Jack Benny: The Art of Laughter
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Jello again! See my post on radio comedies for an introduction to this stellar cast. Little more can be said here that I didn't say there. |
Here he is. After talking about this man in almost every post, it's time for him to finally receive his own spotlight post. This is a man who has taught me so much about living life and not letting it pass you. Back there existed a man with a wonderful family and a long-lasting circle of great friends. To him, life began at 40, and he walked along a golden path for 40 wonderful years.
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A very Film Noir-esque still of Jack, circa mid-late 1940s if I had to hazard a guess. |
Now, I don't want to spend too much time recounting Jack's history, as it's my firm belief history doesn't define and shouldn't define someone, so let me put it as briefly as I could. He was born in Chicago on February 14th 1894, but according to him, he was carried in Waukegan and lived there, so that's where he was born. He started as a violinist in vaudeville at the age of 17, before transitioning into radio after a guest appearance on Ed Sullivan's program in 1932 at the age of 39. From there, the flood gates were open.
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"This is Jack Benny talking, and making my first appearance on the air professionally, which means I'm finally getting paid, which I'm sure will be a great relief to my creditors," |
Jack's persona was strong from the get-go. I suppose vaudeville had something to do with this, but he always knew what to say to make his character stand out. In the early days of his act, he portrayed a starving artist with delusions of grandeur. As Benny himself put it, he was "The embodiment of every annoying person you meet in day to day life," Never nefarious or dastardly, just the culmination of every irksome experience, which led to great comedic effect overtime. His character would change slightly, from the starving artist to more the uptight, miserly yet affluent comedian later on, but one great change was on the horizon, and his name was Rochester Van Jones.
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Rochester: Hello, Mr. Benny's residence, star of stage, screen, radio and I guess you could say television!" |
Originally meant to be a one time appearance in 1937, audiences loved Eddie Anderson's character so much, he was brought on as a permanent cast member that same year. Eddie Anderson as Rochester played Benny's wise-cracking butler who always got the last word against Jack, who was always none the wiser. Rochester fit in beautifully with the rest of the cast, and would become basically second fiddle (a fitting phrase) to Jack in both radio, television and his movie appearances. At one point, Rochester was the highest paid performer in the crew next to Jack, quite a feat for a black man back there.
An interesting story involved Jack doing a performance for US troops in Iran during World War II. Jack did not bring Rochester on the trip, and one soldier noticed and asked him about it, remarking, "Why, Mr. Benny, I'd walk 10 miles to see that Rochester" Jack Benny retorted asking if he would sit at the same table as Rochester, to which the soldier's expression, "Got nasty". The soldier said he wouldn't, due to where he was from and how they don't really sit with people like Rochester. Jack had expected this response. He knew bringing Rochester on this particular trip would see him with people who laugh at him instead of with him. Jack's final words of "You make me sick" to the soldier tells it all.
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Rochester with Theresa Harris in Buck Benny Rides again (1940). My, My! |
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Now this is a who's who! Aside from the usual cast, you got Mel Blanc, the sportsman quartet and all the behind the scenes folks. Well! |
I've mentioned this before, but the formula and characters created by Benny and his writers, fit into television like a glove. For 15 years, plus more in specials and such, Jack Benny was entertaining audiences on their TV tubes. On radio, certain things were just naturally not going to be shown, such as Jack's wonderful ability to get laughs with just a look. Once he hit the TV sets, nothing was left out. Every joke was punctuated with that classic Jack Benny look, and the audience would absolutely love it. In fact, part of Jack Benny's appeal truly came from his audience. Fans loved him, and they loved to see him. They didn't miss a beat, every joke, every funny line, every visual gag was picked up and got a laugh invariably.
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George Burns and Jack in "Goldie, Fields and Glide," A comedic twist on a terrible vaudeville act. |
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"Part of what made him able to make others laugh, was that he himself loved to laugh," |
The legacy of Jack Benny can definitely be seen today. For example, his opening and closing monologues were the inspiration for the Tonight Show monologues. His style of character humor inspired many comedians of his day including Bill Cosby, Johnny Carson and Steve Allen to name a few. He wasn't much for ad-libbing, but his style of story based joke telling served as the stepping stone for modern standup. Naturally, such a style of joke telling existed before Benny rose to fame, but one can make the argument that it was he who popularized it.
Jack Benny was one of the comedians who got me into back there in the first place. People say comedy changes, and what was funny 50 years ago can't possibly be funny today, but Jack proved otherwise. He called upon the basic principles of comedy. Nothing raunchy, for the most part avoiding dated, obscure references, just the simple things. This will never fail to get a laugh. It's difficult to try and fully convince someone to go out of their way to watch or listen to recordings so old the Dead Sea just had a cough at the time, but I hope if nothing else, this blog will promote open-mindedness.
As a young person myself, I often hear my friends talk about getting older with apprehension. An actual conversation with my friends entailed them fully believing that all plans in life should be made by 30 or else it's too late. Jack Benny, of all people, taught me otherwise. His career started at 39, and before that, he lived in the moment. There was no reason to fear aging for him, as it never mattered to him. He was as famous in his 70s as he was in his 40s. I don't know where my life will lead, but I've learnt from the stars back there, that whatever happens, I intend to laugh my way through it. Make friends that'll make my time here as worthwhile as possible, because I won't be back here again to make good on any of my regrets.
This post cannot do the 80 years this man walked back there justice, so I urge you to do your own digging. His radio work, his TV episodes, even some of his movies, are easily found. On a quiet weekend, sit back and turn on his show. Maybe you'll find a new obsession, or a new guilty pleasure. Maybe his shows aren't your bag, and you prefer merely to listen on boring car rides. Maybe both, and all eras of Benny interest you as they do me. Or none at all. In any case, I hope you enjoyed this editorial on Jack Benny, a man who commanded the galaxy in his day, but now his light shines dimmer. It will, however be a long, long time before it disappears completely, and the candles that we burn for him today will shine like an echo of a sun, gone so long ago. Thank you, Jack Benny.
I hope to see you Back There.
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