Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1937-08-18
JAMES M|NTYRE,
MINSTREL, IS DEAD
Partner of Heath in Famed
Vaudeville Act SuCCumbs
at 79.
By the Associated Press.

SOUTHAMPTON. N. Y, August 10.
james Mcintyre, 70, died early to-
day of uremic poisoning, ending the
64-year-old partnership of Mcintyre
and Heath, famed minstrel men and
one Of the best-known vaudeville teams
of the last generation.
Mcintyre died at 6 80 am He had
been in a coma for several days. News
of his death was withheld from his
lifelong comrade, Thomas x. Heath,
a. who lay stricken with paralysis
and bronchitis at his home in Setau-
ket, only few miles across Long
Island from Southampton.
Mcintyre, beloved alexander" of
the old vaudeville skit The Ham
Tree" did his first dancing as a
candy butcher on the railroad run
between Kenosha, Wis, his native
State, and his home in Rockford, H.
Graduated to Vaudeville.
From jogging in the aisles of cars
to entertain passengers, he graduated
to a regular spot" in vaudeville with
his first partner, Frank Austin.
Early in the '70s they broke up.
Mcintyre met Heath, who had lost
his partner. IN San Antonio, Tex. and
' the team they formed lasted until
their final appearance together in
Philadelphia in october, 1884
They began by playing the county
| fairs Of Texas, passing the hat after
each performance. In 1877 they went
to Chicago after travelling for time
with Sells Bros wagon show. and
played first at Hamlns old Coliseum
The same year they came on to New
York to play in the old Madison Square
Garden.
Opened in New York.
They opened in New York with
HoWe's London Circus, and when that
show closed in Atlanta, Ga, Mcintyre
and Heath organized a show of their
own, which ran for one season with
Indifferent success.
1t was in 1880 that the Mcintyre
Heath team gave New Workers their
first sight of the coon buck dance"
in Tony Pastors old theater on
Broadway, and it was such a success
that the dancers salary jumped to
$3.50 week in single night.
After playing with Alice Oates in
Long Branch" Mcintyre and his
partner organized the Georgia Min
strels," which played throughout the
United States running for II years
without a single change in routine to
set a new vaudeville record.
Joined Circus in 1881.
In 1881 the partners left their own
show to join Barnum & Bailey. and
four years later they played with the
Hyde Comedians, before joining Weber
and Fields in 1893.
Veterans of the stage, Mcintyre and
Heath were headliners at the turn of
the century, appearing in 1901 with
Beck's Orpheum Road Show, and in
1905 with Klaw and Erlander.
Next came THE Ham Tree" an
elabora ton of an incident in their
old Georgia Minstrels." The Ham
Tree" was revived in 1915 and ran
for two additional seasons
Asked in 1919 if it was true he and
11cdGll lidd lloJ SpohSll W tdtil otIltl
off the stage for Is years, Mcintyre
answered: "Balderdash! Tom and I
never quarrel"
Celebrated Forty-fifth Anniversary.
In 1915, Mcintyre and Heath, both
aging, celebrated the forty-ffth ami
versary of their partnership with a
November matinee of Hello Alex
snder." After that skit came Red
Pepper which. like Hello Alexan-
der" was written by Edgar Smith in
collaboration with McIntyre's wife
Emily.
After Red Pepper" closed the vet
Grams Of the stage went into semi
retirement at their respective Long Is
land homes, Mcintyre at johanna Is
land, Southampton, and Heath at
Soundview Manor in Setauket.
In 1923 they appeared again in
"Headin' South" under the auspices
of the Shuberts. Their final appear
ance together was in October of 1884,
when they appeared at the Forest The
alter in Philadelphia in America
Sings"
Surviving the old trouper is his
adopted daughter, Mrs. Maud Martin
His wife, Emily Young Mcintyre, died
In 1885.