Roy Rene
Encyclopedia
Roy Rene born Harry van der Sluys, was an Australia
n comedian
and vaudevillian
. As the bawdy character Mo McCackie, Rene was one of the most well-known and successful Australian comedians of the 20th century. Roy Rene was born in Adelaide in the 15 of February 1892 with the name Harry van der Sluice. He also went by the more common names Roy Rene, Roy Boy,b MO, or Mo McCackie. He was the son of a Jewish Dutch family. His family was opposed to the idea of him pursuing a career in entertainment, even though he showed a large amount of talent at a young age. He made his career debut at the Theatre Royale as a pantomime duck in Sinbad the Sailor, and in his teenage years his boy soprano voice earned him a job with James Brennan's vaudeville at the Gaiety Theatre.
A 1927 recording of Rene and Nat Phillips performing as Stiffy and Mo, called The Sailors, was added to the National Film and Sound Archive
of Australia's Sounds of Australia
registry in 2011.
, South Australia
, Rene was the fourth of seven children of a Dutch Jew and an Anglo-Jewish wife. Named Henry van de Sluice (later spelt variously "van der Sluys"), he received a sketchy education at the Dominican Convent, a Christian Brothers
school and Grote Street Public School. Aged 10 "Harry" won a singing competition at an Adelaide market and in 1905 appeared professionally in the pantomime
, Sinbad the Sailor, at the Theatre Royal and later at the Tivoli
, in a black face
, singing and dancing act.
About 1905 the Sluice family moved to Melbourne
, Harry (as he was called) was briefly an apprentice jockey and thereafter maintained a keen interest in racing. Despite his father's opposition, in July 1908 he secured an engagement with James Brennan's vaudeville at the Gaiety Theatre. Of medium height with a distinctly Jewish profile, with dark hair, a pale smooth complexion and large soulful brown eyes, 'Boy Roy' (his stage name
) had an appealing pathos. Most of his spare time was spent studying the famous English music-hall comedians at Harry Rickards
' Opera House. Unsuccessful in Melbourne, he appeared at Brennan's National Amphitheatre, Sydney
in 1910 and had adopted the new stage name
Roy Rene (Rene after a famous French clown). Later he joined J. C. Bain's suburban vaudeville in Sydney and toured New South Wales
with bush companies.
, who engaged him to tour New Zealand
. He developed his unique style and perfected the black and white make-up which became his trademark
. Returning to Sydney in November 1915, he joined Albert Bletsoe's revue company at the Fullers' National Theatre in Sydney. In July 1916 Rene ('Mo') teamed up with comedian Nat Phillips ('Stiffy'), and the duo became the famous—or infamous— Stiffy and Mo, renowned for their bawdy, 'blue' comedy. They opened at the Sydney Princess, were an instant success, and in December moved to the Grand Opera House, playing in the spectacular pantomime The Bunyip, followed by a season in Melbourne. On 29 March 1917 at St Stephen's Presbyterian Church, Sydney, Henry van der Sluice married an actress Dorothy (Dot) Claire Davis; childless, they were divorced in May 1929.
'Stiffy and Mo' played on the Fullers' circuit with enormous success until 1925 when, after a confrontation in Adelaide, they split up. Rene continued his tour at the Luxor, Perth, with a member of his company, Mike Connors, as his straight man
.
In 1925-26 Rene appeared with outstanding success in a straight play, Give and Take, starring American comedian Harry Green, in Melbourne and Sydney. Back on the Tivoli circuit in May 1926, he was partnered by Fred Bluett in an act entitled 'The Admiral and the Sailor'. Fuller persuaded him to rejoin Phillips in 1927; once again 'Stiffy and Mo' broke box-office records, but the partnership finally broke up in New Zealand in 1928. Rene returned to Fuller's Theatre in Sydney with his own company, Mo and his Merrymakers. In Sydney on 3 July 1929 Rene married again, this time to Sadie Gale (1902-1997), a member of his company. Six months later he collapsed with peritonitis
while appearing in Frank Neil's revue Clowns in Clover, in Melbourne and nearly died.
He returned to the theatre in mid-1930 for H. D. McIntosh in a revue, Pot Luck, at the Tivoli, Melbourne, but business was bad because of the Great Depression
. Rene and Sadie resorted to a tour of Hoyts' suburban theatres in Sydney, followed by a brief vaudeville season in New Zealand, but the Fullers were disbanding their revue companies. In April 1931 Rene joined Connors and his wife Queenie Paul, who had successfully opened low-priced, weekly-change variety at the New Haymarket Theatre, Sydney. By 1932 the Connors had taken over the Melbourne Tivoli and converted the old Sydney Opera House to the new Tivoli, where Rene and Jim Gerald continued to appear after the Connors sold out in mid-1933. In 1934 he made his only film, Strike Me Lucky
, for Ken G. Hall
at Cinesound; however film was not his medium, as rapport with a live audience was essential to his comedy.
Early next year Rene played in Ernest C. Rolls's lavish revue, Rhapsodies of 1935, at the Apollo Theatre, Melbourne. In 1935-36, in partnership with Connors and Paul, he appeared in variety in Sydney and Melbourne, then returned to the Tivoli at the instigation of English producer Wallace Parnell. By early 1939 Rene was in conflict with Frank Neil, general manager of the Tivoli, who terminated his contract: on Neil's death in January 1941 Parnell immediately reinstated him. Throughout World War II
Rene played to packed houses, but his contract was not renewed in 1945.
theatrette in Sydney; his much-acclaimed "McCackie Mansion" segment was a highlight. Living at 13 Coffin Street, 'Mo' was the suburban householder whose life was made miserable by relatives, neighbours and friends. He later appeared in Cavalcade with Jack Davey
, and as Professor McCackie in It Pays to be Ignorant.
Rene briefly returned to the stage in 1949 in the revue, McCackie Moments, at the Kings in Melbourne. By the time his radio contract expired in 1950 he was plagued by ill health; he appeared once in McCackie Manor for the Australian Broadcasting Commission in 1951 and in 1952 starred in The New Atlantic Show, again capturing a nationwide audience.
Survived by his wife, son and daughter, Rene died of atherosclerotic heart disease
at his home at Kensington, Sydney, on 22 November 1954 and was buried in the Jewish section of Rookwood Cemetery
.
Although unknown overseas, 'Mo' was hailed by visiting celebrities such as Dame Sybil Thorndike and Jack Benny
as a comic genius in the company of Charlie Chaplin
. Lecherous, leering and ribald, he epitomized the Australian 'lair', always trying to 'make a quid' or to 'knock off a Sheila'; yet some of his funniest moments were when he was being 'posh', as in his outrageous parody of Noël Coward
's Private Lives
with Sadie.
Off-stage he was serious, but often quite unconsciously funny and an inveterate practical joke
r. He delighted in the recognition and adulation of his 'mob', yet sought constant reassurance from friends and colleagues, and other comedians were inevitably viewed as antagonists, regardless of their personal relationship.
'Mo's' greatest asset was his superb timing, which enabled him to 'get away with' the suggestive double entendre
— he never did say anything technically obscene. Able to make his audience laugh or cry, he was a master of the physical nuance; his facial expression, gesture, stance and movement were welded within the black and white caricature
of a Jewish comedian, with Australian mannerisms, delivering local vernacular with a Semitic lisp. His departure from the Tivoli in 1945 marked the end of an era in Australian theatre.
He was a Freemason.
, presented annually for excellence in live performance. The statuette presented to the recipients is in the form of Rene in his Mo McCackie persona.
Garry McDonald
revived 'Mo' in Sydney in a live theatre production in the 1980s.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
and vaudevillian
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
. As the bawdy character Mo McCackie, Rene was one of the most well-known and successful Australian comedians of the 20th century. Roy Rene was born in Adelaide in the 15 of February 1892 with the name Harry van der Sluice. He also went by the more common names Roy Rene, Roy Boy,b MO, or Mo McCackie. He was the son of a Jewish Dutch family. His family was opposed to the idea of him pursuing a career in entertainment, even though he showed a large amount of talent at a young age. He made his career debut at the Theatre Royale as a pantomime duck in Sinbad the Sailor, and in his teenage years his boy soprano voice earned him a job with James Brennan's vaudeville at the Gaiety Theatre.
A 1927 recording of Rene and Nat Phillips performing as Stiffy and Mo, called The Sailors, was added to the National Film and Sound Archive
National Film and Sound Archive
The National Film and Sound Archive is Australia’s audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national collection of audiovisual materials and related items...
of Australia's Sounds of Australia
Sounds of Australia
The National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia is a public registry of recordings that celebrates the unique and diverse recorded sound culture and history of Australia.The Registry was launched in February 2007 with a foundation list of ten...
registry in 2011.
Biography
Born in AdelaideAdelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, Rene was the fourth of seven children of a Dutch Jew and an Anglo-Jewish wife. Named Henry van de Sluice (later spelt variously "van der Sluys"), he received a sketchy education at the Dominican Convent, a Christian Brothers
Congregation of Christian Brothers
The Congregation of Christian Brothers is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Blessed Edmund Rice. The Christian Brothers, as they are commonly known, chiefly work for the evangelisation and education of youth, but are involved in many ministries, especially with...
school and Grote Street Public School. Aged 10 "Harry" won a singing competition at an Adelaide market and in 1905 appeared professionally in the pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
, Sinbad the Sailor, at the Theatre Royal and later at the Tivoli
Tivoli circuit
The Tivoli Circuit was a successful and popular Australian entertainment circuit which flourished from 1893 and the 1950s. The circuit suffered a catastrophic decline in popularity after the introduction of television in Australia in 1956, and the last Tivoli show was staged in 1966.-History:The...
, in a black face
Black Face
Black Face is the south wall of an east-west ridge in Arena Valley, south of East Beacon, in the Quartermain Mountains, Victoria Land. The feature is a prominent landmark and is formed by a dolerite dike which rises over above the floor of the valley...
, singing and dancing act.
About 1905 the Sluice family moved to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Harry (as he was called) was briefly an apprentice jockey and thereafter maintained a keen interest in racing. Despite his father's opposition, in July 1908 he secured an engagement with James Brennan's vaudeville at the Gaiety Theatre. Of medium height with a distinctly Jewish profile, with dark hair, a pale smooth complexion and large soulful brown eyes, 'Boy Roy' (his stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
) had an appealing pathos. Most of his spare time was spent studying the famous English music-hall comedians at Harry Rickards
Harry Rickards
Harry Rickards , born Henry Benjamin Leete, was an English-born comedian and theatre owner, active in Australia.-Early life:...
' Opera House. Unsuccessful in Melbourne, he appeared at Brennan's National Amphitheatre, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in 1910 and had adopted the new stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Roy Rene (Rene after a famous French clown). Later he joined J. C. Bain's suburban vaudeville in Sydney and toured New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
with bush companies.
Enter 'Mo'
While playing at Bain's Princess Theatre, Railway Square, Sydney, in 1914 Rene was noticed by (Sir) Benjamin FullerBen Fuller (producer)
Sir Benjamin John "Ben" Fuller was an English-born Australian theatrical entrepreneur.Fuller was born in London to compositor John Fuller and Harriett, née Jones...
, who engaged him to tour New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. He developed his unique style and perfected the black and white make-up which became his trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
. Returning to Sydney in November 1915, he joined Albert Bletsoe's revue company at the Fullers' National Theatre in Sydney. In July 1916 Rene ('Mo') teamed up with comedian Nat Phillips ('Stiffy'), and the duo became the famous—or infamous— Stiffy and Mo, renowned for their bawdy, 'blue' comedy. They opened at the Sydney Princess, were an instant success, and in December moved to the Grand Opera House, playing in the spectacular pantomime The Bunyip, followed by a season in Melbourne. On 29 March 1917 at St Stephen's Presbyterian Church, Sydney, Henry van der Sluice married an actress Dorothy (Dot) Claire Davis; childless, they were divorced in May 1929.
'Stiffy and Mo' played on the Fullers' circuit with enormous success until 1925 when, after a confrontation in Adelaide, they split up. Rene continued his tour at the Luxor, Perth, with a member of his company, Mike Connors, as his straight man
Double act
A double act, also known as a comedy duo, is a comic pairing in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners, usually of the same gender, age, ethnic origin and profession, but drastically different personalities or behavior...
.
In 1925-26 Rene appeared with outstanding success in a straight play, Give and Take, starring American comedian Harry Green, in Melbourne and Sydney. Back on the Tivoli circuit in May 1926, he was partnered by Fred Bluett in an act entitled 'The Admiral and the Sailor'. Fuller persuaded him to rejoin Phillips in 1927; once again 'Stiffy and Mo' broke box-office records, but the partnership finally broke up in New Zealand in 1928. Rene returned to Fuller's Theatre in Sydney with his own company, Mo and his Merrymakers. In Sydney on 3 July 1929 Rene married again, this time to Sadie Gale (1902-1997), a member of his company. Six months later he collapsed with peritonitis
Peritonitis
Peritonitis is an inflammation of the peritoneum, the serous membrane that lines part of the abdominal cavity and viscera. Peritonitis may be localised or generalised, and may result from infection or from a non-infectious process.-Abdominal pain and tenderness:The main manifestations of...
while appearing in Frank Neil's revue Clowns in Clover, in Melbourne and nearly died.
He returned to the theatre in mid-1930 for H. D. McIntosh in a revue, Pot Luck, at the Tivoli, Melbourne, but business was bad because of the Great Depression
Great Depression in Australia
Australia suffered badly during the period of the Great Depression of the 1930s. The Depression began with the Wall Street Crash of October, 1929 and rapidly spread worldwide. As in other nations, Australia suffered years of high unemployment, poverty, low profits, deflation, plunging incomes, and...
. Rene and Sadie resorted to a tour of Hoyts' suburban theatres in Sydney, followed by a brief vaudeville season in New Zealand, but the Fullers were disbanding their revue companies. In April 1931 Rene joined Connors and his wife Queenie Paul, who had successfully opened low-priced, weekly-change variety at the New Haymarket Theatre, Sydney. By 1932 the Connors had taken over the Melbourne Tivoli and converted the old Sydney Opera House to the new Tivoli, where Rene and Jim Gerald continued to appear after the Connors sold out in mid-1933. In 1934 he made his only film, Strike Me Lucky
Strike Me Lucky
Strike Me Lucky is a 1934 comedy starring popular stage comic Roy Rene in his first and only film.-Synopsis:‘Mo’ McIsaac and his sidekick Donald try to find work to support a young orphan girl he finds dancing for pennies in the street, Miriam , unaware she is really the missing daughter of rich...
, for Ken G. Hall
Ken G. Hall
Kenneth George Hall, AO OBE , better known as Ken G. Hall, was an Australian film director, considered one of the most important figures in the history of the Australian film industry.-Early years:...
at Cinesound; however film was not his medium, as rapport with a live audience was essential to his comedy.
Early next year Rene played in Ernest C. Rolls's lavish revue, Rhapsodies of 1935, at the Apollo Theatre, Melbourne. In 1935-36, in partnership with Connors and Paul, he appeared in variety in Sydney and Melbourne, then returned to the Tivoli at the instigation of English producer Wallace Parnell. By early 1939 Rene was in conflict with Frank Neil, general manager of the Tivoli, who terminated his contract: on Neil's death in January 1941 Parnell immediately reinstated him. Throughout World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Rene played to packed houses, but his contract was not renewed in 1945.
Radio days
Turning to radio in 1946, Rene signed a contract with Colgate-Palmolive Pty Ltd to appear in Calling the Stars with a live audience at the 2GB2GB
2GB is a commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia broadcasting on 873 kHz, AM. It is one of Australia's most popular talk-back radio stations, and is the number one station in Sydney.-History:The station commenced broadcasting in August 1926...
theatrette in Sydney; his much-acclaimed "McCackie Mansion" segment was a highlight. Living at 13 Coffin Street, 'Mo' was the suburban householder whose life was made miserable by relatives, neighbours and friends. He later appeared in Cavalcade with Jack Davey
Jack Davey
John Andrew Davey was a New Zealand-born star of Australian radio in the 1930s, '40s and '50s.-New Zealand:Jack Davey was born John Andrew Davey on 8 February 1907 and educated at King's College, Auckland...
, and as Professor McCackie in It Pays to be Ignorant.
Rene briefly returned to the stage in 1949 in the revue, McCackie Moments, at the Kings in Melbourne. By the time his radio contract expired in 1950 he was plagued by ill health; he appeared once in McCackie Manor for the Australian Broadcasting Commission in 1951 and in 1952 starred in The New Atlantic Show, again capturing a nationwide audience.
Survived by his wife, son and daughter, Rene died of atherosclerotic heart disease
Heart disease
Heart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. , it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States.-Types:-Coronary heart disease:Coronary...
at his home at Kensington, Sydney, on 22 November 1954 and was buried in the Jewish section of Rookwood Cemetery
Rookwood Cemetery
Rookwood Cemetery is the largest multicultural necropolis in the Southern Hemisphere, located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
.
Although unknown overseas, 'Mo' was hailed by visiting celebrities such as Dame Sybil Thorndike and Jack Benny
Jack Benny
Jack Benny was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film...
as a comic genius in the company of Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
. Lecherous, leering and ribald, he epitomized the Australian 'lair', always trying to 'make a quid' or to 'knock off a Sheila'; yet some of his funniest moments were when he was being 'posh', as in his outrageous parody of Noël Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
's Private Lives
Private Lives
Private Lives is a 1930 comedy of manners in three acts by Noël Coward. It focuses on a divorced couple who discover that they are honeymooning with their new spouses in neighbouring rooms at the same hotel. Despite a perpetually stormy relationship, they realise that they still have feelings for...
with Sadie.
Off-stage he was serious, but often quite unconsciously funny and an inveterate practical joke
Practical joke
A practical joke is a mischievous trick played on someone, typically causing the victim to experience embarrassment, indignity, or discomfort. Practical jokes differ from confidence tricks in that the victim finds out, or is let in on the joke, rather than being fooled into handing over money or...
r. He delighted in the recognition and adulation of his 'mob', yet sought constant reassurance from friends and colleagues, and other comedians were inevitably viewed as antagonists, regardless of their personal relationship.
'Mo's' greatest asset was his superb timing, which enabled him to 'get away with' the suggestive double entendre
Double entendre
A double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
— he never did say anything technically obscene. Able to make his audience laugh or cry, he was a master of the physical nuance; his facial expression, gesture, stance and movement were welded within the black and white caricature
Caricature
A caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others.Caricatures can be...
of a Jewish comedian, with Australian mannerisms, delivering local vernacular with a Semitic lisp. His departure from the Tivoli in 1945 marked the end of an era in Australian theatre.
He was a Freemason.
Legacy and influence
The memory of Rene lives on in the Mo AwardsMo Awards
The Mo Awards are long running annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia....
, presented annually for excellence in live performance. The statuette presented to the recipients is in the form of Rene in his Mo McCackie persona.
Garry McDonald
Garry McDonald
Garry George McDonald, AO is an Australian stage and screen actor.-Early life and career:McDonald was born in Sydney and was educated at Cranbrook School and National Institute of Dramatic Art....
revived 'Mo' in Sydney in a live theatre production in the 1980s.
Catchphrases
As Mo, Rene used a number of idiomatic catchphrases including:- "Strike me lucky!"
- "Don't come the raw prawn"
- "Cop this, young Harry!" (before striking Harry)
- "You beaut!"
- "You little trimmer!"
- "I'm a wake up"
- "One of my mob"
- "Fair suck of the SavSaveloyA saveloy is a type of highly seasoned sausage, usually bright red in colour, which is typically available in English fish and chips shops,but more often from pork shops sometimes fried in batter...
" - "I don't know whether to kiss him or kick him"
- "You filthy beast!"
- "Yamum!"
- "Get Zoned!"
Sources
- Mo's Memoirs, Roy Rene (ghostwritten by Elizabeth Lambert and Max Harris), Reed and Harris, 1945
- A Man Called Mo, Fred Parsons, Heinemann, 1973
External links
- Laughterlog.com Article with complete list of radio and film appearances
- http://www.adelaidejmuseum.org/history/peopleinthearts.htm Adelaide Jewish Museum
- Roy Rene in AusStage
- Listen to an excerpt from The Sailors. This recording was added to the National Film and Sound ArchiveNational Film and Sound ArchiveThe National Film and Sound Archive is Australia’s audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national collection of audiovisual materials and related items...
's Sounds of Australia registry in 2011. - Roy Rene at Live Performance Australia Hall of Fame