In 1916 Heggie appeared on Broadway in a drama called Justice, which marked a turning point in the career of the leading man, 34 year-old John Barrymore. In the final scene of the play, Barrymore lies dead on the stage while Heggie speaks a eulogy over him. After the play had been running a while, the supposedly dead Barrymore would attempt to make Heggie laugh during his speech by mumbling obscenities, pretending to kill cockroaches, or stifling sneezes. Finally Heggie walked out, forcing an understudy to take his part for three performances. After Barrymore promised to behave himself and gave him a bottle of champagne as a peace offering, Heggie returned to the play.
