The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-04-26
THE STABLE-LOFTDRAMA
OLLIE MACK TELLS OF HIS EOYHOoD
IN INDIANAPOLIS.
How There Came to Re Two "orig-
inaI' Murray and Mack shows
That Met in st. Joe, no.

The visit of Ollie Mack to this city will
recall to many young men. who are old
enough TO have settled down. their boy
hood days. when they ran together, and
Ollie Mack, or, rather, Ollie Trumbull, was
in the running. Some of the boys have
made their homes in other cities, sonic are
in business here, SOME are dead and not
a few, and among them Ollie T%rumbull, are
in the theatrical business. Therefore, dur
ing Mr.. Mack's engagements in this city
the theater at which he plays is always
graced with the IS. r.. o." sign, and there
are man. in the audience who are there
because it is ollie Trumbulrs show This
is the seventh year that Mr.. Mack has ex-
plotted Mr.. ffnnigan'' in this city; "Mr.
F~innigan''-a short, thick, administered
rishman with never still face and legs.
Though 'Finnigan's Ball. has been adver-
tised as being played by the "old favorites,
Murray and Mack Charlie Murray. of
Muncie. who is we'll known and well liked
In this city, is not In the company. Gale"
Murray has his place. Charlie" Murray
also has an original Murray and Mack
show on the road. His partner is James
Wesley Mac. one of the old team of the
American 1.-TWO Macs who played In
%dlanapolis' in the grandfather's theater go
ing days. The other American Mac is
dead. The original Murray and Mack team
was broken a year ago.
Last New Years day." Ollie Mack told
the story yesterday, 1.-The two original
Murray and Mack shows played at St.
st. Joseph, Mo. We heard that the other
company was going to play the town, SO
we jumped from Denver to st Joseph to
buck them. Both shows opened with a
matinee and played a night performance,
too. Both of us did good business, because
this company turned the people away and
they went to see the rival show. Charlie
Murray's show is called 'F1nnigan's 4Oo.'
~ have been away from Indianapolis so
long that L don't suppose 1 know many
people here now. My home was at the cor
ner of New York and Meridian streets
where DR.. Hodges lives now-and next
door to us the Murphy family lived. The
next door north was Bert Dasher's house.
The rest of the boys / knew lived all around
that neighbOrhood. On Saturdays-there
was TO school on Saturdays-we used TO
give shows in the stable lofts. We played
Observation-Disclosures wild West dramas, and
it cost a pin to get in. AS we grew older
we came 10 look for greater financial gain,
end the admission fee was raised TO a cent.
After d pcIiOI I1aliCe we WOQlu nave " OF
30 cents, and Ii all went for candy. 1t
started some of the boys in the business. >
Bert Dasher, Harry Porter and Pink Hall
and myself were four who went on the
stage. Dasher is with Hoyt. but Porter and
Hall are still here.
When | was eighteen I went TO work
under my father. who was then superin-
tendent of an express ompany My fam
ily's summer home was at Centerville. One
summer l met Charley Murray there. He
had been out with a circus, and had been
hurt. We saw an advertisement in a New
| York dramatic paper for a long and short
Irish team We answered the advertise
ment. and. strangely enough. we got the
| Job. The show was Our Irish Neighbors.
1 expected we would be sent home after
we had drawn two weeks salary, but, In
stead of that, we made a hit. Ii was the
| first time l had put on makeup. and that
makeup was the same as the one L use
now. / have never changed a line. The
next season George limerick wrote 'Finni-
gan's Bali for Us. That was eight years
ago. Last season Charley and disagreed
on n business proposition. and the team
broke uD. He had been working on q sal
airy. ana had no right TO use the name Fin
nigan.' but he used that and Murray and
Mack So / continued the name Murray
and Mack, too. / propose TO use this show
one more season. and then / will star In a
show that is being written for me"
Mr.. Mack's wife. whose stage name Is
Kittie Beck. and his two sisters, Mae and
Fanny Trumbull. are members of his com
many.