0 nobody round an an- anole ole livry stable How much did y all make In dat livry livey stable Alexander Make Alexander Make 2 a we week k Henry Yah Henry Yah I 2 a week An Im I'm payin yo 20 a week fo doln damn but aint I 11 Alexander huh Uh Uh but I gO got gob l the two And along with the libery Ilbery stable who can forg forget t the pangs of hun hunger er suffered suffered suf suf- b by the unfortunate Alexander while Henry regaled him hint with tales of ot the Ham Tree which grows growl in the Swamp Swami alongside the Beer River niver So sweeping was the success of the two comedians in The Ham Tree that they played It continually for or six years A few seasons ago the celebrated vehicle was revived by John Cort Cart and ran two years ears longer a u. total i of ot eight years Two seasons Is almost a record for the best of the present day Y productions There is a II report current I said to Mr McIntyre which has to do with a quarrel between yourself and Mr Heath It is to the effect that you never spoke to each other off oft t tie e stage for twenty twenty five five years I I Balderdash scoffed Jim of ot the twain Tom and I never quarrel Of course when we were kids we used to have arguments as all 1111 young squirts will but It never came to the pla place plage e where we stopped speaking There was mu much h noise over in th the direction of the door calls calla of Hello there kid How are you 1 Wheres Jim 1 Then an Incongruous figure with a laugh face and a pair of floppy plaid trousers held up by old fashioned suspenders appeared In Inthe inthe inthe the offing otting Everything all aU O. O K breezed the big bug half of the dark duo My secretary there Jim will look out for you Hell He'll tell you all 1111 about me eh Jim If It I told all an about you Tom came cam the retort wed have to give tonight's show In the l Mr Ir M McIntyre tells me you yon never quarrel Mr 11 Heath Beath I suggested He does eh chuckling How lIow about when all aU the clothes we tad had ad w we carried in the lower lowert part of one trunk Jim a and d you used to get et mad and start to take yours out 1 Well Tom Im I'm not telling about the time you got huffy and wanted to saw the tho darn trunk In two argued Jim I urged the partners partner to recall the most serious quarrel they ever hadIt hadIt had It was waa about a n show confessed Jim and Tom nodded assent I Tom Toni wanted to take a vaudeville show on the road and I held out for tor a n minstrel We Ye had It up UI and down hot and Ild heavy and we couldn't get grot anywhere ro Tom told me t to go io o and take out my fool tool minstrel and wire him when I 1 went broke and I informed him he ho could run along with his darn vaudeville and Id I'd stake him to a a. return ticket Neither of us Ul meant what we were shouting about In the end we flipped up a nickel el head vaudeville tails min mm The nickel landed tails up Ye Fe took out a minstrel It proved a cleanup so after aCter that we took to settling settling settling set set- our arguments with nickel flip flip- ping Great idea Try it U. Tb rb t Q admitted a a. wide difference of opI opinion as is to the pursuit of pleasure I off oft the stage HE LIKE LIKES THE MOSSES 1 McIntyre My My Ny favorite sp sport rt Well I IT-I IT I well well I got to admit I like like the horses I sort 0 q h hanker to See sea them theist babies brush by Heath Heath Give Give me a good hook and line aM and a. a it lot Qt t p Q n nice congenial ial n fish Im I'm the champion fisherman around my part of the country A Ak Aak k m me if I aint Also I run to pottering around the garden plants at and aud vegetables and flow flowers rs and the like Why I raised some cabbages this t year that that that- McIntyre It l If Toms Tom's going to start gardening g you might as s well call ot off the show It'll nn be longer than that trip we took by wheelbarrow in The Ham Tree and I figure I must have p pushed shed him at least miles mUlls in those eight years It was time for tor farewell and the best besto o 0 luck From the bottom of a battered wardrobe trunk that has weathered m many ny p p. hard theatrical season season McIntyre Mc Mc- Intyre dra dragged ged a well wen thumbed photo photo- graph Here he sai said are Tony Tom and methe me methe methe the time we hitched up as partners down in San Anton Tex Some we are there eh b boys ys 1 Yes boy Heath Look at I them swallowtails And there was was a pair o 0 plug hats haJ that went with the set too When we ambled across that I old par park down dOw In Ip S San n Anton I guess uess we didn't make some noise I dont don't see where weve we've changed any at that do you Jim 1 Not lot a t l nUch l Jim Jm A half century century almost almost A few leaves leavet from the book of time and tide AS Ii a youngster McIntyre Mc in own words w was s a ca candy gy butcher on the therun therun therun run between Wis Wms and his home in Rockford IlL IU Between turns of peddling peppermints and gumdrops to the tle 1 ladies he jigged to the sway of the train in th the baggage car Heath learned to shake shako his pis fe feet t in il his home town of Philadelphia about the time the troops were coming g back from the Civil w war r. r McIntyre lost his partner in San An- An Because use that hat young YO a rake thoughtlessly appeared at a ball in a a. silk hat at and g the hair trigger boys oy couldn't resist tar target et practice lIe He ran into McIntyre the two shook hands and the partnership was on n. n CHECK YOUR GUNS GENTLEMEN A familiar stage of the early route was a barn door set up UR op on woodmen wooden horses The partners partner clogged c t their way over aver the country fair circuits t an and n passed the he hat p personally at t the e close of the performance President Wilson was a schoolboy at t the e time titre Broad Broadway way was traveled by stage and Bleecker r street t was waa the 11 Gr Great at WhiteWay White Wl WhiteWay Way Vay of the thriving young city It wag wa wad not unusual in playing the outlying districts through the South and middle West for management the the of ot the m two man n minstrel l either etther Jinx Jim or Tom to stand at the entrance to the hall and request th the len audience 8 to check Its guns gun at the door as it passed in The first ragtime ever Introduced on any stage a number called My Cinnamon Cinnam Cin- Cin nam namon m Cinnamon Gal was sung suns and clog clogged ed by and Heath when grandma wore hoop skirts and poke bonnets The Tha first act ever booked by the Keith circuit McIntyre circuit lr uit McIntyre and I IJ Heath ath on ona ona a a. tryout in an old st storeroom in Ros Boston ton run by E. E F. F as a theatre That was thirty five years yearn ago age and the colored colored col col- Q ored minstrels followed the trained fleas leas They played thirty shows a n aday day walked day walked off one side of the stage did a quick run around the back and came on at the tha other Their success u cess was Instantaneous so much so 80 that th the trained fleas were can canceled e Be fore long they hey were making the fabulous fabulous fabulous lous salary of a a. week which th they y split fifty fifty-fifty They have spilt that way ever since Both and Heath Reath have built bunt up fortunes from laughs For the past twenty years year th they y have averaged 1500 1600 a week between them McIntyre has hasa a a. beautiful 11 home Island Southampton L. L I. I Heath has an equally attractive home hom Manor L. L I. I Through all aU the years ears on one shadow looms large on th the horizon o of success and happiness Tom Heath t had a son Mcintyre is childless The affections of both partners and their w wives centered centered centered cen cen- on Fonts a boy As they explained ex it they had one son lion an and four parents Last winter the boy a sturdy young fellow In his nineteenth year was lost In the deadly wave ave of ot Influenza which stripped so Q many homes bare The grief of the four parents seems to grow with the months It is the great groat rift in their jute luje of peace and plenty plent |