Mister Gallagher and Mister Shean

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Mister Gallagher and Mister Shean is one of the most famous songs to come from the American vaudeville milieu. First performed by the duo of Gallagher and Shean in the early 1920's, it became a huge hit and carried Gallagher and Shean to stardom.

The comedic song was written for the duo by Bryan Foy, son of Eddie Foy. It contains jokes typical of the time but also lampoons current fads and events ("Cost of living went so high / That it's cheaper now to die"). The song itself gave rise to many parody versions.

As this song was sung on the vaudeville stage, each verse was presented as a miniature skit, as though Gallagher came across Shean on a street, beginning: "Oh, Mister Gallagher! Oh Mister Gallagher! Have you heard...?" Shean would say "Yes, yes" to his entreaties before the joke was set up in the verse.

The refrain at the end of the each verse -- "Positively Mister Gallagher, absolutely Mister Shean!" -- became a well-known catchphrase and remains part of the American idiom even into the 21st century. As late as the late 1980's it was the centerpiece of an advertising campaign by the Pitney-Bowes corporation ("Absolutely Mister Pitney, positively Mister Bowes!").

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