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Mr. Hines  |
 1946-2003 |
Our farewell to a great guy
and a great entertainer
By ANDY MURCIA
of TheColumnists.com
One night many years ago, I happened to overhear a
conversation between Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis, Jr., at the
bar in Sammy's home. They were debating a significant issue to
them both: Who was the best tap dancer of all time?
Pretty soon they got around to their own place in tap dance history
and Sammy, forever the generous host, politely remarked that
Gregory Hines was a much better tap dancer than he was. In good
cheer, Gregory rose to the challenge, insisting that just wasn't
true.
"Every black tap dancer
owes his ass to you, Sammy, for kicking the door wide open for
the rest of us," Hines declared. "In fact, I'm so grateful
to you that I'm gonna kiss your shoes right now, man!"
At that point, Gregory tried to go behind the bar, where Sam
always sat, but Sammy comically grabbed a bottle of wine and
said in his best homeboy street slang: "Don’t you come
back here! I’ll cut you, man!” Besides, Sammy added,
he didn't want nobody kissing his feet right then because he
only had slippers on.
"And you ain’t
Mr. Odor eaters,” he warned Gregory.
We all laughed and Gregory backed off, but he pointed at Sam
and said, “I’ll get you when you ain’t hiding
behind this bar, man, and your feet be cleaner.”
Another good laugh was enjoyed by everybody at the party. One thing was clear to us all: Those two great entertainers truly respected each others' talents. In fact, they loved each other. Now they're both gone.
That was the only time
I met Gregory Hines face to face. It was an important moment
for me because Hines, who died of cancer Aug. 9, was an enormous
talent, certainly the best tap dancer of his generation and a
fine actor as well.
Flash forward to 1990. Jeff Margolis, a friend of mine and my
wife, actress Ann Jillian, was directing a TV special in honor
of Sammy Davis, Jr. Entertainers were paying tribute to Sam,
who had terminal lung cancer from his heavy, life-long smoking
habit. Gregory Hines did his thing on stage and at one point
managed to coax Sammy to come on stage from his front row box.
Sammy tapped as much as his short breath now would let him, then
stopped. Immediately, taking Sam by surprise, Gregory got down
and kissed Sam’s shoes. Tears came to both Ann’s eyes
and mine, too, as we watched Gregory honor our mutual pal, who
would soon be leaving us all.
Well, not long after that special, Sam passed away. I’m
sure Gregory was sad but I hope he took joy in knowing he had
honored Sam in public just as he swore he would someday.
Now it's time for Gregory Hines to receive the same sort of posthumous honors. He really made it big, starting his climb to the top at a time when few black entertainers made it really big.
Gregory began his dancing
career at age five. He and his brother, Maurice Jr., started
tap dancing together as kids. Gregory once said, “I never
remember not dancing.” For a short while, their father,
Maurice Sr., led the act, which was known as Hines, Hines &
Dad. When their dad retired, the two boys went on with their
own jazz tap act, but there was never enough work for them, so
they split up. Maurice is a terrific talent and continues to
perform with his own act. (We all became pals when he and Ann
played a week's stand at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis.) Gregory
reached the top on Broadway when he won the Tony award for his
great performance in “Jelly's Last Jam.” That led to
leading roles in numerous films and on television. His career
was marked by excellence and he won many additional awards. He
is survived by his father, his brother and three children.
 |
Tony award-winning performance in "Jelly's Last Jam" on Broadway. |
Like Sammy Davis, Jr., Gregory put a lot of oil on the hinges to that preverbal “door,” helping make it easier for other black acts to enter. He was an old-fashioned all-around super-talent: A professional dancer who could sing and act.
One thing I especially liked about Gregory was the fact that he never forgot where he came from, no matter how big he had become. He always paid tribute to the older tap dancers who led the way for him. If you saw Gregory Hines being interviewed, he always gave credit to the older dancers. And his 1989 film "Tap," remains one of the greatest tributes to black tap dancers ever put on film. In that picture, Gregory Hines represented his generation and young Savion Glover the new generation to come in a remarkable "challenge dance" of all-time great tap dancers, including Sandman Sims, Bunny Briggs, Jimmy Slyde and Harold Nicholas of the Nicholas Brothers.
But most of all it showcased the man Gregory admired most--Sammy Davis, Jr.--in what turned out to be his final feature film appearance--dancing his legs off in grand style.
Now Ann and I join the millions who miss the great Gregory Hines in wishing him "good night" as he taps his way into his next gig upstairs.
©2003 by Andy Murcia. The caricature of Andy Murcia is ©2003 by Jim Hummel. The color photo and the black and white portrait are from "The Gregory Hines Show" press kit, courtesy Columbia Tristar Television. The photo from "Jelly's Last Jam" is courtesy PBS' "Great Performances."
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