Monarchs of minstrelsy, from "Daddy" Rice to dateRice, Edw. Le Roy (Edward Le Roy)
History
Monarchs of minstrelsy, from "Daddy" Rice to date
Rice, Edw. Le Roy (Edward Le Roy)
Actors -- United States; Minstrel shows
In 1880 he formed a partnership with Sage Richardson, and shortly
afterwards they joined Cal. Wagner’s Minstrels.
Subsequent minstrel engagements were with Billy Rice and Hooley’s;
McIntyre and Heath’s, and J. H. Haverly’s; remaining three years with
the latter.
Other companies were Murray and Murphy, seven years; a four-year
starring tour in “A Soap Bubble”; four seasons with Bobby Gaylor; in
conjunction with Charles A. Mason, one season with Gus Hill’s New
York Stars; and a season each with Nellie McHenry; Edna May; and Ward
and Vokes. Mr. Young then starred four seasons in melodrama under the
management of Percy G. Williams.
Charles Young was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, July 3, 1854.
BILLY CONWAY (Marble) the well-known comedian, first appeared
professionally about 1871, with Mart. Healy, known as Healy and Conway;
this was in his native city; he was with Whitmore and Clark’s Minstrels
several seasons, where he joined the late Johnny Mack; afterwards
Healy, Saunders (Ella) and Conway formed an alliance; subsequently he
rejoined Mack, and they went with I. W. Baird’s Minstrels, where they
remained about eight seasons. He separated from Mack about three years
before his (Conway’s death), and appeared with McIntyre and Heath’s;
Dockstader’s, and Wilson’s Minstrels.
[Illustration:
JAS.--McINTYRE & HEATH--THOS. K.
(1874)
THE “GEORGIA MINSTRELS”
JAS.--McINTYRE & HEATH--THOS. K.
(1910)
McINTYRE & HEATH--YESTERDAY, TO-DAY and TO-MORROW.]
Mr. Conway was one of the Four Invincibles--Conway, Mack, Gardner and
Clark.
His last appearance was in New Haven, Conn., February 29, 1892.
Billy Conway was born in Hartford, Conn.; he died in Boston, Mass.,
March 8, 1892; age 38 years.
McINTYRE and HEATH
are beyond all question the greatest duo of black-face delineators of
the real Southern darky that the stage ever has or ever will know.
They give an absolutely faithful portrayal of the black man as he
really exists.
Mr. McIntyre as a pessimistic coon, and Mr. Heath as the colored gemmen
with pronounced optimistic ideas of life, are excruciatingly funny
in everything they do; but as the “Georgia Minstrels” their talents
probably appear to the greatest advantage.
McIntyre and Heath joined hands in San Antonio, Texas, in the Spring of
1874, at the Vaudeville Theatre. They played many variety and circus
engagements until the fall of 1878, when they organized McIntyre
and Heath’s Minstrels. A year later they made their first New York
appearance at Tony Pastor’s Theatre; their success was instantaneous
and pronounced.
In the Fall of 1880 they engaged with the Alice Oates Company, playing
“Long Branch.”
In the Fall of 1881 they again headed their own minstrel organization,
and the following season McIntyre and Heath’s Specialty Company took
the road.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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