Hayes, Jack
setName: label: See more items in
content: Henry A. "Buddy" Graf and George Cahill Vaudeville and Burlesque Collections
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Jack Hayes was born circa 1900. He possbily immigrated from Australia. Active in 1920s and 1930s in burlesque comedies, he described himself as a "burlesque comic". Hayes began his career around 1918 and was on the stage for thirty years. By 1972, he was a doorman and weekend performer at the National Burlesk [sic] in Detroit, Michigan. In an article from the Detroit Free Press dated 1974 May 29 Hayes described his working style with former partner William Hayes (no relation), "We'd go in to get a cup of coffee and we'd knock out a routine like 'The Tailor Shop' or 'Another One' in 10 minutes." Hayes died circa 1974.

A biographical sketch, undated. "Half Century for Hayes"

"Veteran's Day was also the 50th Jubilee for Jack (Check) Hayes in Show Biz. A back-stage garden party was held at the Old Rivoli Theater where Jack welcomed a host of show folk, musicians and People of the Press.

This show house is local outlet for refined cuticle capers, and has been catering to the Girl Watching Clientele since befoe the sinking of the Titanic.

Hayes, one of the few Burly-Q craftsmen still punching the time clock in the trade, shuns the idea of makeup and baggy pantaloons! A white sport coat and a checkerboard bit of millinery, plus his usual jaunty street duds and Actor Hayes is ready to face the mob! Nor does this former Shakespearian resort to quaint dialects for getting giggles from the ticket-stub holders! Australian by birth, his slight Limey accent makes him sound like a poor man's version of the late Charles Laughton. His scrapbook is a conglomeration of Vaud, Clubs, Tab, Legit, Wireless, Flickers, and Telly Vision. This volume starts at the start and ends in the middle because Old Jack has several thousand performances to go before he takes up basket weaving.

Leaving his native land and home of the kangaroo, he arrived in the States some 36 years ago. With the exception of the year that he managed a suds-station during the Viscious Volsted Era, Hayes has been amusing the patrons of the Lively Arts in flesh houses from Seattle to Miami and from Los Angeles to Boston's Old Howard.

As a one-time choir boy who go booted out for being habitually out of tune, he alone went on to sing for cash.

Prior to being a Burly-Q Thespian, Hayes played Radio-Keith-Orpheum Time as a single billed 'The Mahatma of the Harmonica'.

Festivity was strictly an invitational affair and started when final curtain banged down at finish of late show. Both hands of clock were skyward when guests bee-lined it for back stage. With enough and to spare amounts of refresements, both solid and fluid, all present had a real clambake. Gray-haired folks seemed to be in the majority and many yarns of the 'Good Old Days' were heard. Highlight of evening was toast to Hayes, proposed by versatile actor Billy King. Only youngsters present were strippers from current cast. These kids swarmed around the victuals, and displayed a complete lack of calorie caution.

Conversation drifted to by-gone decades at Rivoli, once known as The Oak, where Hebe Comic Monty Carter and his musical tab played for many years. Later in the 20's and 30's the Al Franks Musi-Girl Revue brought the dough to box-office when house name was State. Jess Mack straight-manned and produced here for a while after Commissioner Moss closed down Forty Second St. in Big Town in early depression days. Funnyman Charley Pritcher worked here during 40's. 

This 'Variety Mug' had long confab with retired performer Jack Romig on how to revive one hundred weeks of two-a-day.

3:00 A.M. found us all hiking for home.

Cowan" (AC1484 Box 34, folder 21)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1928, undated
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.1484, Series 16
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: These scripts were written or performed by Jack Hayes. Materials are arranged alphabetically by title.