Muskegon Actors' Colony - The Gardners

The Gardners

Jack E. "Happy Jack" Gardner Born: Syracuse, NY Died: April 16, 1929, Muskegon, MI	Edna (Beard) Gardner Born: Unknown Died: Unknown
	Little is known about the lives of the "Happy Jack" Gardner and his bride Edna Beard. According to various reports, Gardner was a longtime resident of Syracuse, NY. His "advent into the theatrical business occurred in Syracuse during the (Gilbert and
Sullivan H.M.S.) "Pinafore" craze back in the early '80s". Gardner toured the United States and Canada, performing on the vaudeville circuit as a singer, songwriter and comic. Gardner came from a theatrical family that produced an earlier act called "The Three Gardners," a musical comedy skit which listed Jack, Andy and Ada Gardner as performers in 1900.
	Jack appeared as a solo act at the Lake Michigan Park Theater in 1905, and with Edna, they joined the Actors' Colony around 1910. According to reports from the time, he had "been associated with everything from circus to Shakespeare." Like many vaudeville performers, Gardner specialized in "black-face" routines, including a tour as a member of the Primrose Minstrels. A 1911 review noted that his act "A Close Call" met with "unprecedented success during its entire run which included nearly all of the leading vaudeville houses in the country." His 1918 performances of "In the War Zone" were met with positive reviews.
In Muskegon, "Happy Jack" became an active participant in the Actor's Colony, performing in the colony's annual charity shows. In later years, Gardner served as a booking agent for theatrical acts and sports world celebrities like Barney Oldfield, the famous race care driver, and for Jim Jeffries, one-time heavyweight boxing champ.
	"He has no cause for happiness in this episode of his wild army career", notes a 1918 illustration by animation pioneer Charlie Thorson. Image courtesy of Gene Walz
Dick Gardner & Anna Revere
Dick Gardner Born: Unknown Died: Unknown	Anna Revere Born: Unknown Died: Unknown

	Dick Gardner and his wife, Anne Revere, joined the Actors' Colony around the same time as his uncle, "Happy Jack" Gardner. Again, little is known about this branch of the Gardner family. Gardner and Revere hit the road annually, dancing, performing original songs and bits of comedy on the stages of the vaudeville circuit. Receiving high praise for his abilities with a banjo and a steel guitar, his comic cut-ups earned hardy laughs according to many reviews. The act continued touring into the 1920's, advertising the act with rather generic titles like "True Variety", "Bits of Vaudeville" and "Bits of Variety" into the 1920's. Like the Keaton's, Dick Gardner had a passion for
	baseball and his talented team, christened "Dickie Gardner's Colts" took the field against numerous Muskegon area sandlot teams, as well as opponents from within the Colony.