Roy Rene

Roy Rene (pron. reen; born Henry van der Sluys, 15 February 189122 November 1954) was an Australian comedian and vaudevillian. As the bawdy character Mo McCackie, Rene was one of the best-known and successful Australian comedians of the early 20th century, and the local answer to Charlie Chaplin.

Biography

Born in Adelaide, Colony of South Australia, Rene was the fourth of seven children of Hyam van der Sluys, or Henry Sluice, a Jewish-Dutch cigar maker and his Jewish-English wife Amelia, née Barnett. Named Henry van de Sluice (later spelt variously "van der Sluys"), "Harry" received some education at a Dominican convent, and a Christian Brothers's boarding school in Adelaide; in his words "the nearest he ever got to being a Christian". At 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.

Around 1905, the Sluice family moved to Melbourne; Harry was briefly an apprentice jockey and thereafter maintained a keen interest in racing; his brothers Albert and Lou were prominent bookmakers. revue company at the Fullers' National Theatre in Sydney.

'Stiffy' and 'Mo' (1916–1925) In July 1916, Rene teamed up with comedian Nat Phillips to form the partnership 'Stiffy and Mo.' The pair made its debut at Sydney's Princess Theatre on 8 July 1916. Phillips had been developing his Stiffy the Rabbitoh character for several years on the Fullers' circuit, where he was engaged as both a comedian and a producer. For the first show, a revusical written by Phillips with the title, What Oh Tonight, he called his off-sider 'Sol'. Rene was not particularly struck with the name, and at the last moment took advice from the Princess Theatre's stage manager, Bill Sadler. The name 'Mo' thereafter became his alter-ego. 'Stiffy and Mo' were an instant success. After the Princess Theatre season ended they moved to the Grand Opera House, playing feature parts in the pantomime spectacular The Bunyip, and over the next fifteen years (albeit with an 18-month break) cemented their reputation as one of Australia's greatest larrikin comedy duos.

On 29 March 1917 at St Stephen's Presbyterian Church, Sydney, Henry van der Sluice married actress Dorothy "Dolly" Davis; it was a tempestuous partnership which soon ended in a separation. Phillips remained at the Majestic for another two months, initially as solo comedian before elevating Joe Mullaney from the ensemble to temporarily create 'Stiffy and Joe.' Then after briefly trialing 'Oscar the Aussie' and 'Percy the Pom' (with Harry Huley as 'Percy') he eventually settled on Stiffy and 'Erb (Jack Kellaway) in early-1926.

'Give and Take' / 'Bluett and Mo' / 'Stiffy' and 'Mo' (1926–1928) Following his departure from the Stiffy and Mo company Rene went on to appear with outstanding success in a straight play, Give and Take (starring opposite American comedian Harry Green). The play had seasons in both Melbourne and Sydney. In May 1926 Rene made his Tivoli circuit debut in partnership with Fred Bluett (as Bluett and Mo). They initially played seasons in Sydney and Melbourne, before undertaking a national tour, which included Brisbane and Adelaide. Their act comprised at least two sketches - the most popular being 'The Admiral and the Sailor' (aka Fun on the High Sea), which had Mo as the admiral and Bluett as a "jolly tar" who resents the commands of his superior. The other sketch was called 'Oxford Bags'. Once again 'Stiffy and Mo' broke box-office records wherever they appeared, including a tour of New Zealand. A number of historians have recorded the New Zealand tour as Stiffy and Mo's last time together on stage, but research undertaken in the early-2000s has revealed that the pair actually played their final season together at Fullers' Theatre, Sydney between 1 and 7 December 1928.

After the conclusion of the Queensland tour, Rene and Gale travelled to Melbourne to appear in Frank Neil's production of Clowns in Clover at the King's Theatre. Three weeks after the start of the King's Theatre season, the couple joined other cast members in presenting matinee productions of Mother Goose, while also appearing in Clowns in Clover at night. While performing on 7 January 1930 Rene collapsed from peritonitis. Somewhat surprisingly, the symptoms had first started to manifest towards the end of the Queensland tour, but once back in Melbourne Rene had been too busy to seek medical help. He was immediately rushed to hospital where he almost died. Following his operation he remained in hospital until 15 April. and this is partly reflected in its poor acceptance by critics and lower than expected box-office return. Ken G. Hall's direction has also been criticised. Strike Me Luckys storyline centres on the friendship between Mo McIsaac, who is broke and behind in his rent, and Miriam, a young girl who claims to be an orphan, but who is in fact the runaway daughter of a rich aristocrat. The title is in reference to one of Rene’s vaudeville catch-phrases.

Early the 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.

Radio star Turning to radio in 1946, Rene signed a contract with Colgate-Palmolive Pty Ltd to appear in program Calling the Stars with a live audience at the 2GB 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. The popular Yiddish refrain "Khosn kale mazel tov" was his theme tune in "McCackie Mansion". 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, but 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. Filmink argued that Rene's success in radio proved he was adaptable to other mediums and if he had made a second movie it might have been more successful. 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, with Sadie, of Noël Coward's Private Lives.

He was a Freemason.

Legacy and influence In 1948, artist Harold Thornton painted Rene's portrait, which was a finalist in the Archibald Prize.

The memory of Rene lives on in the Mo Awards, 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 played Roy Rene/Mo in the 1977 theatre production Young Mo, written by Steve J. Spears, and on television in the 1980s.