Edward Francis Gallagher (1873 – March 28, 1929) was a

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

actor and half of the comedy act Gallagher and Shean. Their story was told in an animated movie ''Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Shean'' (1931) by

Max Fleischer Max Fleischer (born Majer Fleischer ; July 19, 1883 – September 11, 1972) was an American animator and studio owner. Born in Kraków, in Austrian Poland, Fleischer immigrated to the United States where he became a pioneer in the development ...

and

Dave Fleischer Dave Fleischer (; July 14, 1894 – June 25, 1979) was an American film director and producer who co-owned Fleischer Studios with his older brother Max Fleischer. He was a native of New York City. Biography Early life and career Fleisch ...

, who also created Koko the Clown and

Betty Boop Betty Boop is a cartoon character designed by Grim Natwick at the request of Max Fleischer. She originally appeared in the '' Talkartoon'' and ''Betty Boop'' film series, which were produced by Fleischer Studios and released by Paramount Pic ...

. Gallagher and Shean also reportedly made an early sound film at the

Theodore Case Theodore Willard Case (December 12, 1888 – May 13, 1944) was an American chemist who invented the Movietone sound system, Movietone sound-on-film, sound-on-sound film, film system. Early life and education Case was born on December 12, 1 ...

studio in

Auburn, New York Auburn is a city in Cayuga County, New York, United States. Located at the north end of Owasco Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in Central New York, the city had a population of 26,866 at the 2020 census. It is the largest city of Cayuga County, the ...

, in 1925.

Biography

Gallagher was born in 1873 in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, California. For fifteen years, Gallagher partnered with Joe Barrett in a comedy act that was best known for military burlesques, particularly "The Battle of Too Soon."Slide, Anthony (2012). ''The Encyclopedia of Vaudeville''. Univ. Press of Mississippi. p. 204. Gallagher subsequently teamed with

Al Shean Abraham Elieser Adolph Schönberg (May 12, 1868 – August 12, 1949), known as Al Shean, was a comedian and vaudeville performer. Other sources give his birth name variously as Adolf Schönberg, Albert Schönberg, or Alfred Schönberg. He is mos ...

to create the act Gallagher and Shean. While the act was successful, the men apparently did not like each other much. Gallagher first performed with Shean in 1912 in the operetta ''The Rose Maid'', which ran for 176 performances at the Globe Theatre in New York. The duo broke up in 1914, not performing again until 1920 and then stayed together until 1925. They had a featured part in the 1922

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' were a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934, 1936, 1943, and 1957. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as '' The Ziegfeld Foll ...

, earning a salary of US$1500 a week (approximately $ today). His fourth wife was actress Anne Luther. He had a

nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...

in 1925 and in 1926 was institutionalized at the River Crest Sanitarium in

Astoria, New York Astoria is a neighborhood in the western portion of the New York City Boroughs of New York City, borough of Queens. Astoria is bounded by the East River and is adjacent to four other Queens neighborhoods: Long Island City, Queens, Long Island C ...

, where he died on March 28, 1929.Slide, Anthony (2012). ''The Encyclopedia of Vaudeville''. University Press of Mississippi. pp. 204–205. He was buried in

Kensico Cemetery Kensico Cemetery, located in Valhalla, New York, Valhalla, Westchester County, New York was founded in 1889, when many New York City cemeteries were becoming full, and rural cemeteries were being created near the railroads that served the city ...

Legacy

Helen Gallagher Helen Gallagher (July 19, 1926 – November 24, 2024) was an American actress, dancer, and singer. She received three Daytime Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, a Donaldson Award, and a Drama Desk Award. Gallagher's work on the New York stages spa ...

, his third wife, a former Ziegfeld girl, and Jack Solomon launched what would become Gallagher's Steak House in November 1927. She married Solomon after Gallagher's death.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gallagher, Ed 1873 births 1929 deaths American vaudeville performers Burials at Kensico Cemetery 20th-century American actors