The Great Henri French- the handsomest man in vaudeville.

 The Great Henri French, described as the handsomest man in vaudeville by an Australian reviewer, spent over 10 years performing in Australia and New Zealand in the early 20th Century. He was a juggler, a magician, a unicyclist and a heart breaker.

According to Henri, (sorry), Great Henri French, the name he gave to US authorities, he was born in Belgium on Christmas Day in 1876. He grew up in a circus and learned all the circus skills, making his first appearance on a bicycle when he was two years old.  He learnt juggling, cycling, acrobatics, wire walking, and trapeze. But Henri preferred to stay on the ground, as the trapeze did not suit his skill set. This early training ensured his versatility which was always a noted feature of his act. 

In 1900 Henri arrived in New York and began performing on the variety stage. His black hair, brown eyes and 5 ft 6 inch stature combined with a strong French accent attracted the ladies. Variety Magazine noted in 1906 that he had a ‘first class show’ which was performed with grace and gained much applause, particularly from the women in the audience.

His act at this time focused on riding on a single bicycle wheel and juggling various objects. He juggled plates, eggs, hats, umbrellas, performed some magic tricks and impressions. His skill was in the diversity of the turn. It was part juggling, part magic part comedy, part acrobatics, part clowning, and all Henri charm. 

In 1908 Henri married 17 year old  Ethel Smith in Pennsylvania. They had two children, Henri Syracuse, and Harry. The family moved to New York and in 1912, the ‘Great Henri French’ renounced his allegiance to King Leopold, swore he was not a bigamist, and applied for US citizenship.

Shortly afterwards, in 1913, the same Great Henri French, arrived in Australia.

He made his first appearance at the Tivoli Theatre in Sydney. He was described as more of a ‘surprise packet’ than sensational, but certainly something new. Dressed in a suit with tall hat and a single eyeglass, he rolled onto the stage perched on a single small wheel of a bicycle. (an improvised unicycle). He whirled around the stage and wobbled around imitating a drunk. He did some conjuring and juggling tricks and a trick with an egg and plate. In the latter he threw an egg in the air and repeatedly caught it on the plate. Then he broke the egg demonstrating that it was real. However, the most impressive part of his turn, according to a Sydney reviewer, was a display of roller skating on bicycle wheels. Two skates were attached to two small bicycle wheels and Henri gracefully glided around the stage to much applause.

It seems he fulfilled a six month engagement with the Tivoli. He performed as the intoxicated genius in Melbourne, where in July he appeared with Lucy Gillett, and he also appeared in Adelaide and returned to Sydney in September. 

The next year he began working for the Fullers circuit. In early 1914 he was performing in regional towns in Queensland to great applause. In these performances he had a female assistant who stood by whilst he tossed a monocle from eye to eye, juggled plates, coats, eggs and ‘any old thing’ with comedic charm. On one occasion he was preparing to twirl a glass of water in a wheel using a stick, whilst perched on his version of a unicycle. Something went wrong and the whole apparatus, including Henri,  collapsed,  soaking the juggler, his assistant and the stage in water. However, Henri picked himself up and completed the trick successfully. The reviewer said the audience was in his corner for the whole show.

In 1915 Henri travelled to New Zealand. Australia and New Zealand were both involved in World War One and young vaudevillians were signing up, but Henri, a foreigner, was too old to serve.  He stayed in New Zealand during the war, with the lack of young performers providing good opportunities for him. He appeared on the extensive Fullers Circuit and alternated his work there with appearances in his own touring company. In New Zealand he added impersonations to his turn. He performed as an old man Franz Liszt, and as an intoxicated French landowner. The New Zealand reviewers quoted a Sydney report that described him as ‘remarkably good looking.’

In June 1915 Henri performed for an hour at Wanganui. He began by doing some sleight of hand work and juggling. Then he showed the audience in a comedic manner the secret of some magic tricks. This was followed by a musical turn with Henri playing the Marseillaise on a mandolin. He then performed feats on the unicycle, did the glass of water in a wheel trick and sent the audience home satisfied and happy. In 1916 Henri introduced whistling and sharpshooting into his act.

By this time he had developed his own touring company which included Miss Rose Blossom, and a dancer Elsie Simpson. In 1916 Henri married Elsie and the pair had a son. They called him Henri.

Henri senior was not ignorant of the vicissitudes of war. . He often used his French and Belgian background to gain applause and sympathy. In 1917 he remarked to an audience that his father had lost all his horses to the army, and later that year he appealed to the patriotism of the crowd by citing his European heritage. He also participated in Red Cross fundraisers and patriotic recruiting drives for the cause.

Henri’s appearances in New Zealand were popular, and his abilities were well reviewed. However, his wife was not as impressed as the audiences. In August 1919 she appealed to the court for a divorce from her husband.

Elsie’s testimony presented a picture far from the jovial comedian that appeared on stage. Elsie said that she and Henri lived in a caravan and spent most of their days travelling either by cart or by express train. Henri refused to give her money despite her contribution as a singer and dancer to the show. Elsie explained that in June 1919  she had received some letters outlining Henri’s adultery. Apparently, he had fathered two illegitimate children whilst married to Elsie. When she confronted Henri with the evidence, he threatened to kill her and the child and said he would leave the country before providing for the pair.

Henri also appeared in court. The New Zealand Truth described him as clean shaven and ‘sartorially seductive’. He wore a blue suit with a white Stetson hat, salmon pink socks with fawn topped leather boots, a ‘sporty’ tie with a sparkly pin and a buttonhole decorated with violets. He topped this with a green handkerchief which he twisted whilst addressing the court.

Henri claimed in a strong, probably exaggerated, French accent that he could not afford to pay Elsie the 2 pounds in maintenance that she requested. His neck was injured when he ‘fell off the wheel’  and he could not work. When he could work, wages were sporadic and unreliable. He readily admitted his adultery and his two other children. He stated that he thought Elsie was aware of the situation as their mother was a member of their company. It is clear that these two children were born in New Zealand and were not his two children in the United States.

The court ruled in Elsie’s favour and she eventually divorced the colourful Henri.

Henri remained in New Zealand for about a year. He returned to the stage in late 1919 and in early 1920 was performing impersonations. He supported the Australian juggler, Collino, during this time. By late 1920 he was juggling again.

The juggler spent most of the early 1920s travelling, but he made several appearances in Australia. In May 1921 he toured the New South Wales coalfields with a two and a half hour one man show that included impersonations, juggling, his intoxicated on a wire act, trick cycling, magic, a wooden sulky wheel and a pet monkey called ‘Peanuts’.

Later that year he travelled to South Africa and in the next three years he travelled around the world including India and Madagascar.

In 1924 Henri’s sister asked Australian magazine ‘Everyones’ to locate her brother. Madame De Vigny stated that their aged father was very distressed at his son’s long silence, and asked that any reader who had news of Henri forward the information to the family in France.

In 1925 Henri reappeared in Australia with an act that included a dog and a young boy assistant who was his ‘son’. Which son was not specified. Unfortunately the dog was run over by a truck and had to retire from the act.  In 1926 he performed extensively in regional Queensland towns. His act included juggling, the ‘drunk on a wheel’, impersonations and magic and his assistant continued to be a ‘juvenile boy.’ One of his most applauded tricks at this time was balancing a ‘pint’ bottle on the edge of a plate, throwing the bottle in the air and catching it on the palm of his hand.

In November 1926 the trade papers reported that Henri had married Irene Hordern in Brisbane. There seems to be no record of this marriage.

After 1930 there are no references to Henri French in Australia. It seems he went to India and settled there. In 1938 his first wife Ethel stated that she was divorced and did not know the location of her ex-husband.  

During the Second World War, English newspapers reported a cabaret/entertainment venue in Lahore India run by Henri French and it seems that Henri died in India around 1950

Henri French was defined by his charisma, his charm, talent and versatility. One of the most talented vaudeville artists of the early 20th Century, his adventures took him around the world. His family was extensive and descendants still thrive in the United States, and possibly in Australia and New Zealand.