Gallagher and Shean - Later Life and Career

Later Life and Career

In 1921, they were sued by the Shubert organization for breach of contract. According to Shubert, they could not perform for the competing Ziegfeld Follies. The case claimed that Gallagher and Shean's act was "unique and irreplaceable". The comedians' defense was that their act was mediocre, and the judge initially found in their favor, although the decision was later reversed.

For a time in the 1920s, Gallagher was involved with his protegee, vivacious French-Canadian dancer Fifi D'Orsay. In 1925, inventor Theodore Case made a short film of them in his sound-on-film process at his Auburn, New York studio—however, the film was lost in a fire at the Auburn studio in the mid-1950s. In August 1931, Fleischer Studios released a short cartoon Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Shean as part of the Fleischer Screen Songs series. In this short, Jack Kenny (1886-1964) did the voice of Gallagher.

Gallagher and Shean often had personal differences during their partnership. The constant backstage hostilities inspired Neil Simon to incorporate them into his successful show-business-themed comedy The Sunshine Boys.

Ed Gallagher died in 1929; Al Shean worked occasionally thereafter as a solo character actor. The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical Ziegfeld Girl (1941) features a re-creation of Gallagher and Shean's act, with Al Shean in his familiar role and costume, and character actor Charles Winninger portraying Gallagher.