New-York tribune., 1920-01-25

From the clay banks Of Perth
nboy, n. j.. to the chctc ontccments
of London's famous Gaicty Thcater is
a big jump for any youth to make
under any combination Of circum
stances, hut when he does so VIA
route involving very active participa
ton IN the "Zicgfcld Follies,'' to say
nothing of Irene" right here at home
we'll, that youth deserves TO have q
book written about him by somebody
ike Arnold Bennett instead of by
mere matter-of-fact newspaper inter-
viewer.
AS to the youth in question. he is
Harry Tierney, composer Of the music
of the Vanderbilt Thcater production.
Dreams" and "Skyrocket ket'-to mention
only few of the many song hits of
"lrene'-are now being whistled and
sung to the uttermost ends of the
United States of America, with a strong
probability of their circlng the globe
before peaches are red in New Jersey
again. To bring about which devoutly
wishedfor contamination on the part
OF the London producers of the piece
Young Tierney sailed for the Gaicty
Theater the other day to the accom-
paniment of his own music, "Were Get
ting Away With It," crashed out By
he band OF the good ship Nieuw AM
sterdam.
But back to the clay banks of Perth
Amboy and the tall. blue-cyed boy who
mentioned them with humorous
twinkle as he stood on the pier after
having bade goodby to several hun
journeyed up in the cold gray dawn to
thank him for putting their little COM
munity on the map.
Sure. ! was born thcre-right on
the clay banks" he laughed "Why
10 it, l wonder, that the mention Of
my birthplace always raises a laugh
10 be born anywhere within the
borders of New Jersey seems to be
essentially humorous. The first time
shortly after My Baby's Arms had
been perpetrated for Mr.. Ziegfeld's
'Follics OF 1919 the reporter otficat-
ing solemnlv advised me. for the sake
of my future, TO select another and
more highly sophisticated town, at
least for the purposes of publicity
But, as you see. I'm standing pat. !
not only still insist upon having been
born in Perth Amboy. and of having
received there most OF my education,
such as 1t is, but worse and more of
IT. am living there yet. and in all
probability shall live there for the rest
of my natural life"
According 10 Tierney's story, he is
indeed strictly "out OF it, The house
in Perth Amboy. the house in which
he was born and where he lives with
his father and mother and the rest of
the family. stands on a quiet street.
From one of the windows in the room
where he wrote the score of "A Wee
Bit Of Lace" for The Royal Vaga-
bond, whore he worked out, measure
~
Miss Simplicity" and Of "Irene''-
from this window there is always to
NC seen a little vignettc OF the dis
tant Atlantic and, IN sprlngtime, the
blush OF blossomlng peach trees in
the Tierney back yard.
Why. l couldn't write a note of
music if couldn't look at that bit of
sea when ! have a mind to, and if |
couldn't see those peach trees bloom
al their appointed time. | am going
TO miss their blossoming this year,
for under the terms of the contract
with y. Sax and Sir Alfred Butt the
London producers Of the piece, I've
got to stay in England to direct the
music rchcarsals and supervise things
generally until the thing is we'll es
,ablished over there; but they tell mo
there's nothing to compare with the
English peach trees III see TINS spring
trnined against the garden wall OF the
little house in st. Johns Wood where
have rented couple of rooms.
hope there's no frost in the south of
England this spring.
ut is curious colnc idcnce that
practically everybody associated with
Irene is Of Irish extraction re-
marked the young man. "There's
James Montgomery, who wrote the
y Il