Los Angeles herald., 1907-02-04
NO BAD EGGS FOR
MURRAY AND MACK
COMEDIANS HAVE NEVER BEEN
iMSULTED
Both Are Real lrishmen Themselves,
and Proud of 1t, and Would Do
Nothing to Offend Their
Nationality

1--WE have been playing stage Irish
men for nearly seventeen years to-
gether; we have never changed our
makeup since we began, and we have
never even been Kissed, let alone hav-
ing eggs and vegetable thrown at us,
in all that time"
This proves that you can burleSque
the Irish race, do it decently and yet
humorously, and still not give offense."
Ollie Mack of Murray and Mack was
seated on a trunk in his dressing room
at the Grand. His red wig and whiskers
were on his dressing table and he was
smearing red paint on his poll. He had
been chatting of his and his partner s
long time in the business, and reference
was made to egging of some stage
"Irishmen" in New York last week.
I'VE have heard about that case,"
said he; that's entirely different from
our line of work. You see such things
in 'McFadden's Row Of Flats and
'Hogan's Alley and the like. We don't
believe in that We don't like to see
that sort of thing on the stage-Irish-
men with green whiSkerS, who go to
bed with pigs and have billygoats eat
ing at table with them; that's untrue,
an insult to the race, and we don't
blame the Hibernians for resenting it.
"Of course 1 don't say for minute
lIldL we uO llOI SAdSSSIdtc VI lidNSoly
our race; we do; you have to do 1t on
the stage in comedy show to get the
effects. All stage effects are broader
than real life shows. But you can do 1t
decently and without giving offense,
and still make 1t funnier than If you go
at it in a coarse and brutal fashion.
Murray and Mack are now the oldest
these parts for nearly seventeen years
now; we originated them, and we have
never once changed our makeup since
the first. Don't you suppose we'd have
been egged before this If I'VE were in
sulting? OF course we would.
Irish Resented Insult
1--WE followed that show that was
egged in Omaha q couple Of years ago
you remember? They had an Irishman
go to sleep with a pig, and the Irish
resented it. The next week we came,
and they were loaded for us. 1 saw one
man take a basket of antique eggs to
the gallery myself. 1 told Murray about
it, but he said: Let's go right on with
the show just as we always do, and if
they give 1t to us 1t will be time enough
to change We did; and no one seemed
in the least offended by it.
mo; the stage Irishman is an estab-
lished character, just as is the stage
German or Hebrew; all are eXagge-
rated, out all are played IN good run,
and If decently done none need take
offense at them"
Murray and Mack are now the Oldest
team, in point OF service together, be-
fore the public. Weber and Fields were,
but they split up years ago. Murray
and Mack never have had disagree
ment, and they never expect one.
II think we will always play to-
gether," said Mack. Murray attends
to the stage end and 1 look after the
business, and we never interfere with
each other, and that's the secret of it.
We will have a new show next year;
we are building 1t now. No one writes
a show like this; 1t grows. We formu-
late sort of outline, and then fill in,
the specialties and the
chorus, and improve 1t from time to
time as we see opportunities. We are
out the new one now."
Ollie Mack is one of the rich men in
theatrical circles. He owns 1.-THE County
Chairman" and has several other shows
on the road, and win have two new
ones before the season is over, one be-
inb a musical comedy founded on the
Gold Dust Twins" which the Nichols
sisters, recently at the Orpheum, will
take He has been i'll for a month, and
yesterday was his first appearance since
the show was In Denver about January
1, an understudy doing his work mean
while.