Mo smashes attendance records

Poster featuring a comparison of cinema door sales for the first two days' showings of On our selection in August 1932 and Strike me lucky in November 1934. It depicts a caricature of the character Mo sitting atop the Capitol Theatre. The poster was published as the centre spread from Everyones (magazine), November 21 1934, pages 18 and 19.

Born in Adelaide in 1892, actor Harry van der Sluys (or Sluice) became famous as the vaudevillian and comedian Roy Rene. After moving to Sydney around 1910, he took on the stage name of Roy Rene (Rene after a famous French clown) and became one of the most well-known performers on the Sydney vaudeville circuit. From 1916, Rene performed as the character Mo with Nat Phillips in the comedy duo 'Stiffy and Mo'. The duo became renowned around Australia for their 'blue' humour. Mo was known for his distinctive black and white face make-up.

'Strike me lucky' was one of Mo's catchphrases, and in 1934, as the popularity of vaudeville faded, Rene and the Cinesound director Ken Hall, made the film of this title. The story-line is about a young orphan girl whom Mo tries to help: it eventuates that she is the missing daughter of a wealthy man, and after some misunderstandings and further adventures, Mo is rewarded by the girl's father. The film was not successful despite the boasting of the magazine centre spread. Rene was not comfortable in the motion picture medium, needing a live audience to interact with, and the film was the only one he made.

On our selection, the film with which Strike me lucky is compared, was the second film based on the stories of Steele Rudd and was also directed by Ken Hall.

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