AustLit

Revusical.

The Age records:

'In the course of a tabloid musical comedy, The Plumber's Dilemma, on Saturday, [Jim] Gerald appeared in golfing costume and as Nero at a fancy dress ball, and it would be difficult to imagine anything more comical. Earlier in the performance he had given a clever sketch of a hen-pecked husband afflicted with the 'flu, and in his listening-in to a wireless story of Red Riding Hood was perfect pantomime. He was supported by the usual small but talented company, the strong point of which was the delightful dancing' (28 May 1934, p.11).

Revue.

Revusical.

A mini musical comedy in two scenes, Broadway Nights saw Jim Gerald appear as a night clerk in a New York hotel.

Revusical.

In reporting on Jim Gerald's final revusical for the 1934 Melbourne Tivoli Theatre season (prior to the company staging the full musical comedy The Honeymoon Girl), the Age theatre critic writes, 'With a range limited to well-worn paths it is surprising that Jim Gerald and his company of artists manage to attract large audiences to the Tivoli. The explanation is that the various turns or acts produced by this tireless comedian invariably strike a fresh note. Saturday's production was well up to the high standard set some time ago. As the title suggests, the show is a bright musical comedy and practically every contribution to the programme by different players met with liberal rounds of applause' (8 August 1934, p.10). The Sydney Morning Herald critic described the show the previous year as being 'a joyous jamboree of jazzy jinks and jollity' (20 February 1933, p.4).

Revusical.

'A three act revue which includes some lively situations in different countries,' records the Sydney Morning Herald, 'the revue, as the title implies, ends in sunny Spain, with the inevitable introduction of the bullfighting ring. The production is full of clever acting, and Mr Gerald provided plenty of good fun in the role of Mr Flatfoot - a shopwalker. Bright musical and dancing turns - there are eleven of them - are interspersed in the revue and the members of the company maintain a high standard of excellence in their respective numbers. One of the outstanding turns was the singing of "Wonderful Dreams" by Mr Tom Dale.' (26 February 1933, p.5). An advertisement in the same paper also indicates that at one stage during the story, Gerald played 'a valiant toreador' (23 February 1933, p.2).

In its review of The Stolen Garter (as the show later became known), the Age reports that during the course of the story, Gerald, as 'a shop walker of very fruity vintage,' had a fight with a bull, and, as the drunk coming home from a battalion reunion, he also did some clever acrobatics. The paper's critic was not overly impressed with the show, however, asserting that it lacked the vim and colour of the comedian's previous productions, although it still contained much that was entertaining. A jewel ballet and an acrobatic dance were said to have been two of the best of the dancing numbers (18 June 1934, p.11).

Revusical.

Jim Gerald played Perkins, a money-lender who goes to Morocco to help search for a treasure belonging to one of his clients. The Sydney Morning Herald records in 1933 that the story largely revolves around the character of Robert Owens, the client, who will receive his uncle's fortune (in the form of the treasure) on condition that he marries the Egyptian girl Imadear. The problem is that Owens actually loves Isobel Jefferson. After a number of humorous incidents, Owens is eventually able to achieve both his goals (marrying Isobel and gaining the money) through the help of Perkins. 'Mr Gerald's part,' writes the paper's critic, 'provides him with plenty of opportunities for clever acting and the climax is reached when Perkins, disguised as a Moorish maid, discloses his identity' (3 April 1933, p.5). One of the other principal characters in the revusical is Mahomed (Emissary of the Sultan).

Among the musical numbers inserted into the 1933 production were 'Bedouin Love Song' (sung by Will Perryman), 'Ballet of the Harem' (Thelma Duff and chorus), and 'Dance of the Sultan's Favourites' (performed by Jim Gerald, Thelma Duff, and Jessie Gillam).

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.

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.

Bubble and Squeak 'is aptly named from the fact that is just a succession of merry concerted items, comedy gags, up to the minute sketches, bright dancing ensembles and haunting and ear-catching melodies', writes the Brisbane Courier's theatre critic in a preview of the 1927 Empire Theatre season. (23 July 1927, p.6). A review of the premiere published two days later reports, however, that the vaudeville elements were fashioned around a dramatically organised narrative. Set thirty years in the future, the story explores the proposition that men might be 'relegated to the position now occupied by women'. The review also reports that in the role of the neglected husband

'who stays at home and minds the baby while his wife goes out to the club, Jim Gerald rose superior to his previous efforts, if indeed it requires any effort on his part to keep the audience in roars of laughter at his clever acting and witty sayings. It was evident that much of his by-play was spontaneous, and for that reason most effective. A charming actress, Miss Essie Jennings created a great impression as the neglectful wife, while as the un-blushing temptress of the easily-led husband, Miss May Geary, imparted to the role the keenest interest' (25 July 1927, p.21).

Confusion over the production's dramatic organisation similarly occurs through two later reviews, one in 1927 and the other in 1930. For example, the Sydney Morning Herald theatre critic writes of the 1927 Fullers' Theatre production:

'The entertainment has no connecting plot, being just a series of comedy sketches, interspersed with gay music, ballets, and colourful tableaux. The dancing corps, which is a valuable asset of this company, is given unusual opportunity in the new programme, the result being a succession of modern, costume and symbolic dances. Swiftly changing scenes place the action successively in Spain, Egypt and Iceland. Mr Gerald is exuberant in his fun making, and the central figure in several amusing sketches. One of the funniest is that in which the humorist forecasts the decadence of husbands and home life in 1950. A snowball battle between the company and the audience, in an artic setting makes a merry and lively close to the evening's fun' (31 October 1927, p.6).

A 1930 Age review indicates, on the other hand, that the production was plot-driven and that it 'concerns the eternal triangle with two women and one man', set in 1950. 'The man stays home and minds the baby, cooks, sews and does the house work. Jim is the poor neglected husband of a member of parliament. The vamp wants him to flee with her. Torn between duty and love he chooses love, and is leaving when the crying of the baby recalls him to his responsibilities'. (The review concludes with 'let's hope Mr Gerald is not a good prophet'). According to the same critic, the plot is set up in a scene in which Gerald enters into a competition with Lord Birkenhead to forecast the future (5 May 1930, p.10).

Two songs known to have been inserted into the 1927 Brisbane season story were 'Where Did You Get Those Eyes' and 'Bubble and Squeak' (both sung by Betty Lambert).

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.

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).

Revusical.

In this one-act musical comedy, Jim Gerald utilised his expertise as a pantomime dame, playing Mrs Muggins, a widow with five children. The Brisbane Courier records in 1927 that Gerald 'provided a veritable feats for laughter lovers, and had the crowd in such a state of exhaustion from continually laughing that they were glad of the respite afforded by the musical numbers' (28 March 1927, n. pag.). When Oh Mum was given a return season some five months later, the Courier's theatre critic wrote:

In his dame part of Mrs Muggins, he had the audience in a state of hysterical mirth every moment he was on the boards. As a widow with a penchant for gin who is not given to gossip about her neighbours, but "knows what she knows," he was the garrulous washerwoman to the life, and his washtub soliloquy was a glittering gem of mirth. There was of course a tribe of children ("bless their hearts") over whose naughtiness Mrs Muggins dripped large tears into the soapsuds; there was the flinty-hearted landlord who was prepared to overlook the rent provided he could become Mrs Muggins' third husband; and there was the usual neighbour with a strongly developed borrowing habit (22 August 1927, p.20).

In the 1927 production, Mrs Muggins' obstreperous children were played by Essie Jennings, Betty Lambert, May Geary, Lance Vane, and Harry Burgess. The scenes are said to have 'shifted in kaleidoscope fashion from Mrs Muggins' front garden to the kitchen, then on board an Atlantic liner, and finally to a beautiful Scottish landscape' (Brisbane Courier 22 Aug. 1927, p.20).

One of the songs known to have been incorporated in the 1922 Fullers' Theatre production was 'The Pipes of Pan' (sung by Shannon Raye). The 1926 Melbourne and Sydney and 1927 Brisbane seasons included 'The Butterfly Dance' as one of the specialties. Two numbers performed during the 1926 Bijou Theatre season were 'Gallagher and Shean' (Jim Gerald and Reg Hawthorne) and the trio 'Tippy Canoe' (Geary, Crawford, and Hall). Songs incorporated into the 1927 Brisbane season included 'Always' (May Geary) and 'My Little Suzannne' (Dan Weldon, in place of Ernest Crawford).

Revusical.

One of the earliest of Jim Gerald's revusicals, 1914-1918 was a fleshed-out adaptation of his musical sketch 'The New Recruit' (1919), with additional musical sequences, comic scenes, and characters. The action is developed over three settings ('A Training Camp', 'Aboard a Transport Ship', and 'Armistice Day in the Trenches'), with the incidents purportedly drawn from his three years' active service.

The characters include the red-nosed raw recruit Private Muggins (played by Gerald), who is 'gifted with a shrewd and ready tongue' (Sydney Morning Herald 11 September 1922, p.5); a sergeant-major; a captain; a regimental cook (played by Lance Vane, who presented him on the lines of 'Old Bill'); a fellow-recruit (an 'effeminate station-hand', played by Reg Hawthorne); and several Red Cross sisters. After his training is completed, Gerald's Private Muggins is made a cook's mate, which the Brisbane Courier's theatre critic records 'afforded him a wide field for fun-making' (27 February 1928, p.6). The location of the camps changed according to the city that Gerald's troupe was then playing. In Sydney, for example, this was the Liverpool Camp, while the Melbourne setting was the Broadmeadows Camp.

The Brisbane Courier theatre critic writes, in 1922, 'Enlisting in 1914 [Mr Gerald's] period as a recruit at Liverpool Camp was one of "persecution" at the hands of Sergeant Major Bluff (Mr Howard Hall) from whose gruff person he got nothing but hostility and abuse. Muggins' discomfiture was further provoked by the austere Captain Aynsley (Mr Ernest Crawford). On board the transport and finally in the trenches Private Muggins was always to the fore' (13 Nov. 1922, p.13). In later years, Brisbane's Telegraph newspaper records that although Gerald availed himself of many and varied humorous situations, 'the comedy was not forced, nor was it carried out to a farcical extreme, but the incidents portrayed were faithful representations of happenings familiar to every digger who enlisted "for the duration"' (20 February 1928, n. pag.). The same review makes special note of the scenery, which is described as having been of a high standard and 'aided by effective lighting'. According to the critic, the most striking scene was the finale, which Gerald set in the trenches at the time of the signing of the Armistice in 1918 (20 February 1928, n. pag.). A 1928 review also notes that the final scene 'developed an unexpected note of pathos and dramatic intensity' (Brisbane Courier 27 February 1928, p.6).

A ballet titled 'On Parade' is known to have been presented during the 1926 Bijou Theatre season. The musical program for the 1928 Brisbane production included such songs as 'You Might Break the Heart of My Dear Old Mother' (sung by Essie Jennings and Jim Gerald), 'Minstrel Boy' (Shannon Raye), 'The Trumpeter' (Ernest Crawford), and 'Dream Girl' (Howard Hall).

Revusical.

Set in a tennis club, this one-act musical comedy revolves around Hector Lip (valet to Lord Colic), who is described in one review as the 'broken-down habitué of the club' (Brisbane Courier 11 April 1927, p.11).

The musical programme for the 1923 Bijou Theatre production comprised the Opening Chorus, 'When My Shoes Wear Out from Walking' (sung by Letty Craydon and chorus), 'A Little Yodelling' (Reg Hawthorne), 'Raggedy Doo' (Ernest Crawford), 'Weeping Willow Lane' (Mona Thomas and Ernest Crawford), 'Here's to Love' (Mona Thomas), 'The Guy that Put the I in Iceland' (written by Norm Byron and sung Jennings and Gerald), 'Pucker Up and Whistle' (Essie Jennings), 'I Want to Rock-A-Bye My Mammy' (Letty Craydon), the finale 'The Tennis Club' (company), and a ballet and solo dance (performed by Polly McLaren and chorus).

'A Little Yodelling' (Reg Hawthorne) was again used in the 1927 Brisbane production, with other songs including 'Gold Fish' (Jim Gerald) and 'Old Gang of Mine' (Ernest Crawford).

Revusical.

Whips and Quips, described in advertising as 'a racing revue', has a cast of characters that includes a trainer, a crook, a stableman, a yokel, an owner, a jockey, and two spielers. The Brisbane Courier indicates in its review of the 1927 Empire Theatre production that 'Jim Gerald and Reg Hawthorne provided the audience with a feast of laughter as spielers on the racecourse, and incidentally demonstrated that originality need not fear a cold reception. In the racing game many risks are taken, but few punters would care to follow the example of these two... who finally turned bookmakers' (6 June 1927, p.16).

The action centres on the exploits of Percy and Angus Quips, who plot to dope 'The Victory', a 'dead cert' for the big race, while also laying down ridiculous odds, in a satirical portrayal 'of the methods employed in that profession'. The two crooks are foiled in their designs, and subsequently appear before a judge in a burlesque of the Supreme Court (Brisbane Courier 6 November 1926, p.8). A review of the 1922 Fullers' Theatre (Sydney) season also records:

'The drab surroundings of the trainer's yard were frequently brightened by the appearance of the ballet fantastically and glaringly clad but always graceful and neat in movement. Mr Gerald and Mr Hawthorn [sic], as a spieler and a crook respectively, provided most of the fun; while Mr Ernest Crawford and Miss Shannon Ray, in the more serious parts, were associated in several agreeable musical numbers' (Sydney Morning Herald 28 August 1922, p.5).

The 1933 revival, billed as I Don't Want to Be a Jockey, is said to have been staged over three scenes: the racing stables, on the road to the racecourse, and on the racecourse. Two of the features of this production were Jim Gerald's song 'Delaney's Donkey' and the 'Jockey Dance' (performed by Thelma Duff and Lou Cottam).

An Age review of the 1934 Tivoli Theatre revival reports:

'The second half of the entertainment was given over to a well-produced revue, I Don't Want to be a Jockey. Mr Gerald and his company have played this revue before in Melbourne, but it was worth repeating. Tom Dale is the "hero," Freda Bohning the "heroine" and Will Perryman and Jim Gerald the "villains" who in attempting to 'nobble a favourite for a race give him a speeding up dope by mistake' (14 May 1934, p.10).