Roy Rene 1892-1954

In 1936 ‘The Connors and Paul–Roy Rene Amalgamation’ presented weekly change revue at the Princess in Melbourne. Later that year Rene returned to the Tivoli Circuit, and for the next decade alternated between the Melbourne and Sydney Tivolis, with occasional side trips to Brisbane and Adelaide and flirtations with other managements – like a season at the Apollo in Melbourne for Stanley McKay in 1939. His popularity never waned, and those two letters – MO – outside the theatre would guarantee a full house. And this was the era of 12 performances a week: twice daily: 2 and 8 p.m.

Roy experimented with radio in the late 1930s, and in 1940 he had a lacklustre series on the ABC called The Misadventures of Mo. He bounced back a few years later in Calling the Stars over the Macquarie Network. Suddenly he had a vast, new audience. In one night he could reach more people than could see him on stage in a year. Fred Parsons’ scripts allowed him to expand the aural aspects of his comedy before a ‘live’ studio audience. Suddenly you didn’t need to see Mo: the words and their delivery were enough. McCackie Mansion ran for five years. It was compulsory listening in thousands of homes right across Australia.

Roy Rene made his last stage appearances for Harry Wren in McCackie ‘Mo’ments at the King’s in Melbourne in 1949 and in Hellzapoppin at Sydney’s Empire Theatre the following year – with his young son Sam in support. Rene’s health, frail since a serious illness in 1929, deteriorated, yet he continued to honour his radio commitments.

In 1953, on a brief holiday in Lismore, New South Wales, Rene suffered a coronary occlusion. He never fully recovered, and died at his Sydney home on 22 November 1954. There were 1,200 people at his funeral service, and the lights of theatres all over Australia were dimmed in his honour. He was survived by his wife, Sadie, and his son, Sam, who had joined him in some of his last stage shows.

Thousands of stories were told about Mo. Many still are. His success is a matter of history, and much of his art still sparkles in the recordings of his radio shows.

His unique stage persona has been recreated several times, most notably by Michael Scheid in a cabaret show, and by Garry McDonald in Steve J. Spears’ Young Mo, the 1977 Nimrod production for which Martin Sharp produced the ‘Mo’ poster that became the company’s logo. McDonald reprised his interpretation in the localised version of Sugar Babies in 1986.

In 1976, under the stewardship of Johnny O’Keefe, the annual NSW Star Awards expanded to cover the entire country; at Don Lane’s suggestion, and with the endorsement of Roy Rene’s family, they were relaunched as the Australian Entertainment ‘Mo’ Awards.

Roy Rene never ventured further than New Zealand: not for want of offers; he just didn’t want to leave the audiences he was comfortable with. He was an unassuming, unpretentious man, who valued family and friends rather than fame or wealth. He clowned because he loved it, and to make a comfortable home for his family. He had little or no comprehension of his uniqueness; he worked instinctively and he worked hard.

One of his obituaries was affectionately headed ‘He spluttered his way to stardom.’ Strike me lucky – not only stardom, immortality! You little trimmer!

Frank Van Straten, 2007