Mack, Jess, 1905-1990

Jess Mack, born in Baltimore, Maryland on May 14, 1905, was an actor for 30 years, and a producer, comedy writer, and agent for 35 years in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mack wrote for comedians including Phil Silvers, Rags Ragland, Red Buttons, Charlie Kemper, Phyllis Diller, and Rip Taylor. He also wrote comedy lines and sketches for Abbott and Costello, Jackie Gleason, George White's Scandals and Minsky's Follies. Mack was also the writer and publisher of the Cavalcade of Burlesque magazine. As an agent, Mack represented a number of prominent striptease dancers. In addition to his show business life, Mack was a member of a number of philanthropic and charitable organizations, including the Saints and Sinners, Kentucky Colonels, Catholic Actors Guild of America, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. He was a 32nd Degree Mason, a member of Scottish Rights and a Shriner with the Zelza Temple.

Mack first appeared in a comedy act in Las Vegas in 1944 with Charles Kemper at the El Rancho Vegas Hotel and Casino. He made two trips to the South Pacific with the United Service Organizations (1945 and 1946). Mack continued to work and travel until 1969 when he moved to Las Vegas permanently and opened the Jess Mack Theatrical Agency. His 35 years as an agent culminated on June 24, 1990 when the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) presented him with the Outstanding Achievement Award for being the first franchised SAG agent in Las Vegas, Nevada.