Henry "Crip" Heard facts for kids

Henry "Crip" Heard (born November 11, 1924 – died September 11, 1991) was an amazing American dancer. He performed in theaters and nightclubs, mostly in the late 1940s and 1950s. What made Henry special was that he danced with only one leg and one arm. He used a crutch to help him walk and even danced with it sometimes!

Early Life and Becoming a Dancer

Henry was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He started dancing professionally when he was about 13 years old. Later, when he was a young adult, he lost his right arm and right leg. This happened near his home in Memphis when a train hit the car he was riding in. Even after this, Henry continued to dance.

Film and Television Appearances

In 1949, Henry Heard appeared in a movie called Boarding House Blues. This was a musical comedy with an all-black cast. The film starred Moms Mabley, who played a woman trying to save her boarding house. Her tenants put on a show to help her.

The movie featured many talented black entertainers. Henry Heard had a two-minute dance scene in the film. This is one of the few videos that still exist of his dancing. Later, around 1951, Henry also appeared on a TV show called You Asked for It. He performed for four minutes, showing off his tap dance, rumba, and boogie-woogie moves.

Other Talented Dancers

Henry Heard was not the only dancer with a physical disability at that time. Another famous one-legged dancer was Clayton "Peg Leg" Bates. Bates had a very long career. He even danced for the King and Queen of England in the 1930s. He also appeared 19 times on The Ed Sullivan Show in the 1950s and 1960s.

In 1955, a magazine called Jet showed a photo of Bates and Heard together. The picture showed them "taking to the air with ease." They had put aside their crutch and peg leg to show how agile they were backstage at a theater.

Facing Challenges and Helping Others

As Henry traveled around America to perform, he faced many challenges. This was during the Jim Crow era, a time when there were unfair laws and customs that discriminated against African Americans.

In 1960, Henry had a bad fall, which may have ended his professional dance career. By 1971, he had stopped dancing for a living. A newspaper article reported that he was working in an office job. He lived independently in Chicago and drove his own car.

Henry was very interested in helping people with disabilities. He believed that disabled people could be great employees. He felt they were eager to work. He wanted to see more training programs for them in private businesses. Henry said that many jobs could be done by people with disabilities if they just had the right training. He was disappointed that he could only volunteer to help the disabled community without pay, but he continued to do so.

In 1975, a Chicago newspaper praised Henry. It described him as a clerk who had turned his disability into a strength. That week, he was even sponsoring a dinner for young people with disabilities at a hospital.

Legacy

When Henry Heard passed away in 1991, the Illinois government recognized his death. About ten years later, a documentary film called It's Black Entertainment featured Henry. It included the dance clip of him from the Boarding House Blues movie. This helped to show his amazing talent to new audiences.