Mack & Myer for Hire

Mack and Myer for Hire is an American sitcom that aired in syndication from 1963 to 1964. The show starred Mickey Deems and Joey Faye, and was produced by Trans-Lux Television in New York. Each episode was approximately 12 minutes long, and the show was filmed using a two-camera layout. Over 100 episodes were produced during its only year in production, and these were re-run well into the 1970s. (The series was produced by Sandy Howard and directed by Edward Sutherland. Sutherland had also directed film comedies with Laurel and Hardy and W.C. Fields.)

Mack and Myer for Hire
GenreSitcom
Created byMickey Deems
Written byMickey Deems
Directed byTed Devlet
Edward Sutherland
StarringMickey Deems
Joey Faye
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes100+
Production
Executive producerSandy Howard
Production locationsHempstead Film Studios, Long Island City, New York
Running time12 min (approx.)
Production companyTrans-Lux Television
DistributorTrans-Lux Television
Release
Original networkSyndication
Picture formatBlack-and-white
Audio formatMonaural
Original release1963 (1963) –
1964 (1964)

Premise

Mack and Myer are two handymen, doing jobs for hire. In one episode, they are seen doing things like building a fence. However, their attempts at getting rich quick usually backfired, resulting in comedy. Sometimes the situations revolved around a common everyday problem (i.e., getting a good night's sleep).

Since each episode was approximately 12 minutes long, it was usually shown as part of a longer program. This was common at the time, as many stations across the United States would have shows, often hosted by clowns, which consisted of shorts like Mack & Myer, Clutch Cargo and The Three Stooges combined with station-produced host segments. Like many sitcoms of the time, it featured a laugh track.

Although the production values were lacking compared with some other shows of the time, it proved popular with children, which kept the show repeated well-into the 1970s. It was also exported around the world, to countries like West Germany and Australia.

DVD release and availability

Six episodes of the show were released on DVD by Alpha Video on August 22, 2006. These six episodes, believed to be in the public domain, can also be seen at the Internet Archive.


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