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.'

Revue.

Upon his return to Australia in early 1929 following nine months overseas, Jim Gerald re-formed his revue company and put together a repertoire of both old and new productions. Although Everyone's records that the new material moved away from the revusical format, 'the stuff that landed him in the front row of local comedy merchants', and thus did not afford Gerald the same scope, the season's opening production, Happy Ideas, nevertheless still made a strong impression. In reporting that it introduced 'much in the way of novelty and effective presentation.' The magazine's critic further notes:

'It is mounted with a suggestion of lavishness, which is emphasized by the stage lighting. Evidently one of the wrinkles picked up by Gerald in America, varied coloured and ever changing lights [were] thrown from the wings on to a gold drop centre paneled by rich figured material' (1 May 1929, p.49).

Gerald returned to staging his traditional entertainment (a vaudeville first half and a second-half revusical) the following year, but retained Happy Ideas as a generic title for the vaudeville part of the programme. For example, a review of the second week's edition of Happy Ideas as staged during the 1930 Melbourne Tivoli season records:

'[It] was well named. In the eight ideas presented the company was in a happy vein, and kept the patrons in a state of laughter from start to finish. Jim Gerald himself displayed remarkable versatility, particularly in the haunted house scene, in company with Reg Hawthorne. The humour was original, and was deservedly appreciated' (Age 14 April 1930, p.12).

Each opening week of a season up until at least the mid-1930s also invariably saw the troupe present a week of straight vaudeville-style revue under the same title.

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).

Revue.

It remains unclear what relationship this Christmas extravaganza had to the typical pantomime production of the 1920s. In 1927, the Sydney Morning Herald records:

'in the guise of Mrs Dolly Dimples, a virago whose redeeming characteristics were an unlimited fund of repartee and a keen sense of humour, Mr Gerald provoked rounds of applause... Phyllis du Barry was warmly applauded for her dancing and singing, and Betty Lambert, as Mrs Dimple's wayward daughter, Marjorie, was well received. Mickie the cat whose antics were enhanced by malevolently flashing eyes and a constantly moving under-lip was ably played by Ray McLean' (27 December 1927, p.2).

Other characters included the Wicked Demon King, a bad boy and girl, the Fairy Queen, and beautiful swans. 'Pantomime novelties' were also advertised as being presented.

Four years later, the Argus reported:

'The pantomime atmosphere is present, but Mr Gerald has done without a story. Mr Gerald is exceedingly funny as the dame, and he has excellent support from Miss Heather Jones as principal girl, Miss Vilma Kay as principal boy, Mr Reg Hawthorne as the baron and Mr Howard Hall as the demon. A feature of the performance, and one which delighted the large audience on Saturday night, is that provided by the Chong Chan Fat troupe of eight Chinese conjurers, magicians and jugglers' (28 December 1931, p.9).

A 1932 Sydney Morning Herald review provides perhaps the best description, recording:

'Many of the pleasant traditional things of Christmas pantomime are included... The happiness of the principal boy and the principal girl, though menaced at the beginning by a demon in green tights, is finally assured by "the fairy queen who always spots, the wicked demon and his plots".' The review also indicates such features as 'trap doors and windows for imps to leap through, a haunted castle with buried treasure, a resplendent Palace of happiness, and a mysterious forest where the dancers may be white rabbits or nymphs, or even a strange-looking but accomplished donkey' (26 December 1932, p.2).

Jim Gerald's costume comprised, in part, white stockings and elastic-sided boots. The principal cast largely comprised members of Jim Gerald's revusical troupe, supplemented by specialty acts and other artists contracted to the Fullers. For the 1931 Melbourne production, the company comprised some eighty performers (Age 28 December 1931, p.9).

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.

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.

Described in the Sydney Morning Herald in 1926 as 'a new revue written by Jim Gerald' (19 June 1926, p.10), this one-act musical comedy is set in a hotel where two couples have come on their honeymoons. Jim Gerald (as the naughty husband, Teddy Short) manages to lose his masterful wife (originally played by Essie Jennings) and finds himself caught up with a beautiful actress, Mrs Loveday, who has also mislaid her new husband. The increasingly angry Percy Loveday, meanwhile, has to endure the nagging of Mrs Short, while they search in vain for their missing spouses. The Brisbane Courier's theatre critic writes that 'the threads of the story were kept intact from the beginning to the end, allowing for the introduction of scenic interludes and by-play. A most laughable farce ended the dramatic meeting of the two couples in the lounge of the Hotel Riviera, where hitherto "henpecked" Teddy lays down the law to a meek and respectful wife' (16 May 1927, p.16).

One of the best received songs of the 1933 revival was, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, Reg Hawthorne's rendition of 'When Dixie Stars' (13 February 1933, p.5).

Revusical.

Jim Gerald plays the part of Hector, a well-meaning but feeble-witted valet. The Brisbane Courier records in a review of the 1927 Empire Theatre production that one of the best things of the evening was a scene in which Reg Hawthorne's character endeavored to initiate his valet into the mysteries of the gentle art of bar tending (9 May 1927, p.26). One of the more popular sketches written into the story involved Betty Lambert's character, 'a dainty little lady' who gives Hector 'a lesson in the art of flirtation' (Brisbane Courier 9 May 1927, p.26). During the course of the story, too, Hector accepts a position as a lion tamer ('with the result that a promising career comes to a sudden end') and attempts a career as an opera singer (Brisbane Courier 1 August 1927, p.21).

One of the musical highlights of the 1926 Bijou Theatre production is said to have been Jim Gerald's duet with Laurel Barrett, 'Waiter', while Ray and Dot McLean's novel whirlwind dance in scarecrow costumes during the 1927 Empire Theatre season apparently created a 'furor' (Brisbane Courier 1 August 1927, p.21).

Songs known to have been incorporated into the revusical at that time were 'The Moon' (a male quartet), and 'Pale Moon' and 'I'm Looking at the World Through Rose-coloured Glasses' (both sung by May Geary). Reg Hawthorne also drew much applause for his yodeling songs.

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.

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 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 western revusical that, the Argus records, is set on a Canadian ranch (10 February 1930, p.12), At the Crossroads was advertised as 'introducing many new and novel song scenes' (Age 15 September 1928, p.28). In addition to demonstrating his usual skills as a vocalist, step dancer, musician, and comic, Wallace also showed he was more than adept with the lasso. The Brisbane Courier critic writes of Wallace's performance in 1926, for example:

[He] displayed his amazing vitality, even in his songs; and although it would have been difficult to find fault with any member of the company, his absence from the stage creates a hiatus almost as great as if the drums in a band were no longer being sounded. His witticisms went without a limp, leaping into the brain even of the most serious, and distending both their lips and ribs in healthy resounding laughter. Few dancers display more grace and agility and even in this direction alone he would be an acquisition to any company... As Prairie Pete, after every one had laughed themselves hoarse over his seeming simplicity, he was discovered to be a shrewd multi-millionaire, whose multi even the most intelligent had not pierced (11 January 1926, p.16).

In its review of Wallace's performance during the 1930 Melbourne Tivoli season, the Argus further reports that 'He appeared at his best when playing the part of a 'fairy' at an amateur concert promoted by the settlers - a part suggestive of the dame in a pantomime' (10 February 1930, p.12).

The 1925-26 Brisbane season featured such songs as 'The Irish Were Egyptians' (sung by George Wallace, Marshall Crosby, and Sadie Gale), 'Clothes Props' (Marshall Crosby), 'Let it Rain' (Sadie Gale), 'Hula Lou' (Lulla Fanning), and 'I Cried for You' (Marie Nyman).

Highlights of the 1928 production included Wallace's composition, 'Sally the Slavy', which is described in an Age review as a 'masterpiece of burlesque' (17 September 1928, p.12), along with 'There's Something Nice about Everyone' (Ada Scaddan) and 'Together We Two' (Maida Jones). Marie Nyman is also said to have performed 'When The Irish Were Egyptians', which was sung in 1925 as a trio.

Revusical.

In this nautical revusical, originally set aboard the S.S. Dublin Bay, in which George Wallace appears as Nelson, the pride of the navy. Other characters include the Captain's daughter, a melancholy fireman, and various passengers. Though it was originally titled Off Honolulu (and sometimes Off to Honolulu), Wallace retitled it S.S. Sunshine from ca. 1930 onwards. An Age review of the 1930 Melbourne Tivoli revival indicates that most of the storyline was played out on board ship as it made its way from England to Honolulu. In that production, John Dobbie played an elephantine sailor, Marshall Crosby the fiery captain, and Gwen Matthews his wide-awake daughter, with other members of the company cast as passengers and crew, including a melancholy fireman (27 January 1930, p.8).

In reviewing Don't Tell the Wife at the Empire Theatre in 1927 the Brisbane Courier records:

The plot, what there is of it, hinges upon the interpretation of a will. May Geary as Lulu was a splendid vamp, and snared the affections of Harold Pottleberry, played by Jim Gerald in his inimitable manner. When the lady discovers that Harold does not benefit under the will she promptly transfers her affections to a village bumpkin, who really inherits the money. She successfully vamps him - and marries him at the finish, having really fallen in love.... The comedy is in three acts, and some charming lighting effects were secured (21 March 1927, p.17).

When the show was revived some three months later, the paper's critic provided further insight into the storyline:

Of course Mr Gerald is the husband. He is a gay dog; and the sad thing about it is that he had led his future son-in-law into trouble, too. When the curtain rises the wife who must not be told discloses the fact that Harold Pottleberry - her husband - has been out all night. He has not been home for 36 hours; and when he does arrive he is in the condition of not caring whether it shows, although he is conscious of the moral power of his wife. He is a henpecked man. He admits it with glee; but his spirits are irrepressible'. The revusical is said to have finished with a 'pretty scene in China Town (4 July 1927, p.10).

An Age review provides additional details concerning the storyline as staged in 1930:

The plot... centres round the distribution of a large sum of money left by a clerical relative of the Pottlebury and Smith families. Members of the Pottlebury family - mother, father and daughter - are buoyed up with expectations but Tom Smith (a country youth) does not trouble greatly about the amount he is to receive. When the will is read it is disclosed that Mr Pottlebury (who by the way is given to excessive drinking) is dismissed with the deceased prelate's blessing, his wife receives 15/- and the daughter £2,000. The remainder of the estate, valued at £50,000, is bequeathed to Tom Smith. A friend of the deceased, Patrick Flannagan, engaged to Hilda Pottlebury, also expected to be remembered in the will, but was cut out. There was a condition, however, attached to the legacy of £50,000. It prohibited Smith from making an offer of marriage before 6pm on the day the will was read - a period of four hours. Then the fun began. Pottlebury and Flannagan conspired to persuade Lulu, a fascinating French adventuress, to make "lightening love" to Tom Smith, and force a proposal within the limited time at her disposal. She, however, falls in love with him herself and will not permit him to propose until the final stroke of six. The scenes were full of humorous situations which gave Jim Gerald ample scope (28 April 1930, p.12).

Among the songs included in the 1933 Sydney revival, which is described in the Sydney Morning Herald as 'a laughable domestic revue in three scenes' (13 March 1933, p.5), were 'Here are We' (Frieda Bohning and chorus), 'Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries' (Heather Jones), 'Millions of People' (Jim Gerald), and 'I Want You Lu Lu' (Reg Hawthorne).

The cast of characters includes Mr and Mrs Pottleberry, Hilda (their daughter), the son-in-law, a French count, a detective, a lawyer, Lulu (a vamp), a maid, and a bumpkin. A review of the 1928 Fullers' Theatre season indicates that some Gerald played a number of roles in the show. 'Mr Gerald kept the audience in continual laughter ... in this comedy in which he ludicrously impersonated a Spanish senorita, a coy maid-servant, a picturesque Chinese and a drunken husband', writes the Sydney Morning Herald theatre critic. 'There is a plot in this play about a will and the schemes of those who try to break it; but the interest in this is quite secondary to that of the clever fooling of the comedians and the bright songs and dances of the principals and the Twinklers. The piece was written and produced by Mr Gerald' (30 January 1928, p.6).

The musical numbers for the 1927 Brisbane production, which was expanded to an entire evening's entertainment, included 'Strolling Back' (sung by Ernest Crawford), 'Lu Lu' (May Geary), 'Millions of People' (Jim Gerald), and 'I Want You Lulu' (Reg Hawthorne). A review in the Brisbane Courier indicates that this 'rare two and a half hours of fun' included 'a large number of new and up-to-date sketches... new scenes, gags and business' (2 July 1927, p.26).

Revue.

More a revue than a revusical, the 1924 Sydney production was advertised with the following blurb: 'Think of all the joyous nights you have had and think of them all combined into one wild, hectic evening and you will conceive an idea of the gaiety and gladness of Mr Gerald's snappiest and best revue' (Sydney Morning Herald 26 April 1924, p.2). Three years later, the Brisbane Courier theatre critic wrote, 'A delightful pot pourri of good, wholesome comedy, clever dancing and tuneful musical numbers, both classical and otherwise, all skilfully blended. For over an hour comedy, song and dance raced side by side for supremacy, and during all the time the audience, which filled every nook and corner of the theatre, banished all dull cares and thoughts and business worries'. In reporting on Gerald's performance, the same critic writes, 'Whether as a bogus count attempting to win the affections of the countess, who subsequently proved to be an inmate in a lunatic asylum, or as an assistant in a pawnbroker's shop, who allowed his sympathies to get the better of his judgement, he was equally irresistible. Under his skilful artistry even the slightest incident, such as falling on the stage, or losing a hat, became an occasion for laughter. The fun was fast and furious, and even his supporters on the stage at times were compelled to join in the chorus of laughter, when 'Jim' deviated from the set part' (4 April 1927, p.9).

When Nights of Joy was revived towards the end of Gerald's six-month engagement at the Empire Theatre in 1927, the Brisbane Courier's theatre critic provided additional insights into the show:

With charming inconsequences the audience was whisked from one dazzling scene to another, an Argentine scene in which two swarthy rivals fight a duel with whips for the love of the graceful and beautiful (sic) Marcheta (Jim Gerald) was followed by an Eastern harem scene where May Geary charms the Sheik (Reg Hawthorne) with her "Kismet" song and Polly McLaren fills the role of a sinuous graceful slave dancer. With another whisk the audience was transported to a bamboo-fringed lake crowned with reeds and water lilies where a flock of graceful swans (the Twinklers ballet) are disturbed by the crack of a hunter's rifle. One of the number (Polly McLaren) receives her death-wound and dances the dance of the Dying Swan with realistic charm and grace, the general effect of the scena being a superbly beautiful one. Hey Presto! Another whisk and the audience was peering into a pawnshop where Jim Gerald, Ernest Crawford, Howard Hall, Reg Hawthorne, Betty Lambert and Harry Burgess staged a farce which would have caused the gloomiest of mortals to weep tears of pure joy... This success was repeated in the numerous other sketches which interspersed the programme (18 July 1927, p.3).

'The Dying Swan' scene appears to have been a regular feature of this revusical; it is also referenced in a review of the 1926 Bijou Theatre season.

Revusical.

In 1927, the Brisbane Courier theatre critic describes the performance as follows: 'Masquerading as a millionaire whose eccentricities are overlooked in view of his supposed wealth, [Jim Gerald's character] becomes entangled in a love affair which provides a series of incidents affording [the comedian] every scope for his inimitable acting' (20 June 1927, p.20). According to a 1930 Age review, the impersonation is a last resort attempt to foil the father's plan to have the daughter marry another millionaire, Cyrus Hawke (23 June 1930, p.12). The Sydney Morning Herald sheds a little more light on the revusical in 1928: 'In successive sketches [Gerald] characterized a forgetful cinema cameraman and a desperate deadbeat who wanted to live in gaol. As the leading figure of the Merry Masquerader he was once more in a penniless condition but decided to pose as an American millionaire with a view to becoming engaged to the daughter of a wealthy English baronet' (12 March 1928, p.5).

As with a number of George Wallace's other revusicals, The Pickled Porter utilised his capability to perform an outrageous drunk act, complete with side-splitting falls. Everyone's writes of the 1925 production that 'As is usual with these tabloids, there is just the semblance of story, but it serves to introduce the little comedian in another mirth-provoking part - that of the porter' (1 April 1925, p.34). The narrative is set in a modern hotel where 'Billy the porter (Wallace) has been given a week's notice and has decided to do just as he pleases. The things that please him do not please others, however. He flirts with young Milly Hobbs, the daughter of Colonel Hobbs, practices at all hours on the piano, and tosses the guests luggage about' (Brisbane Courier 23 November 1925, p.5).

Songs incorporated into the 1925 Brisbane season included a few of Wallace's own compositions, notably 'The Trumpeter' (sung by Marshall Crosby). Two numbers from 1926 were 'The Porter' (written and sung by George Wallace) and 'The Cook's Parade' (sung by Lulla Fanning). One of the songs presented during the 1928 revivals was a Wallace original: 'Archie and Bertie', performed as a duet by Tom Lincoln and Tom Foggit.