Mack & Myer For Hire was a short slapstick TV show from 1963. It was produced by Sandy Howard Productions, for Trans-Lux in NYC. Mickey Deems starred as Mack, and Joey Faye as Myer; both were showbiz veterans, with long careers in nightclubs, burlesque, and legit. Each show was about ten minutes, and was often packaged with other shorts and cartoons; it was meant strictly for kids.
John wrote many of the shows. He remembered that they had a small prop budget, and kept trying to come up with gags for cheap items — balloons, for example. He also recalled that Margaret Hamilton was cast in one episode, and had no objection to knockabout comedy, as long as she didn’t have to play a witch.
A few of the episodes have been archived here, if you’re curious. They’re not exactly deathless comedy; but do have a period charm, and are remembered fondly by those who watched them as kids. Watch for John’s screen credit; he’s listed as “script editor.”
[...] working in television, writing game shows (“Play Your Hunch”) and kids’ shows (“Mack and Myer,” “The Chuck McCann Show”), and had become unhappy with the business. Playboy had [...]
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