Cirrus@Austlit

The Agereports in 1929 that Me and My Girl, 'as with most revues,' contained no plot and consisted mostly of quickly changing scenes helped out by musical numbers and dances. The review does make passing reference, however, to the headmaster of an all-girls school ('who plans to conquer women by inventing a drug for making them feel like a man') and his wife, who is described as 'a screamingly funny, if skillfully cruel, caricature of the school marm at St James College' (27 December 1929, p.8).

While similarly describing the production as a 'light musical revue, the Argus critic indicates that Wallace had, in fact, made a successful attempt to sustain a semblance of a story throughout the nine episodes. The review further notes in this respect that 'as Horace, Mr Wallace after having been compelled to pose as a woman, was chosen as the subject for a professor's experiment to show that the sexes could be changed by draughts from a formula prepared by him' (27 December 1929, p.8). This appears to indicate that Me and My Girl was presented in similar fashion to the comedian's other revusicals, involving both written and improvised sketches (interspersed with song-and-dance sequences) that were bound together by a loosely fashioned plotline.

One of the features of the 1930 musical programme is said to have been 'a fascinating ballet of Australian girls.'

Revusical.

George Wallace played the role of a wizard in this revusical about a gang of criminals, the Baldheads, who make a practice of visiting private entertainments and holding up the guests. Much of the action is said to have taken 'place on the roof of the rose garden of the Free and Easy Club, where revolver shooting, dancing, singing and comic situations kept the large audience in a constant simmer of laughter' (Age 24 March 1930, p.12).

Revusical.

Revusical.

George Wallace played Tommy Dodds, a down-and-out, accident-prone pie-stall vendor, who is converted at a moment's notice into the reigning sovereign of Betonia, and subsequently scandalises the court with his larrikin Australian manner. When the rightful heir to the throne is discovered, Tommy is forcibly removed from the palace, at which time he wakes up from his dream.

A 1930 Argus review indicates that although the story 'opens on the New York waterfront, [with] the hero of the piece [being] a New York youth who nurses an ambition to become the proprietor of a pie-stall [this] does not prevent Mr Wallace from giving another of his amusing portraits of an Australian hobbledehoy, or from entertaining his audience with the incongruous use of Australian slang.' Concerning the story, the review records that 'It follows that Tommy Dodds (Mr Wallace) was hailed by the ambassador, who happened to be strolling along the waterfront in full uniform, as the long lost Prince of Petonia. In the Petonian palace the new king proves himself a good-hearted ruler, despite his disturbing habit of hurling the lady-in-waiting halfway across the stage.'

Revusical.

Revusical.

In reporting that Happy Moments ('the 27th product from the fertile brain of George Wallace') caused 'much laughter and wonderment', the Brisbane Courier also notes that 'Father Time mixed all the dancers of the nations in the bowl of life - and when the pie was opened we got jazz. That according to George Wallace was the origin of jazz' (15 March 1926, p.7).

The 1930 Melbourne Tivoli season was advertised as featuring 'the latest fibro gymnasium novelty' (Argus 22 February 1930, p.32).

Revusical.

'The versatile George Wallace hit upon the plan of a Labour Agency as one of the methods of keeping patrons amused', writes the Brisbane Courier theatre critic:

'With himself as the chief recruiting agent, the plan succeeded even beyond expectations. Other members of the company came round looking for employment, but were all after something very different from that provided by the ordinary agency. As they found George very accommodating - he was after something more than a prosaic job himself - the fun was fast and furious while the agency lasted. It did not last too long, however, as the agency business was only one of several mirth-provokers in the Night Lights revue. A serenading scene to which weird music, the "Last Rose of Summer," and an irate father played effective parts, particularly the irate father - caused many laughs. George Wallace takes you to the wild and woolly west and adds to his accomplishments that of an expert lassoer and a midnight cabaret scene provides pathos and thrills aplenty.... In these revues... there is an artistic touch behind the laughter and buffoonery that gives a flavour of permanence to the performance' (15 February 1926, p.9).

Revusical.

George Wallace starred as Lazy Joe, an indolent young fisherman who cannot summon enough energy to go out with the fleet but proves a hero when put to the test. The part of Captain Ben, a robust fisherman (with a fine baritone voice) was played by Marshall Crosby. Other characters include Martin ('a quaint old sea dog brimful of dry humour'), Jed Flint (the villain), the stuttering Ginger Jimmy, Nell Dwye (the heroine), and Mother Daly (a sad old lady whose husband had been swallowed up by the sea).

Revusical.

Advertised as 'a merry melange of fun and melody,' The Sparklers concerns diamond thieves, French police, customs officials, sailors, a millionaire and his valet (played by George Wallace), and assorted passengers. The Brisbane Courier further notes that 'the story, tinged with tragedy, is woven around the attempts of a crook and his accomplice to rob a millionaire artist of jewels worth thousands of pounds' (7 December 1925, p.11).

In reviewing the 1930 Tivoli production, the Age theatre critic records:

As the title implies diamonds, a plot to obtain the collection of diamonds of Mr Denver, the millionaire artist, is the basis of the revue. A prince who had witnessed an attempt on the life of a man in the street by a man and woman is subsequently approached by this pair to secure the diamonds under the pressure that they will inform the police that he committed the crime. It is developed on board a liner bound for America. The plot is quietly communicated to the millionaire by Wallace's character (invariably described as the nuisance) who has been approached to reveal the safe. Then he discloses the plot and the prince is charged by his accomplices with the supposed murder. But Wallace was the victim of the attack. The conspiracy in France, the voyage across the Atlantic, the scene at the New York custom's office, and in the studio, where Wallace shows his versatility as a sketch artist, give him plenty of scope to indulge his brimming humour and wit. There are many entertaining musical numbers, but the diversified items of Maida Jones, as a violinist, dancer and vocalist are outstanding (20 January 1930, p.11).

Possibly adapted from Money and Matrimony (1925), this cowboy musical drama saw George Wallace appear as one of his most popular characters, Dangerous Dan McGrew. The Brisbane Courier records that Dangerous Dan

'has been holding up the peaceful residents in the mountainous country of the west, where the cowboys flourish, and his unlawful aptitudes furnish the material for an hour of fun and frolic. The sheriff is after him and enlists the aid of the company at the Golden West Hotel - a company whose members prove to be not quite so innocent as the surface indications would lead one to believe... In the wild and whirling incidents connected with the pursuit of dangerous Dan, in the mountain roads [the audience is presented] in the intervals with pistol shots and songs such as "Bring a Friend for Me" (Fanning), "Gimme Me Hat and Coat" (Wallace), "Somewhere in the World" (Nyman) and "Roaring Days of '60" (Crosby)' (18 January 1926, p.10).

A 1930 Age review further indicates that 'most of the action takes place at 'Peaceful Pete's Saloon, where revolver shooting, dancing, songs, music and comic situations contribute to a crowded, laughter-provoking show' (3 March 1930, p.10).

Musical numbers known to have been incorporated in the 1928 production are 'Get Out and Get Under the Moon' (Jones and chorus) and 'Dear Little Irish Mother' (Crosby).

Revusical.

This 'cowboy musical drama', is described in the Sydney Morning Herald as being set 'in the wilds of the West, [where] Mr Wallace appears as a parson endeavouring to reform cowboys' (2 May 1925, p.10).

Revusical.

Revusical.

Described as a 'bright musical review in which 'George settles the Eastern problem' (Age 4 Jan. 1930, p.20), the story revolves around the shooting of the Oojah Bird, a terrible predatory creature of the skies that has previously devoured the son of a sultan. A bold but bad English hunter offers to kill the bird, but secretly plans to steal the sultan's jewels instead. Among the hunter's party are his wife, the irresponsible Horace (played by George Wallace), and Archie from Piccadilly. A secondary plot sees the hunter impart to Horace his suspicions that his wife is showing too much interest in the sultan (a situation that is said to have provided plenty of amusing dialogue). 'An affair of honour involving a duel with pistols between Horace and the Piccadilly Boy', records the Brisbane Courier, 'has a sensational ending, when the redoubtable Horace fires his pistol above his head and to his own surprise brings down the Oojah Bird. In his gratitude for the destruction of the dreaded bird the Sultan abdicates in favour of Horace, who disports himself in the royal throne, surrounded by his wives, with the regal airs of a Solomon, and the revue ends in a gale of laughter' (25 January 1926, p.11).

In its review of the 1930 Tivoli revival, renamed Harem Scarem, the Age records:

The comedian's best scenes were those with Gwen Matthews at a mock banquet, attempting as Horace to learn the duties of a waiter, and when he stood over the footlights to talk intimately with the audience. For a man who has worked as a cane cutter, done fencing in the bush and fought as a pugilist in the ring, George Wallace's behaviour among the temptations of a harem is decidedly refined. His worst offence was that of an unbeliever touching the bare arm of Una, the Sultan's favourite wife, for which, in the code of the Orient, he was entitled to be shot at dawn (6 January 1930, p.11).

The Argus reports that, in addition to the giant bird of prey, the Sultan's kingdom was also plagued by lions, 'which [were] occasionally disposed of with startling explosions off-stage' (6 January 1930, p.12).

Included among musical items in 1925 were 'I am the Sultan' (sung by Marshall Crosby), 'Rebecca from Mecca' (Lulla Fanning and chorus), 'A Hunter Bold' (Frank Haining and chorus), 'Ethel' (written and sung by George Wallace), and 'If Love Were All' (Marie Nyman). For the 1930 production, Baby Myrtle Gourlay sang 'Broadway Melody.' Other musical numbers included 'Persian Market', 'Popular Melody', and 'Old South Patrol.'

Revusical.

At the Travellers Rest Hotel in the Alps, George Wallace plays the part of a bogus count. The other characters include a genial Irish innkeeper, a redheaded valet, and a real count. The Brisbane Courier records that one scene, set at a fire station, sees Wallace going 'through a catechism so that his fitness for fighting fires may be determined'. It is a 'cyclone of merriment', notes the critic (26 October 1926, p.16).

Songs presented during 1925-26 included 'Off to Philadelphia' (an old song revived by Marshall Crosby), 'Somebody Stole My Girl' (Fred Hayes and the Six Rascals), and 'Live, Laugh and Love' (Marie Nyman).

Revusical.

George Wallace plays Archie, a bobby who prefers directing traffic to catching murderers and burglars.

The 1925 Brisbane production, which (according to the Brisbane Courier) included several numbers from shows staged in previous weeks, also included such songs as 'The Deathless Army' (sung by Marshall Crosby), 'Down at Donovans' (opening chorus), 'Ethel,' and an unnamed 'rollicking parody' on 'Maggie' (both written by George Wallace), 'Oh Dear Brethren' (Tom Lincoln), 'Too Tired' (Lulla Fanning), and 'Out of the Shadows' and 'When Lights are Low' (Marie Nyman).

Revusical.

George Wallace plays Brutus (a bad egg), who impersonates a wandering millionaire turned country grocer by the name of Mulligan. According to one review, Brutus succeeds 'admirably in making a complete mess of things' (Brisbane Courier 1 February 1926, p.15). The other characters include Mike Shannon (the village storekeeper who attempts to get Mulligan to marry one of his daughters), Josh McCosh (an avaricious farmer), Harry Dale (a wanderer), Milly Smith (a farmer's daughter), Murphy Lee, and village lasses Dolly Davis and Nellie Jones. The Argus theatre critic writes in 1925, too, that 'the stage settings harmonised with the amusing plot' (22 June 1925, p.14).

In reviewing the 1930 revival, staged under the title Mr Mulligan, Millionaire, the Age further records:

Mr Mulligan, Millionaire is a furore from start to finish, and in it Mr Wallace, who plays the part of Brutus, and is supposed to be a little bit silly, is seen and heard at his best. The revue was written by himself, and the scene of action is a country town aptly named Sleepy Hollow. Brutus posing as a multi-millionaire, purchases the business of the local storekeeper, Mike Shannon, a part played capably by Marshall Crosby. One condition of the purchase is that the cash in the tills be included in the stock in trade - a concession which Mike concedes when he realises there is a hope of Brutus marrying one of his daughters. This plan, however, does not develop. Once in charge of the store Brutus makes things fast and furious, and his efforts in attending to the wants of his customers make the house rock with laughter. The musical side of the revue is of a high order, even though it includes several burlesque numbers. In these George Wallace again takes the lead, and the manner in which he conducts the Flaming Youths band while playing in Sleepy Hollow is side-splitting. He is well supported by members of the band (13 January 1930, p.11).

Among the vocal numbers for the 1926 production were 'South of Carolina' (sung by the company), 'Hula Lou' (George Wallace), 'Mountains of Morne' (Marshall Crosby), and 'I'll See You in my Dreams' (Marie Nyman). The 1930 Tivoli production included Marshall Crosby's rendition of 'The Floral Dance.'

Revusical.

In this revusical in seven episodes, in which George Wallace played the Count, most of the action is set in the slums of a big city. A review of the 1930 Tivoli revival indicates that the revusical began with Wallace 'as the author, reciting in a sort of "Pagliacci" prologue, some verses on the theme of the piece' (3 February 1930, p.10). The opening scene, according to a 1925 review in the Brisbane Courier, 'is [then] laid in the magnificent settings of a ballroom in a wealthy man's mansion, where the idle rich, bored with their amusements seek diversion by calling in an Indian necromancer. By a strange freak, this wizard instead of following the usages of his kind transports the entire company to the underworld of a great city, where they encounter all sorts of conditions of life. Many vivid scenes are graphically contrasted, and Mr Wallace shows that he is able to paint dramatic and pathetic as well as humorous pictures, though, of course, the lighter side predominates' (19 October 1925, p.16). The Theatre notes that while Wallace utilised no tricks or particularly clever patter in Some Night, 'he knows to a nicety the true spirit of burlesque, and he uses that knowledge in the writing of his little revues. In addition, he has a true sense of pathos and it is this, cleverly employed, that makes most of his comedy ring so true' (p.14).

Further insight into the revusical concerns one of the characters, played by Marie Nyman. The Theatre critic writes in this respect: '[Her] little characterisation of a dope fiend... was remarkably well done. Perhaps it was slightly overdone for revue, and the make-up was somewhat too floury - still the germ of art was there, and it gripped, as only true artistry can' (p.14). The 1930 Argus review also makes special mention of this scene:

The tragedy of a victim of drugs is well taken but it is spoilt when the action is merged into singing. For the occasion Mr Wallace abandons slapstick and gets all the more effect from his comedy. As the newly engaged attendant at the pie stall he has adventure with rough frequenters of the neighbourhood, and at intervals when his life is not being threatened he keeps up a quaint commentary on people and events. His baiting of the drug victim is cruel and should be cut out. There are other scenes in streets and in a sham hotel after hours. Mr Wallace makes changes of character, and there were varieties of impersonation by Mr Marshall Crosby, Mr Leonard Rich, Miss Irene Shamrock, Miss Bebe Scott and Miss Maida Jones (3 February 1930, p.10).

Among the musical numbers performed during the 1930 Tivoli production was 'Old Pal', sung by Marshall Crosby in the role of a policeman. The Age theatre critic writes of his performance, 'An excellent piece of character acting. It was a pleasure (and a rare occurrence) to see an Irish character portrayed on the stage without hyperbole or burlesque' (3 February 1930, p.11).

Revusical.

'A wealthy customer decides upon a "quiet" party at a well known café, but finds his plans frustrated by an exhilarated head waiter," writes the Brisbane Courier theatre critic. 'Following his inclinations, stimulated by a hand of "ginger ale" that suddenly becomes very popular, the energetic waiter gets a move on but the movement is invariably in the wrong direction.... Tunes on the piano, a dash of billiards, impromptu dancing, mild flirtation and other stunts take the place of the usual dull routine' (9 Nov. 1925, p.5).

Revusical.

As Officer Dreadnaught, 'the worst policeman in the world' (Argus 15 June 1925, p.14), George Wallace is assigned to patrol Harmony Row, the roughest and most notorious district in the city. He soon makes friends with many of the locals (including Molly, a pretty street musician, and Leonard, the precocious boy soprano who accompanies her), but runs up against the notorious Slogger Lee. Dreadnaught is eventually forced into fighting Lee in an arranged boxing match. Although almost beaten into submission, he is given the strength to beat the villain by Molly, who declares her affection for him. One of the other principal characters is said to have been the 'stately' Inspector Brown (played by Marshall Crosby).

The Theatre magazine writes of Harmony Row's Sydney debut in 1915 that 'This Newtown favourite put over one of the best comedy performances Fullers' Theatre has ever seen. And this includes the ever-green favourites Stiffy and Mo, who may well look to their laurels now that George has come to town... The final scene... in which Slogger Lee (Tom Lincoln) fights Dreadnaught (alias George Wallace), is the scream of the night - not one moment drags, and the final curtain is brought down to yells of hysterical laughter' (April 1925, p.15).

Charles Norman, who appeared in at least one Sydney season of Harmony Row with partner Chick Arnold, indicates that among the feature songs performed by Wallace were 'I'm Off to Philadelphia in the Morning' and his 'famous show-stopping' Irish numbers. The comedian also wrote 'I'm Only a Policeman' especially for the production. According to Norman, the chorus went 'I'm only a copper, a poor harmless copper / Trying to earn my daily bread / Trying so hard to do what's right / Watching the houses day and night / Some day I may be a sergeant / Or this place I may never roam / Or one of these days you never can tell.... / I might have a gaol of my own' (When Vaudeville was King, p.107).