Cirrus@Austlit

OVERVIEW

One of the most popular and influential comedy duos in Australian entertainment history, Stiffy (Nat Phillips) and Mo (Roy Rene), were among a small number of comedians who dominated the revusical era in Australia (ca. 1915-1930) - the others being Bert Le Blanc, Jim Gerald and George Wallace. From the start Stiffy and Mo were seen by audiences as two larrikin mates who exemplified the national identity and popular culture attitudes then being circulated by Australians – including those serving overseas with the Australian Imperial Forces. The original Stiffy and Mo scripts held in the Nat Phillips Collection clearly demonstrate, for example, the promotion of mateship, loyalty, egalitarianism, larrikin attitudes (including practical joking), self-deprecation, and an outright refusal to bow to authority figures.

Each of the Stiffy and Mo revusicals, written and directed by Phillips, were typically billed according to the jobs or situations the pair found themselves in - for example, Stiffy and Mo as Plumbers. Over the years they appeared as Shopwalkers, Wharfies, Confidence Men, Surfers, Waiters, Jockeys, Soldiers and even Bullfighters. Other popular productions were located in a harem, beauty parlour and sanitarium. Phillips and Rene also garnered much acclaim for their feature engagements in the Fullers' annual Christmas pantomimes, beginning in 1916 with The Bunyip.

As the first truly urban Australian characters to be developed on the variety stage Stiffy and Mo not only captured the Australian popular culture's imagination but also played a significant role in boosting the popularity of the new Australian revusical (one act musical comedy) genre which had begun to emerge around 1914/1915. In all, Phillips and Rene worked together for eleven years - 1916 to 1925, and 1927 to 1928.

DETAILED BIOGRAPHY

1916-1919 : Towards the end of June 1916 Nat Phillips was recalled to Sydney from Brisbane by Sir Benjamin Fuller and asked to take over a revusical company previously run by Albert Bletsoe and his sister Maude. Phillips had only recently returned from a seven month engagement in the East, and had arrived in Brisbane via Perth and Adelaide. The Bletsoes' troupe, which included Roy Rene, disbanded in Rockhampton on 24 June after their leaders had made the sudden decision to retire. As the company had been booked to play Sydney's Princess Theatre in a week's time Phillips was considered the best person to take over at such short notice. He and Merritt made their last Brisbane appearance on 30 June and returned to Sydney by train with several members of the Bletsoe troupe, including Roy Rene. Research into the career movements of both men indicates that the two comedians had met briefly in March 1913 while on the same bill at Fullers' Gaiety Theatre, Melbourne.

When he arrived in Sydney Phillips put his troupe through an intense series of rehearsals. The line-up comprised both former Bletsoes artists and leading veterans from the Fullers circuit. For his shows he drew on some of the Stiffy sketches he had been developing over the past few years, filling them out with songs and spots for 'improvised' business. The Nat Phillips Collection script for What Oh Tonight indicates, too, that he originally intended his Jewish off-sider to be called Sol. Rene was given this role largely because he had already established his reputation as a good Hebrew comedian.

Although vastly less experienced that Phillips, Rene was confident enough to suggest that his character have another name, but at the same time didn't have particular one in mind. He explains in Mo's MemoirsM that with the opening night almost upon him, Bill Sadler, the Princess Theatre's stage manager and doorman spontaneously suggested "why don't you call yourselves Stiffy and Mo" (p. 63).

Billed initially as Nat Phillips' Tabloid Musical Comedy Company, the troupe made its debut on 16 July 1916 with What O Tonight.The initial response to the company's debut season was above all expectations, with critical attention shared largely around the ensemble, although Nat Phillips as writer, director and co-star was generally given the greatest space. What Oh Tonight was followed by five more original revusicals, the extent of their repertoire at the time. Such was the success garnered by the troupe that the theatre's lessees, Harry Sadler and Jack Kearns extended the season until late October.

In December 1916 the Fullers presented The Bunyip at the Grand Opera House in Sydney. A pantomime with an original Australian story line by young Victorian variety performer, Ella Airlie, Phillips contributed additional material while also directing the production and making a feature appearances as Stiffy alongside Rene's Mo. The Bunyip was a monumental success for the Fullers and further established Stiffy and Mo as the most popular Australian comedians of the day.

The Bunyip toured the country following its eventual closure in Sydney in 1917, being regularly staged as part of each Stiffy and Mo season over the next few years. The Fullers' also revived it without Rene and Phillips on a number of occasions up until at least 1924. The pair featured in two other pantomimes during the late-1910s - The Babes in the Wood (1918) and Cinderella (1919). In the latter production Mo was a 'bailiff who follows his job without malice' while Stiffy portrayed 'his cobber who butts into cottage and palace' (Theatre Magazine March 1921, p14).

Nat Phillips' Stiffy and Mo Revue Company toured the country with few breaks between 1916 and their first separation in 1925, playing in some instances seasons of more than six months at a time. The war years were especially critical to their success, given the decreasing presence of foreign variety performers and the increasing Australian-wide variety industry growth, which included expanding national circuits, the building of new theatres, increasing circulation of specialist variety magazines (notably Australian Variety and the Theatre Magazine) and the huge number of local performers being drawn to stage as the need for entertainment grew exponentially. Having established themselves during the early years of the revusical's development, Stiffy and Mo essentially raised the bar in terms of presenting Australian larrikin humour and improvised mayhem, and were rivalled in this respect only by Bert Le Blanc and Jake Mack during the late 1910s and George Wallace in the 1920s.

In 1923, at the height of their popularity, Rene and Phillips also put together a book of humour. Titled, Stiffy and Mo's Book of Fun, the material comprised a combination of original jokes and some that had been published in English and American collections over the previous years (Theatre Magazine February 1923, p25).

1920-1925 : Although the troupe's original membership had remained remarkably stable during its first four to five years, with only minor and infrequent changes to the principal ensemble, by the early 1920s a few new faces began to appear in the line-up. Notable, for example, were Mike Connors and Queenie Paul, Keith Connolly, Ida Merton and Gladys Shaw, who all joined the troupe in 1922. Two additional Fullers pantomimes also featured Stiffy and Mo, as well as most of the members of the company. These were Dick Whittington and His Cat (1921) and Mother Goose (1922). One of the more significant aspects of this period was the 16 months the company spent in New Zealand. The Dominion tour began at Auckland's Opera House on 28 March 1923 and contininued through until early August 1924. The last season played was in Wellington.

Despite being Australia's most popular comedy duo, some level of tension also began to rise between the two comics around 1924/1925 - although there was never as much animosity as some people have later claimed. Indeed, when the split came in mid-1925 it was essentially the result of two men with quite different personalities having shared nine years together in close proximity and in need of some time apart. As the consummate professional who demanded from his troupe similar attitudes, Phillips was renowned for his attention to detail, high work ethic and efficiency, and maintained regular rehearsals so that each forthcoming production (even though most likely a revival) was given suitable preparation. Rene on the other hand was a more spontaneous, carefree and relaxed individual who had a particular dislike of rehearsals.

The fundamental difference between the two men is explained in Mo's Memoirs, whereby Rene mentions several instances where his practical jokes and their disagreements over personal issues were not taken lightly. In reading Rene's autobiography, however, there is no indication that the two men ever had a serious falling out, and indeed Rene's memory of his 'old mate' is one of endearment, not of distance. Sadie Gale supports this assessment of the relationship between Phillips and her husband, recording in an oral history interview that there was never any acrimony between them (National Archives of Australia, ABC Tape CA6879 / C528741-1, 1975). Not only did Phillips later become godfather to Rene's son, but the two men had also agreed shortly before Phillips death to reunite for a second time (ctd. Jon Fabian correspondance).

1925-1926 : [For further details regarding this period see the individual agent entries for Nat Phillips and Roy Rene]

1927-1928 : The Stiffy and Mo reunion began in Brisbane in late February 1927 during the last few weeks of Phillips' Whirligig season at the Empire Theatre. With Jack Kellaway still a principal member of the troupe the initial shows were advertised as Stiffy, Mo and 'Erb. When the company opened in Sydney on 19 March, however, the billing was not unsurprisingly just Stiffy and Mo. In reviewing the second week of the Sydney season Just It records that the return of Stiffy and Mo 'almost overshadowed the Royal visit,' such was the public's interest (31 March 1927, p28). By August the same magazine reported that in the 21 weeks Stiffy and Mo had been playing in Sydney 'there has never been the slightest let-up in the attendance- afternoon [or] evening' (11 August 1927, p28). In mid-September the company played its 300th consecutive performance, a house record (Just It 15 September 1927, p28).

Despite the success which the reunion achieved in terms of critical opinion and box office records, the partnership only lasted a little over 18 months. While the reasons for the split were never made public, Sadie Gale indicates that it was due to a combination of factors, notably Phillips anger at the Fullers when he became aware that Rene was being paid more money (an issue she says did not have an overly negative impact on his relationship with Rene, however); and his own perception that the Stiffy and Mo formula had run its course and that he and Rene were simply repeating themselves rather than moving into new directions. Gale also says that Phillips' interest had by then begun to turn more to songwriting and revue, believing that the revusical format had also run its course.

The Phillips and Rene partnership ended after a brief season in Sydney following the company's return from New Zealand. The Bulletin's 'Sundry Shows' page describes the night they returned to play Sydney:

The return of Stiffy and Mo to Fullers' Theatre on Saturday night was hailed with wild acclaim. There were yells to greet the appearance of each of the re-united partners and the roof cracked when Mo addressed the audience as "Yous mob," or made a reference to the "tarts" present. The audience was so delighted at renewing acquaintance with its old favourites that it laughed at everything. It is a triumph of an extraordinary kind' (24 March 1927, p34).