[JERRY HERMAN, spoken]
But, it didn't run very long

And then in 1974 I had the great experience of musicalizing the lives of Mack Sennett and Mabel Normand, the king and queen of silent screen comedy. This show reunited me with Mike Stewart, and Gower Champion, and David Merrick, and gave me three wonderful stars to work with: Robert Preston, and Bernadette Peters, and Lisa Kirk

Here's a sampler of Mack & Mabel

(sung)
Movies were—

[Jerry stops playing the piano, having come in too early]

[JERRY, spoken]
Sorry kids... when you know it's forevеr, it's very hard...

[KAREN MORROW, spoken]
This isn't forever!

[LEE ROY REAMS, KAREN MORROW, & JERRY]
Moviеs were movies when you paid a dime to escape
Cheering the hero and hissing the man in the cape
Romance and action and thrills

[LEE ROY]
Pardner there's gold in them hills
[ALL]
Movies were movies when during the titles you'd know

[KAREN]
You'd get a happy ending

[ALL]
Dozens of blundering cops in a thundering chase
Getting a bang out of lemon meringue in the face
Bandits attacking a train

[JERRY]
One little tramp with a cane

[ALL]
Movies were movies were movies when I ran the show