The Two Black Crows (also called The Black Crows and Moran and Mack) was a

blackface Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-Black people to portray a caricature of a Black person. In the United States, the practice became common during the 19th century and contributed to the spread of racial stereo ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

act popular in the 1920s and 1930s. The duo appeared in vaudeville, on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, on radio, comedy records, and in film features and shorts.

History

The act was originated by Charles Sellers (1888–1934), who hired actor John Swor as his partner. "Swor & Mack" enjoyed moderate success until Swor left the act. He was replaced by George Moran. The team of Moran and Mack caught on and became major recording stars. ''The Two Black Crows'' became a weekly radio show in 1928; Moran and Mack also guest-starred on

Fred Waring Fredrick Malcolm Waring Sr. (June 9, 1900 – July 29, 1984) was an American musician, bandleader, and radio and television personality, sometimes referred to as "America's Singing Master" and "The Man Who Taught America How to Sing". He was also ...

's radio show in 1933. Although Moran and Mack's gags were mostly corny and the characters were stereotypical (one practical but naive, the other seemingly slow and lazy yet quick with a quip and a certain skewed logic), the relationship depicted plus their laconic delivery made them one of the most successful of comedy teams. The team was known for two catchphrases. Moran would remind Mack of some unfortunate event, causing Mack to say, "Why bring up?" Mack frequently would interrupt Moran's description of something with a drawling "What that?" The duo of Moran and Mack appeared in vaudeville with

W.C. Fields WC or wc may refer to: * Water closet or flush toilet Arts and entertainment * ''W.C.'' (film), an Irish feature film * WC (band), a Polish punk rock band * WC (rapper), a rapper from Los Angeles, California * Westside Connection, former h ...

, on Broadway in the ''

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' was a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934 and 1936. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as ''The Ziegfeld Follies of the Ai ...

'' of 1920 and in ''

Earl Carroll's Vanities ''The Earl Carroll Vanities'' was a Broadway revue that Earl Carroll presented in the 1920s and early 1930s. Carroll and his show were sometimes controversial. Distinguishing qualities In 1923, the ''Vanities'' joined the ranks of New York� ...

'' in the mid-1920s. They also appeared in ''

George White's Scandals ''George White's Scandals'' were a long-running string of Broadway revues produced by George White that ran from 1919–1939, modeled after the ''Ziegfeld Follies''. The "Scandals" launched the careers of many entertainers, including W. C. F ...

'' and ''The

Greenwich Village Follies The ''Greenwich Village Follies'' was a musical revue that played for eight seasons in New York City from 1919 to 1927. Launched by John Murray Anderson, and opening on July 15, 1919, at the newly constructed Greenwich Village Theatre near Chr ...

''. At the height of their popularity, after completing their first talking feature film, Moran had a salary dispute with Mack and sued him in 1930. A judge ruled that Mack legally owned the act and could pay whatever salary he wanted. Moran quit. He was replaced by John Swor's brother, Bert Swor, who adopted the name Moran. The second "Moran and Mack" talkie (without George Moran) faltered at the box office, and the team made no further films until 1933, when the low-budget

Educational Pictures Educational Pictures, also known as Educational Film Exchanges, Inc. or Educational Films Corporation of America, was an American film production and film distribution company founded in 1916 by Earle (E. W.) Hammons (1882–1962). Educational pr ...

studio hired them for a feature film and a series of "Two Black Crows" short subjects. Charles Mack died in an automobile accident on January 11, 1934. This ended the act, although George Moran did try to revive it with other partners. Moran would later appear in three

W. C. Fields William Claude Dukenfield (January 29, 1880 – December 25, 1946), better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler, and writer. Fields's comic persona was a misanthropic and hard-drinking egotist who remained a sympathet ...

films, ''The Fatal Glass of Beer'', ''My Little Chickadee'', and ''The Bank Dick''. Moran died on August 1, 1949.

Legacy

Their catch phrase, "Who wants a worm, anyhow?", was the punchline to a lengthy dialogue that Moran initiated by telling Mack that, "The early bird catches the worm". Mack of course had never heard the expression, so he took it literally, and frustrated Moran by repeatedly asking inane questions about the saying. "Who wants a worm, anyhow?" was the closing statement by the crow in a Warner Bros. cartoon called ''The Wacky Worm'', and parts of the routine appeared in other Warner cartoons.

Jokes

Typical joke: :MACK: On our farm, we had a thousand , an' 999 o'em laid eggs. :MORAN: What was wrong with de udder one? :MACK: Uh, he was de head man. Once Moran played a blast on his

kazoo The kazoo is an American musical instrument that adds a "buzzing" timbral quality to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. It is a type of '' mirliton'' (which itself is a membranophone), one of a class of instruments which modifie ...

. :MACK (annoyed): Boy, even if dat was , I wouldn't like it! :MORAN: I can play on dis! :MACK: You caint play on dat! And on it went. This shows at least how old the following joke is: :MACK: I'll meet you down by de pig-pen. You better keep yo hat on so's I'll know ya! Even a watermelon joke, the essence of racial stereotyping, took on a certain

surrealist Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to ...

air in their hands: :MACK: Wish I had an ice-cold . :MORAN: Oh lawdy. Me too. :MACK: Wish I had a thousand ice-cold . :MORAN: Glory be. I bet if you had a thousand ice-cold , you'd give me one. :MACK: No, no siree! If you are too lazy to wish for your own , you ain't gon' git none o' mine.

Films

Feature films: * ''Two Flaming Youths'' (

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

, 1927) billed as Moran and Mack; considered a

lost film A lost film is a feature or short film that no longer exists in any studio archive, private collection, public archive or the U.S. Library of Congress. Conditions During most of the 20th century, U.S. copyright law required at least one copy ...

* ''

Why Bring That Up? ''Why Bring That Up?'' is a 1929 American pre-Code musical film directed by George Abbott and starring minstrel show comedians Charles Mack and George Moran, as blackface team Two Black Crows. The film's title was part of the "vernacular o ...

'' (Paramount, 1929) * ''

Anybody's War ''Anybody's War'' is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Richard Wallace and written by Lloyd Corrigan, Hector Turnbull and Walter Weems. The film stars George Moran, Charles Mack, Joan Peers, Neil Hamilton, Walter Weems and B ...

'' (Paramount, 1930) aka ''Two Black Crows in the AEF'' * ''Hypnotized'' aka ''Little Gypsy'' (

Mack Sennett Mack Sennett (born Michael Sinnott; January 17, 1880 – November 5, 1960) was a Canadian-American film actor, director, and producer, and studio head, known as the 'King of Comedy'. Born in Danville, Quebec, in 1880, he started in films in the ...

Sono Art-World Wide Pictures Sono Art-World Wide Pictures was an American film distribution and production company in operation from 1927 to 1933. Their first feature film was ''The Rainbow Man'' (1929), while one of their most prominent was '' The Great Gabbo'' (1929) starr ...

, 1932) Short subjects: * ''A Pair of Socks'' (Educational, 1933) * ''The Farmers' Fatal Folly'' (Educational, 1933) * ''Hot Hoofs'' (Educational, 1933) * ''Two Black Crows in Africa'' (Educational, 1933) * ''As the Crows Fly'' (Educational, 1933) * ''Blue Blackbirds'' (Educational, 1933)

Recordings

* Early Bird Catches the Worm (3/14/1927) * All About the Lions (7/18/1927) * Curiosities on the Farm (11/14/1927) * No Matter How Hungry the Horse Is, He Can't Eat a Bit (11/25/1927; 12/23/1927) * B Our Child (12/22/1927) (as Charles E. Mack) * Elder Eatmore's Sermon on Throwing Stones (12/23/1927) * Two Black Crows Part 1/Part 2 (Columbia #935-D) (1928) (78 RPM) * Two Black Crows Part 3/Part 4 (Columbia #1094-D) (1928) (78 RPM) * Two Black Crows Part 5/Part 6 (Columbia #1198-D) (1928) (78 RPM) * Two Black Crows Part 7/Part 8 (Columbia #1350-D) (1928) (78 RPM) * Two Black Crows in the Jailhouse Part 1/Part 2 (Columbia #1560-D) (9/8/1928) (78 RPM) * Two Black Crows in Hades Part 1/Part 2 (Columbia #1652-D) (11/14/1928) * Courthouse Bump - Jelly Roll Morton's Orchestra (7/9/1929) * Foolishments (6/5/1929) * Esau Buck (6/4/1929) * Drag 'Em - Mary Lou Williams (piano) (12/1930)

References

External links

* * * * {{authority control American comedy duos American comedy troupes Blackface minstrel performers Columbia Records artists Educational Pictures Vaudeville performers