was the punchline to a lengthy dialogue that Moran initiated by telling Mack that, "The early bird catches the worm". Mack of course had never heard the expression, so he took it literally, and frustrated Moran by repeatedly asking inane questions about the saying. "Who wants a worm, anyhow?" was the closing statement by the crow in a Warner Bros. cartoon called The Wacky Worm, and parts of the routine appeared in other Warner cartoons. Jokes Typical joke: MACK: On our farm, we had a thousand , an' 999 o'em laid eggs. MORAN: What was wrong with de udder one? MACK: Uh, he was de head man. Once Moran played a blast on his kazoo. MACK (annoyed): Boy, even if dat was , I wouldn't like it! MORAN: I can play on dis! MACK: You caint play on dat! And on it went. This shows at least how old the following joke is: MACK: I'll meet you down by de pig-pen. You better keep yo hat on so's I'll know ya! Even a watermelon joke, the essence of racial stereotyping, took on a certain surrealist air in their hands: MACK: Wish I had an ice-cold . MORAN: Oh lawdy. Me too. MACK: Wish I had a thousand ice-cold . MORAN: Glory be. I bet if you had a thousand ice-cold , you'd give me one. MACK: No, no siree! If you are too lazy to wish for your own , you ain't gon' git none o' mine. Films Recordings Early Bird Catches the Worm (3/14/1927) All About the Lions (7/18/1927) Curiosities on the Farm (11/14/1927) No Matter How Hungry the Horse Is, He Can't Eat a Bit (11/25/1927; 12/23/1927) B Our Child (12/22/1927) (as Charles E. Mack) Elder Eatmore's Sermon on Throwing Stones (12/23/1927) Two Black Crows Part 1/Part 2 (Columbia #935-D) (1928) (78 RPM) Two Black Crows Part 3/Part 4 (Columbia #1094-D) (1928) (78 RPM) Two Black Crows Part 5/Part 6 (Columbia #1198-D) (1928) (78 RPM) Two Black Crows Part 7/Part 8 (Columbia #1350-D) (1928) (78 RPM) Two Black Crows in the Jailhouse Part 1/Part 2 (Columbia #1560-D) (9/8/1928) (78 RPM) Two Black Crows in Hades Part 1/Part 2 (Columbia #1652-D) (11/14/1928) Courthouse Bump - Jelly Roll Morton's Orchestra (7/9/1929) Foolishments (6/5/1929) Esau Buck (6/4/1929) Drag 'Em - Mary Lou Williams (piano) (12/1930) References External links American comedy duos American comedy troupes Blackface minstrel performers Columbia Records artists Educational