IJBFC Chat - January 7, 2007
(Name of message originator in [] brackets at the beginning of each line)
[KayLhota] Hi Scott
[KayLhota] Hi Laura
[Laura Leff] Hi folks!
[Maxwell] Hey LL!
[Scott in KC] Happy New Year!
[Laura Leff] How's everyone doing tonight?
[KayLhota] Laura, my friend Richard has a collection of Benny Rubin shorts that he has transfered from VHS to DVD
[Maxwell] So far I've remembered to write 2007 on everything!
[Laura Leff] Kay - Cool! Would love to see those.
[KayLhota] I told him a long time ago that Benny Rubin's family would be interested in them
[Scott in KC] Is it 2007?
[Laura Leff] You know Rubin is sometimes credited with telling Jack to change his name to Jack Benny.
[KayLhota] Yes, I read that.
[Laura Leff] Yes, I think I have an E-mail for a Rubin relative. Would have to search for it, though.
[KayLhota] I suggested to Rich that he could mail you the DVD.
[Laura Leff] Sure, that would be great.
[Laura Leff] So did everyone have a good holiday?
[KayLhota] It seemed reasonable.
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[Maxwell] We did.
[Maxwell] Hi Barbara.
[KayLhota] Hi Barbara
[Scott in KC] Laura, I watched a little of "GWTW" this afternoon. Was Rochester the guy who chased the chicken for Christmas dinner?
[Laura Leff] Hey Barbara!
[KayLhota] Yes, that was Rochester
[Laura Leff] Scott - That's him!
[Barbara] Hi everyone!
[KayLhota] with a lot of age makeup
[KayLhota] "Uncle Peter"
[Barbara] I was just watching Jezebel that Rochester is in. It looks like him but doesn't sound like him.
[Scott in KC] Thanks. He could not hide that raspy voice.
[Laura Leff] You ought to see him in "Green Pastures"
[Maxwell] Just saw a still of him with Rex Ingram from that the other day.
[Laura Leff] Yes, that goes back to the old debate about how much "gravel" Rochester put on for his part on the Benny show.
[Barbara] I'm wondering if they dubbed his voice in.
[Laura Leff] Barbara - For what appearance?
[Maxwell] Jezebel?
[Barbara] For his role in Jezebel with Bette Davis. His voice didn't sound "gravely"
[Barbara] Maybe he did make it more so for the Benny show.
[Maxwell] His voice was much lower pitched that "Rochester's."
[Maxwell] So that would make it sound more gravelly.
[Maxwell] As Rochester that is.
[Barbara] I thought Jack and Mary did a good job on their duet at the end of the show today.
[Maxwell] Kay and I were just talking about how we enjoyed Mary's singing in general.
[KayLhota] yes, I think she has a very warm and lovely voice
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[Maxwell] Oops...there she goes!
[Barbara] She did a duet with Van Johnson once and probably others.
[Laura Leff] I presume I'm the only one who got kicked off...
[Maxwell] And back again.
[Maxwell] Yup.
[Laura Leff] All of a sudden, my computer lost the connnection to my WLAN
[KayLhota] I love when she sings "Holy Smoke, Can't you take a joke" with Phil Harris
[Laura Leff] Don't know what's up...I'm wired Ethernet now, will reboot later.
[Barbara] I don't know that one.
[Laura Leff] If someone could E-mail me whatever I missed, that would be appreciated.
[KayLhota] I think it was the Easter episode from 1940
[Laura Leff] So what did I miss?
[KayLhota] just after the one with Orson Welles, and just before the episode that spoofed "Pinocchio"
[Scott in KC] Is it me, but the pre-WW II shows seemed different than the post WW-II ones. Mary was less sarcastic and Dennis seemed to sound mature.
[Laura Leff] Different writers
[KayLhota] that does make some sense.
[Barbara] We were discussing Mary singing duets with various people.
[Laura Leff] She was less sarcastic before or after the war?
[Laura Leff] She used to sing a lot more in the 30s. But you probably said that.
[Maxwell] LL: The transcript is on its way.
[Barbara] I would think before.
[Laura Leff] c.f. Snow White and the Seven Gangsters
[Scott in KC] After, Laura, in my opinion.
[Laura Leff] Maxwell - Thanks!
[Laura Leff] Scott - True, although check some of the Yosemite shows and you'll find her pretty ornery.
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[Laura Leff] Mary duetting with Harry Baldwin...certainly a duet to forget...
[Maxwell] Hi Pooh
[Scott in KC] Laura, they were the shows I was thinking about.
[Pooh Dreerson] Hello, you all
[Laura Leff] Harry Baldwin had more hair than tonal ability.
[Laura Leff] Hi Pooh!
[KayLhota] Hi Pooh Dreerson
[Scott in KC] HNY Pooh!
[Laura Leff] Scott - Oh got it...she was less sarcastic after the war.
[Laura Leff] But Mary before Yosemite was more the dizzy dame.
[Scott in KC] Yes, Laura. Maybe CBS told her to chill.
[Barbara] I thought she was pretty sarcastic most of the time, before or after.
[Barbara] As George Balzer said, "She reads what we write for her to read."
[Laura Leff] Harry Conn made her pretty much a ditz, and Morrow-Beloin started developing other aspects to her.
[Laura Leff] I still laugh at the billing of her in the early 30s as "Jack Benny's pest girl".
[Scott in KC] I was surprised to see her on the Benny DVD's I bought. I thought she developed stage fright.
[Laura Leff] Scott - She was only on filmed shows, no live ones.
[KayLhota] she did the television show during the 1950's
[KayLhota] yes, filmed
[Maxwell] Perception is everything...I remember watching the show in the '50s and I remembered ehr as being on more than she actually was.
[Laura Leff] Early 50s mainly. She was in the Europe shows in 1956, but I don't think much after that.
[KayLhota] and she retired as soon as she could
[Scott in KC] Laura, was the laughter canned or real?
[Laura Leff] Maxwell - Not uncommon. Some people think Jack went to the vault every other show.
[KayLhota] canned on the filmed epiosdes
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[Laura Leff] Scott - On the TV shows?
[Laura Leff] Hi Mike!
[KayLhota] Hi Mike
[Maxwell] Hi Mike
[Mike Amo] Hi kids!
[Scott in KC] Thanks Kay.
[Maxwell] Live audience on the shows from Television City.
[Maxwell] You can even see the first row on some of those shows when Jack makes his entrance.
[Laura Leff] Sometimes they'd have a very small audience for the filmed shows, but mostly crew. So they'd have to can it.
[Mike Amo] LL, it worked! But I missed y'all by 30 minutes last month when it did {:oP
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[Maxwell] Hi radio
[Laura Leff] Mike - I had to upgrade my Java client as well..took a while.
[Scott in KC] I was impressed how the TV sets were so elaborate.
[Laura Leff] RM? Is that really you?
[radiomaster] hello Laura...long time, eh? Jell-O everyone!
[KayLhota] Hi RM
[radiomaster] it is indeed me
[Laura Leff] Welcome in! Glad to see you again! I'm sure Dan would send his regards if he was in the room.
[radiomaster] Good Ole Dan!!! you must tell him hello
[Laura Leff] I will definitely do that.
[radiomaster] hey Mike!!
[Mike Amo] Going to Television City Jan. 30 to see Craig Ferguson's show...is the studio Jack worked in still there?
[Mike Amo] Hi Rm
[Maxwell] I was going to ask which studio he used. From the kinescopes I've seen it looks like the same set as Judy Garland used.
[Laura Leff] Mike - Must be...I don't know of them destroying any studios at Television City.
[radiomaster] have you found Jack's house, yet?
[Barbara] I think the studios were 31 and 33. I'm sure they're still there.
[Laura Leff] RM - ???
[Mike Amo] lol, ya beat me to it, and somehow it didn't even come out right...Hi RM!!
[radiomaster] it was a joke from when we were in LA, Laura
[Laura Leff] Scott - Live. You can sometimes hear Kenny Baker singing with them because his voice was so high and distinctive.
[Pooh Dreerson] Practically everything was live prior to 1942, wasn't it?
[Laura Leff] RM - Yup, figured that. I guess the question would be *which* of Jack's houses you're trying to find...
[Mike Amo] And hi everyone else!! I'll try to find a Confederate Guard when I'm at TV City ... he'll remember Jack and maybe where the vault is
[Laura Leff] Pooh - Maybe some recorded sound effects, but mostly yes.
[Laura Leff] So what other thoughts on the show for tonight?
[Scott in KC] Is that Guard's name Ed?
[Maxwell] Always love Mel as the Maxwell.
[Laura Leff] I was impressed that Mary could get her voice so low after the Amos n Andy exchange.
[Barbara] I thought it was a pretty good show and got a lot of publicity for CBS.
[Maxwell] And I always cringe when I hear Correll and Gosden.
[Laura Leff] She sounds like Babe!
[radiomaster] I think it was MIke, Eric, and the lady from Arizona...name starts with an 'M", I think...we were driving around trying to find the house on Roxbury...it was dark...never did find it...and you KNOW how Eric was that evening!!!
[Barbara] The house on Roxbury is pretty easy to spot if you know the house number.
[Laura Leff] RM - I hope not after the Friars!
[radiomaster] yep...afraid so
[radiomaster] I was driving, tho
[Laura Leff] RM - Wait...you went out driving after you left us?????
[Laura Leff] Is this like when we were all considering crashing the Am Echod cemetery at 3AM?
[radiomaster] no, no...this was right before meeting you guys back after the hotel
[radiomaster] I had taken Eric back to his hotel before that
[Laura Leff] RM - OK, that's a little less scary. I thought this was after the maid's cart episode.
[radiomaster] before
[Laura Leff] Sorry for all the "inside stuff" folks...behind-the-scenes look at the 39 Forever convention...
[radiomaster] that was classic though
[KayLhota] wish I could have been there
[Laura Leff] It was pretty darned unforgettable. Dan and I still talk about it.
[radiomaster] Melanie...that's it
[Mike Amo] I haven't played the show in a month...was Stanton the West Coast head of CBS...I saw where he died about a week ago
[Laura Leff] Oh...Melanie Aultman. She's from Florida.
[Laura Leff] Mike - He did? I missed that.
[radiomaster] that's right...she must have been on vacation in Arizona before the show
[Mike Amo] It was lost between the deaths of James Brown and Gerald Ford...all three in 2 days
[Laura Leff] Yes, I think Don Thornberg was West Coast CBS.
[Maxwell] Stanton passed away 12/24.
[radiomaster] were these Paley henchmen?
[Mike Amo] I just remembered the scene at the end of the episode where someone came in talking to Jack on behalf of Mr. Paley, didn't remember who
[Laura Leff] It's Don Thornberg
[Mike Amo] And great job with the George Balzer interview! Only had time to read parts of it so far
[Laura Leff] Barbara - Do you know when Paley transitioned to CA?
[radiomaster] is Balzer still alive?
[Laura Leff] Mike - Thank you. Like I said in the issue, I reread it and figured it was time to consolidate and rerun it.
[Laura Leff] RM - Nope. I flew down for his funeral on Yom Kippur..
[Laura Leff] RM - Current issue of The Jack Benny Times is devoted to him.
[radiomaster] I LOVED the SPERDVAC convention he did back in 1986
[Maxwell] Let me add to those who said it was a great interview.
[radiomaster] have to get that one, LL
[Laura Leff] The credit for interviews always goes to the interviewee, so the thanks to George!
[Barbara] I'm afraid I don't know when Paley went to L.A., Laura. I did enjoy the Jack Benny Times too.
[Laura Leff] Barbara - OK. Just curious since it seems he was still in NY at this time.
[Laura Leff] And, of course, Jack would still have to travel back East to do the TV shows for a while.
***some loss***
[Laura Leff] Scott - 3/17/56
[Laura Leff] Fred Allen had a face for radio.
[Mike Amo] Played some for mom and stepdad last night
[Pooh Dreerson] According to Dunning, Fred Allen left the airwaves in June 1949
[radiomaster] LL
[Scott in KC] He was walking his dog?
[Maxwell] His seat on What's My Line became the rotating guest star seat.
[Mike Amo] Stepdad is 95, saw Jack at the Palace Theatre in 1925
[Laura Leff] Scott - He was walking in Central Park, and died in front of his building.
[Mike Amo] Mom saw Jack and Mary on a cruise crossing the Atlantic in the late 1940s
[Laura Leff] Mike - Whoa...what I wouldn't give to go back in time and see that!
[radiomaster] dr said he was okay the day before...right, LL?
[KayLhota] yes, I read that story, Radiomaster
[Mike Amo] That was the story I kept hearing, but I don't think that was the case
[Laura Leff] RM - Right, had just gotten a clean bill of health, although I know he'd had some health challenges.
[Scott in KC] Fred had a heart attack?
[KayLhota] yes, and went very quickly
[Laura Leff] Supposedly everyone was crowding around and looking at him, but didn't recognize him because he wasn't big on TV.
[Barbara] I remember jack eulogizing him and he was in tears.
[KayLhota] there was a great deal of affection between them
[Laura Leff] Yes, there's a recording of Jack talking just shortly after the news, and he's very broken up.
[Scott in KC] Laura, they might have thought it was a gag, maybe?
[KayLhota] I don't think so, Scott.
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[Maxwell] Scott, that wasn't his kind of humor. I don't think so.
[Barbara] Fred was much more quick witted than Jack and Jack knew it.
[Laura Leff] Scott - Sort of like Dick Shawn's death on stage, I suppose. But no, he was just lying there on the sidewalk and people were wondering who he was.
[KayLhota] But these are New Yorkers, they may not know what to do when they see a fallen man.
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[Mike Amo] I hope I'm back
[Laura Leff] Well, he was dead...not much to do.
[Maxwell] You are.
[KayLhota] yeah
[Mike Amo] whew
[Laura Leff] Mike - Fred Allen was dead, not you.
[Pooh Dreerson]
[Laura Leff] So if Fred Allen had lived, what would he have done after 1956?
[Mike Amo] I was trying to type I'll have to look around and see where I read that Fred's death wasn't the way I'd heard it
[Laura Leff] Completed "Much Ado About Me" for one...
[KayLhota] probably continued to write and bounce in and out of television
[Maxwell] The only thing he was doing at the time on TV what What's My Line, afaik.
[radiomaster] he wouldn't have let Portland get married again..that's for sure!!!
[Laura Leff] Check the Stuart Canin interview from two issues ago...he talks about it.
[Mike Amo] ok, thanks LL
[Laura Leff] Fred was an extraordinary writer. It's too bad he only wrote two books.
[Pooh Dreerson] He probably would have been like Henry Morgan, TV guesting, appreciated by fans, not widely known otherwise
[Mike Amo] He would have had some fun on the lecture circuit, railing against TV
[Scott in KC] Laura, I have an off-the-wall question. How much did Jack Benny Show tickets cost?
[Maxwell] I remember when he died they made a big deal of it on the Today show...and I didn't know who they were talking about. I couldn't stay up late enough for What's My Line, and I didn't know hif from radio.
[Laura Leff] TV is called a medium because nothing is well done on it.
[Scott in KC] Laura.
[Barbara] The tickets were free. Jack said the audience better applaud or they wouldn't get in again.
[Laura Leff] Scott - Nothing. You couldn't charge admission to a broadcast.
[Laura Leff] Actually, there was one radio show where everyone had to give a pint of blood.
[Scott in KC] Thanks, Ladies.
[Scott in KC] For the war?
[Laura Leff] Imagine trying to do THAT week after week...after weak...
[Mike Amo] Barbara, what kind of a warmup for the audience did they do before the shows, or was there any?
[Laura Leff] Scott - I'd have to look up to see when it was. But I think it was post-War.
[Pooh Dreerson] I love photos of the cast performing on stage...that would have been such a thrill to watch
[Maxwell] There's a recording around of Phil Harris warming up the audience for his show...about 10 minutes.
[Laura Leff] Pooh - Have you seen the video clips on the site?
[Pooh Dreerson] No, I haven't, Laura
[radiomaster] hey...I just wanted to stop in and say HI for a few minutes..I'll try not to make myself a stranger
[Barbara] There was a warm up. Phil usually came out first and made some insults about Jack's age and then Jack came out with his cigar and got a few laughs and then Don said to be quiet so they could start the show.
[Laura Leff] Pooh - Check out (I think) Programs, then Video Clips. Two of them.
[Scott in KC] Are there any films of the radio shows?
[Pooh Dreerson] Okay, thanks
[KayLhota] oh, the video is outstanding, Pooh.
[Laura Leff] RM - Yes, you're always welcome here!
[Mike Amo] ok RM, take care
[radiomaster] Good Night everyone!
[Laura Leff] Best to the family, RM.
[Maxwell] good night RM.
[Pooh Dreerson] Night, RM
[radiomaster] you too, LL and mike
[KayLhota] good night RM
[radiomaster] night
[Laura Leff] Scott - That's the video clips.
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***some loss***
[Pooh Dreerson] I love how they used to announce the performer and the label at the beginning of those old cylinder recordings
[Maxwell] Most of my 78s are from the late 40s. That's when my parents got around to buying records.
[Laura Leff] Maxwell - I hear you. I'm hoping for a few things to happen to make that one easier for me.
[Maxwell] They had to. No label.
[Laura Leff] Maxwell - No "Cohen on the Telephone", eh?
[Maxwell] BTW, here's a good resource: www.tinfoil.com
[Maxwell] Nothing but cylinders.
[Laura Leff] Maxwell - Artist/piece is etched on the end of the cylinder.
[Maxwell] That didn't happen until the early 1900s.
[Laura Leff] But sometimes that would get brittle and chip off, especially if you hit it on the player.
[Scott in KC] I have Thomas Edison singing "Mary Had a Little Lamb."
[Laura Leff] Maxwell - OIC
[Laura Leff] Scott - Singing or reciting?
[Maxwell] Before it was on a separate piece of paper.
[Scott in KC] Laura, kinda both.
[Laura Leff] Some the cylinders will have a sticker on the end with the piece informatin.
[Laura Leff] Scott - I've heard a recitation.
[Laura Leff] OK, so here's something I'm curious about.
[Scott in KC] Laura...It is on a Kenny G. CD.
[Pooh Dreerson] I've picked up boatloads of those from Usenet...they've been posted surprisingly often
[Mike Amo] I heard something of Edison from 1876, might have been that
[Laura Leff] I was really, really jazzed when I got a copy of the one known disc from Jack's "Bright Moments".
[Maxwell] The oldest recording is on lead from 1878 (I think). Some guy named Lambert.
[Laura Leff] First known recording of Jack and all.
[Maxwell] That's another one you can hear on tinfoil.com
[Laura Leff] Mike - Probably not 1876, think that's when he invented it.
[Maxwell] Edison did a recreation sometime in the '20s, I think.
[Mike Amo] The Edison recording was discovered something like 3-5 years ago
[Laura Leff] So I thought that was really historical and lots of people would want to hear it (Jack's first known recording).
[Laura Leff] but I think I've had a sum total of one request for it from the audio library. Why isn't this more popular?
[Pooh Dreerson] That's great, Laura
[Scott in KC] You REALLY amaze me, Laura.
[Laura Leff] Not that I'm trying to force it on anyone...I was just excited about it.
[Mike Amo] What year was Jack's first recording?
[Pooh Dreerson] What's the date on it, Laura?
[Laura Leff] Mike - 1928
[Scott in KC] We share your excitement!
[Laura Leff] It's about as close as you can get to Jack's vaudeville stuff.
[Laura Leff] So what else Benny-wise is on folks' minds tonight?
[Maxwell] A note regarding tonight's show, kind of...
[Scott in KC] Just 21 years and that recording will be a century old.
[Maxwell] Jack's last NBC show is up at www.nostalgiadigest.com through tomorrow.
[Pooh Dreerson] It's the only time I've heard a Sterno joke in a Benny program...
[Laura Leff] Jack wasn't even 39 yet.
[Laura Leff] Pooh - Except for the smudge pots.
[Mike Amo] I had a lot of fun listening to the shows while driving this weekend, but all the driving exhausted me, so not much more left on my mind but zzz :D
[Maxwell] Also, next month is Jack Benny Month on Chuck Schaden's show. He's going to be playing a lot of interviews he did with Jack, cast, writers, etc.
[Laura Leff] Should we call it good for this month?
[Pooh Dreerson] For some reason, I really love the "Made in 1899" gag...Rochester had such a way with lines like tht
[Scott in KC] Did the actors on the Jack Benny Show ever socialize with each other off mic?
[Laura Leff] So does Chuck still maintain his own show in addition to When Radio Was?
[Maxwell] Yup. 4 hours every Saturday.
[Laura Leff] Scott - Some more than others.
[Laura Leff] Scott - Jack and Mel tended to go out with their wives.
[KayLhota] Mel Blanc sociallized with Jack Benny, and Mel wasn't much for socializing with show biz folks
[Laura Leff] Dennis had a lot of family obligations, and Phil tended to run with a different crowd.
[Laura Leff] Jack and Mary socialized from time to time.
[KayLhota]
[Pooh Dreerson] What kind of crowd did Phil run around with?
[Pooh Dreerson]
[Scott in KC] Dennis and his wife were too busy having children!
[Laura Leff] Pooh - More musician-oriented than "star" oriented.
[Laura Leff] As for Rochester, I've seen a few home movies of other African American stars over at his house
[Laura Leff] such as Duke Ellington, etc.
[Laura Leff] Don's an enigma.
[KayLhota] how so?
[Pooh Dreerson] Is that a synonym for "huge"?
[Laura Leff] Jack's crowd was more like the gang at Hillcrest Country Club, or people like Clark Gable-Carole Lombard, etc.
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[Laura Leff] Kay - Just not much personal known about him. Five wives (???), etc.
[KayLhota] Hi Tucker
[Maxwell] Hello Tucker
[Laura Leff] Hello Tucker
[Pooh Dreerson] Five wives??
[TuckerMike] Oh here it is!
[Maxwell] He took weekends off.
[Laura Leff] Pooh - Yup. The most marriages of anyone on the Benny staff (as far as we know)
[Scott in KC] HNY Tucker. FIVE wives!?????
[Laura Leff] One of them titled!
[Pooh Dreerson] Wow
[Maxwell] Was she a book or a short story?
[Laura Leff] I think that marriage lasted about a year, and was supposedly divorce over mental cruelty.
[TuckerMike] shoot me can'y handel that many, had to scale down to 2
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[Maxwell] Ah...short story.
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[Scott in KC] Donsy seems like a sweet guy, not?
[Laura Leff] Most of them other than Lois Corbett were short stories.
[TuckerMike] Hi Laura, I actuly interviewd you once for a OTR podcast about a year ogo now.
[Laura Leff] Scott - You'd think...but five marriages says something.
[Laura Leff] Tucker - Oh yes...I remember that!
[Laura Leff] Tucker - I think we talked right around the start of the Benny stamp campaign.
[Pooh Dreerson] He seemed from his on-air persona more than anyone like an ordinary guy who would have stayed married to the same woman for decades
[TuckerMike] yeah
[Laura Leff] Pooh - That's exactly it...makes one wonder what the story was.
[Laura Leff] OK, trivia time.
[Laura Leff] Who had the *longest* marriage of anyone on the Benny staff?
[TuckerMike] it should still be up at the site in the archives main page
[KayLhota] Mel Blanc?
[TuckerMike] shall I plug?
[Laura Leff] Kay - Correct.
[Laura Leff] Tucker - Please do.
[TuckerMike] http://tucker.libsyn.com
[Laura Leff] But I can't imagine anyone in this room would want to hear me gab. They know me too well.
[Scott in KC] I watch the actors' body language, now that I have DVD's of Jack's shows. Donsy seemed mellow.
[Laura Leff] They can listen to other people.
[TuckerMike] alas because of sceduling I couldn't keep the series going any more
[Laura Leff] Tucker - Sorry to hear that. I know how hard it is to keep a venture going year after year.
[TuckerMike] I had fun doing it, but was time comsuming delivering a new show every week
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[Laura Leff] Tucker - That's a big reason that we trimmed down my Yesterday USA spot to 10-15 minutes per week.
[TuckerMike] so which show are you discussing tonight?
[Laura Leff] So what else? What other questions?
[Laura Leff] Tucker - The first show on CBS.
[TuckerMike] lol, oh, I actuly did that one last year!
[Laura Leff] You aired it or you recreated it?
[Laura Leff] A lot of parts to cast in this one!
[TuckerMike] I've been listening to alot of the "I hate Jack Benny Because.." episodes over the holidays
[Mike Amo] If I miss everyone, have a greart month
[Laura Leff] You too, Mike!
[Scott in KC] Did Jack ever indicate which network he liked to work for more, CBS or NBC?
[Maxwell] You too, Mike.
[KayLhota] interesting question
[Laura Leff] Tucker - Mike Amo's been listening to those too
[KayLhota] goodnight Mike
[Scott in KC] See ya, Mike.
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[Laura Leff] Scott - I asked someone recently about that...I think it was Jeanette Eymann.
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[Mike Amo] Thanks for getting this running again LL <poof!>
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[Laura Leff] Remember that Jack was doing primarily radio for NBC and TV for CBS.
[Scott in KC] Who is/was she?
[KayLhota] so, the CBS experience was different.
[Laura Leff] Scott - Jeanette was the script secretary.
[Laura Leff] Kay - Right. And Jack brought over more than just his cast to CBS.
[Scott in KC] In his latter years, Jack did NBC specials, as I recall.
[Maxwell] His last season with the weekly show was on NBC, too.
[Laura Leff] So the network knew how to treat a star...I'm told there wasn't a lot of difference.
[KayLhota] his final regular TV series season was on NBC on Friday nights
[Laura Leff] Yes, thank James Aubrey for that one.
[Laura Leff] "You're through, old man!"
[KayLhota] well, Aubrey was a nasty man
[TuckerMike] yeah Laura, I was gonna ask, if you were still doing the YUSA show?
[Laura Leff] Tucker - Yes. We've just shortened it. Too much to do half an hour of gab each week.
[Scott in KC] Where can I hear that show in the Kansas City market?
[Laura Leff] Everyone here knows the James Aubrey story, right?
[TuckerMike] to bad, I lered alot, that way
[Laura Leff] Scott - Yesterday USA?
[Scott in KC] Yes, Laura.
[KayLhota] I've heard a few Aubrey stories, but not that particular one
[Laura Leff] Scott - www.yesterdayusa.com
[Scott in KC] Thanks.
[Maxwell] I have to get out of here. G'night everybody.
[Laura Leff] Take care, Maxwell!
[KayLhota] I had heard how unkindly he cancelled Garry Moore
[TuckerMike] you can here it online
[Pooh Dreerson] night, maxwell
[Scott in KC] HNY Max.
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[Laura Leff] Kay - Basically that they'd decided to cancel Jack's weekly show, but Paley wanted to keep him on for specials.
[Laura Leff] But Aubrey got wind of it first, and informed Jack with a line of "You're through, old man!" or words to that effect.
[KayLhota] the man was such a loser.
[Laura Leff] Paley was so angry that he fired Aubrey and his right-hand man, Keefe Brasselle.
[TuckerMike] wow
[Laura Leff] Brasselle went on to write "The CanniBalS", which included a character that was basically Jack.
[KayLhota] Aubrey went to MGM and proceeded to cheapen the movie studio
[Laura Leff] There's a discussion on the Forum about "The CanniBalS", and it sounds like it's a pretty lousy book.
[Laura Leff] So that's why Jack went back to NBC.
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[KayLhota] I wonder if a copy can be found. It probably was an interesting subject but untalentedly written
[Laura Leff] I was just thinking I should look it up on addall.com
[Laura Leff] Other topics for discussion?
[TuckerMike] hey, this divers from thing a bit, but anybody ever see or hear about a really bad b-move from the early 80' "The Jet Benny Show"?
[Laura Leff] Tucker - AIIEIEEEEIEIIIEIEEIEII
[KayLhota] no
[TuckerMike] *80's*
[TuckerMike]
[Laura Leff] Please, please....*curling up in a fetal position*....don't mention that movie
[KayLhota]
[Pooh Dreerson]
[Laura Leff] *sobbing*
[Laura Leff] Scott - Must have a really long Ethernet cable.
[KayLhota] particularly if this is a story that has real life people and situations
[Scott in KC] Laura.
[Laura Leff] Or an amazingly powerful hotspot
[Laura Leff] Kay - Right. c.f. Hollywoodland
[TuckerMike] a dream porject and dream time to do it all, would be to animate cool otr series, like the Shadow for a start
[KayLhota] you can't help but compare and if you know a partical of the story you would demand perfection
[Laura Leff] Tucker - I know there's a guy on the East Coast who's been trying to do that ("Radiotoons"), but no buyers yet.
[TuckerMike] actuly, a idea would be to animate the actual audio from the shows themselves
[TuckerMike] ..... agin.. I'm a carzy
[Laura Leff] Tucker - Right...that was his pitch
[KayLhota] the expense to do it well would be astronomical
[Laura Leff] Kay - Maybe not as much as once upon a time, with computer animation.
[Scott in KC] I have my own idea what Fibber McGee's closet looks like. I do not have to see it.
[TuckerMike] yeah.. it would be.. just to damn time consuming and would have to have a staff the size of Disney
[Pooh Dreerson] I think it would take quite a cultural change to make something like that commercially appealing
[TuckerMike] I want to see a biopic of fibber and molly
[Laura Leff] Pooh - In the 60s, Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll did an animated series which was basiclly Amos n Andy converted to animal characters
[Pooh Dreerson] Yes, Laura, I loved that show!
[Pooh Dreerson] Calvin and the Colonel...I even bought the comic book
[Laura Leff] Calvin and the Colonel,
[Laura Leff] yeah
[Laura Leff] Pooh - Supposedly some stuffed animals from that as well were made
[Fred Allen] There was a movie with Fibber McGee and Molly and Edgar Bergan in it
[Laura Leff] The Mouse That Jack Built
[Pooh Dreerson] I never saw those...I did manage to buy a copy of one show sometime back from Kinevideo
[Laura Leff] Heavenly Days?
[TuckerMike] and in the movie act ut the shows famous bits like it was on an actual set, with thier living room, and diffrect character coming thru the door
[Laura Leff] Fibber and Molly were also in "This Way Please" which included Mary in a solo role.
[Scott in KC] Did Fibber McGee and Jack ever do a show together?
[Pooh Dreerson] I believe Lucy was in one of the Fibber & Molly movies, but I don't remember which one
[Laura Leff] Scott - Not that I can think of off the top of my head. Wistful Vista was too far from Beverly Hills.
[TuckerMike] I havn't seen those, but hear they're not that great
[Pooh Dreerson] Oh, yes, it was "Look Who's Laughing"
[Scott in KC] Laura, did they ever "share" actors for each other's show?
[TuckerMike] but speaking of movies, I saw "To Be, or Not to Be" not that long ago
[KayLhota] did you enjoy it tucker?
[Laura Leff] Scott - A lot of the supporting players were on multiple shows. But I know Jack liked to "protect" his core cast.
[TuckerMike] yeah it was supisenly good
[TuckerMike] and funny
[Laura Leff] It's Jack's best movie.
[KayLhota] what suprised you?
[Fred Allen] I enjoyed Jack's version better than Mel Brooks'
[Laura Leff] That part was written for him.
[TuckerMike] totaly it was
[Laura Leff] Fred - Yes...Lubitsch vs. Brooks...the former has infinitely more subtlety!
[TuckerMike] yeah was watching the benny ver, and realized that this was a mel brooks movie
[KayLhota] Mel Brooks didn't direct it
[TuckerMike] I know
[KayLhota] he starred and it was produced through his company
[Pooh Dreerson] I've never seen the Brooks version, but I've heard that it was an almost scene-by-scene recreation...is that true?
[Fred Allen] I saw on some show that Mel Brooks produced The Elephant Man under an assumed name
[KayLhota] it isn't a scene for scene remake
[Laura Leff] Fred - Is that true, or a joke?
[TuckerMike] not exactly poo
[KayLhota] actually I like the remake for it's sake.
[Fred Allen] I think I saw it on TCM
[TuckerMike] i think mel is dressed up as Hitler in his version
[Laura Leff] Kay - Can't be...there's no "Sweet Georgia Brown" dance number in the original.
[KayLhota] sung in polish
[Laura Leff] I still like the story about Jack's father walking out on the movie.
[Pooh Dreerson] Why, Laura?
[Laura Leff] Pooh - Why do I like it, or why did he walk out?
[TuckerMike] what's that story?
[Pooh Dreerson] Why did he walk out?
[TuckerMike] the nazi stuff?
[Laura Leff] Ah...basically, Meyer was in Florida, and his nurse was used to having to see every Benny movie about a thousand times.
[Laura Leff] So they go to see TBONTB, and all of a sudden when Jack comes on screen,
[Laura Leff] Meyer stands up and storms out of the theatre.
[Laura Leff] Supposedly the nurse is somewhat relieved that she's not going to have to see THIS movie a thousand times.
[KayLhota]
[Laura Leff] So Jack calls his father to ask him what he thought of the movie.
[Pooh Dreerson]
[Laura Leff] Meyer says something like, "You're not my son."
[TuckerMike] funny
[Laura Leff] Jack is flummoxed, and is trying to figure out why his father is so upset.
[Laura Leff] Finally, Meyer says, "No son of mine would wear a Nazi uniform."
[TuckerMike] thought so
[Pooh Dreerson] Ah
[Laura Leff] Now Jack understands, and says, "But Dad, I'm making FUN of the Nazis. You need to see the rest of the movie."
[Laura Leff] Jack has to argue with his father for a while, but finally calms him down and convinces him to go back and see the movie.
[Fred Allen] Just looked up The Elephant Man on IMDB. It was Executive Produced by Mel Brooks
[Laura Leff] Meyer does, and supposedly he ended up (probably with the nurse) seeing that movie more times than he saw any other Benny movie.
[Scott in KC] Was Meyer Reform, Orothox, or Conservative?
[Laura Leff] Fred - Wild. Definitely not something I think of as a Mel Brooks movie!
[Fred Allen] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080678/trivia
[Pooh Dreerson] The poor nurse :-)
[Laura Leff] Scott - Orthodox.
[Laura Leff] Pooh - Hey, at least it wasn't "The Jet Benny Show".
[Scott in KC] Thanks, Laura. Excuse my spelling.
[TuckerMike] thank god
[Pooh Dreerson] That would have killed him in short order, wouldn't it?
[Laura Leff] Scott - No problem. My typing has been a little off tonight.
[Laura Leff] Pooh - It would have inspired suicide.
[KayLhota]
[Laura Leff] You know, some day, someone connected with that movie is going to come onto this chat.
[Pooh Dreerson] My favorite Benny movie is "To Be..." but I love the radio adaptation of "Horn Blows at Midnight" better than any of the movies
[Laura Leff] And they're probably not going to like me much for panning their movie so much.
[Scott in KC] <<< Tired Presbyterian.
[Laura Leff] Pooh - I hear that.
[KayLhota] the radio adaptation of Horn is nice, isn't it?
[Laura Leff] Scott - Have some lime Jell-O with shredded carrots...it will pick you up.
[Pooh Dreerson] I only wish it could have gone onto the screen that way...with lots of Benny humor, Claude Rains, etc.
[Laura Leff] Kay - It's as timely today as it was then.
[Scott in KC] Maybe a Lucky Strike?
[Laura Leff] Pooh - Much better ending, too.
[Laura Leff] Scott - No, it's better with shredded carrots.
[KayLhota] yes, it does have more heart
[Pooh Dreerson] Oh yeah, much better written
[Scott in KC] (I do not smoke, either.)
[TuckerMike] whats funny I heard the horn blows parady first, then saw the movie, I'm not sure witch is siller
[Pooh Dreerson] Will "Buck Benny Rides Again" ever see a legal release?
[Laura Leff] Pooh - I sure wish. It's a good movie.
[Scott in KC] Laura, maybe I need the "stoke up breakfast" of Grape Nuts?
[KayLhota] it's up to Universal/MCA
[Pooh Dreerson] It is...I love a lot of things about it, one of them the amount of time Rochester gets onscreen, his dancing, etc.
[Laura Leff] Scott- Remember, it's not ray-shunned
[TuckerMike] never saw the buck bennt movie
[Laura Leff] Pooh - Check out "Man About Town" as well.
[TuckerMike] "Buck Benny"
[Pooh Dreerson] "Buck Benny" never made it out on VHS, did it?
[KayLhota] it's an entertaining movie, Tucker.
[Laura Leff] Pooh - Nope.
[Scott in KC] ^5 Laura.
[Laura Leff] Available through the video library though.
[Pooh Dreerson] So where does this "collector's print" come from?
[Fred Allen] It's been on Turner though
[KayLhota] I taped it when it was on AMC ten years ago
[Laura Leff] Pooh - The one in the video library?
[KayLhota] not Turner, Fred.
[TuckerMike] oh, cool
[Pooh Dreerson] I guess so, if that's the same one I got a dub of from eBay
[Fred Allen] I've seen it on some channel, I'm pretty sure it was TCM
[Fred Allen] It may have been AMC before they started doing commercials
[TuckerMike] any one nitice all the cool vanguard movies Turner has been playing lately?
[Laura Leff] Some day I may have TCM...not on our expanded basic.
[Fred Allen] Lots of Van Johnson yesterday
[Pooh Dreerson] It's the best channel around right now, Laura
[KayLhota] TCM is about the only thing I watch
[Scott in KC] I can loan any of you my Jack Benny DVD's, if you are interested.
[Pooh Dreerson] I've been DVDing like mad from TCM over the last year...up to 2,100 films now and counting
[Laura Leff] Pooh - Dang...quite an archive.
[Pooh Dreerson] DVD Recorders make it so easy, Laura
[TuckerMike] yeah I sit up all night watching Turner sometimes
[Laura Leff] Pooh - Understood. We watch more DVDs (rented) than TV, for the most part.
[Scott in KC] Will you have time to actually see them, Pooh?
[Laura Leff] Just finished watching all the Sopranos episodes on DVD.
[Pooh Dreerson] Maybe when I retire, Scott :-)
[Pooh Dreerson] Right now I watch one or two a week
[Laura Leff] That was my problem with videotape. I'd record something and then never have time to watch it.
[Pooh Dreerson] I should try watching Sopranos that way, never bought one of those boxed sets...pricey...
[KayLhota] gee, now I have the Buck Benny songs running through my head
[Scott in KC] By the time you retire, there will be a different medium other than DVD's to watch movies and TV.
[TuckerMike] gonna start on either the new dr who, or the Baterstar Galactica dvds
[Laura Leff] It's an extraordinary series. Good rental.
[Pooh Dreerson] Scott...auurggh, you're probably right
[Laura Leff] Pooh - Have some 8-tracks?
[Scott in KC] Pooh!
[Pooh Dreerson] No, but I have a friend who still plays those
[Laura Leff] OK, my computer's running out of juice...
[Laura Leff] Pooh - I can too. But then again, I can still play cylinders.
[Fred Allen] I got you beat, I have an Edison cylinder player
[Pooh Dreerson] Those drove me crazy...hearing "Hey Jude" in two parts, with a click-click in between
[Laura Leff] Fred - I'll see your cylinder player and raise you a Zonophone.
[KayLhota]
[Fred Allen] I have a Victrola also
[Pooh Dreerson] I've got a few 78rpm albums, but nothing to play them on
[Laura Leff] (Now watch, he'll raise me a Berliner.)
[TuckerMike] yikes, well I got a player that playes 78s
[Scott in KC] << Looking for an old Victrola.
[Laura Leff] I invested in a professional turntable a few years ago that has a 78 setting.
[Laura Leff] Scott - You should see my basement.
[Pooh Dreerson] How much, Laura?
[Scott in KC] Fred, wanna sell it for my Philco Radio?
[TuckerMike] yeah all you need is a tabe that has a 78 setting
[Scott in KC] I mean trade.
[Laura Leff] Pooh - I got it on sale...I think the original price was around $450, but I think I paid around $200.
[Fred Allen] No, I have an old cabinet model radio and an old table top as well
[Laura Leff] Maybe $300.
[Pooh Dreerson] That's a good deal
[Laura Leff] Yes, it's served me extremely well *knock wood*
[Pooh Dreerson] Did you need a different needle to play the 78 setting?
[Scott in KC] My Philco Radio gets better reception than my fancy stereo system.
[Laura Leff] Pooh - No. Technically you're supposed to use one, but I use the same diamond for everything.
[TuckerMike] i got mine from a frind of my moms, she was getting rid of it
[Laura Leff] It's an extraordinary series. Good rental.
[Pooh Dreerson] Scott...auurggh, you're probably right
[Laura Leff] Pooh - Have some 8-tracks?
[Scott in KC] Pooh!
[Pooh Dreerson] No, but I have a friend who still plays those
[Laura Leff] OK, my computer's running out of juice...
[Laura Leff] Pooh - I can too. But then again, I can still play cylinders.
[Fred Allen] I got you beat, I have an Edison cylinder player
[Pooh Dreerson] Those drove me crazy...hearing "Hey Jude" in two parts, with a click-click in between
[Laura Leff] Fred - I'll see your cylinder player and raise you a Zonophone.
[KayLhota]
[Fred Allen] I have a Victrola also
[Pooh Dreerson] I've got a few 78rpm albums, but nothing to play them on
[Laura Leff] (Now watch, he'll raise me a Berliner.)
[TuckerMike] yikes, well I got a player that playes 78s
[Scott in KC] << Looking for an old Victrola.
[Laura Leff] I invested in a professional turntable a few years ago that has a 78 setting.
[Laura Leff] Scott - You should see my basement.
[Pooh Dreerson] How much, Laura?
[Scott in KC] Fred, wanna sell it for my Philco Radio?
[TuckerMike] yeah all you need is a tabe that has a 78 setting
[Scott in KC] I mean trade.
[Laura Leff] Pooh - I got it on sale...I think the original price was around $450, but I think I paid around $200.
[Fred Allen] No, I have an old cabinet model radio and an old table top as well
[Laura Leff] Maybe $300.
[Pooh Dreerson] That's a good deal
[Laura Leff] Yes, it's served me extremely well *knock wood*
[Pooh Dreerson] Did you need a different needle to play the 78 setting?
[Scott in KC] My Philco Radio gets better reception than my fancy stereo system.
[Laura Leff] Pooh - No. Technically you're supposed to use one, but I use the same diamond for everything.
[TuckerMike] i got mine from a frind of my moms, she was getting rid of it
[TuckerMike] all you need is a diamond needel
[Pooh Dreerson] You could still find lots of 78s at garage sales in the 80s..doubt that's still true, though
[Laura Leff] All you need is love...da da da da da...
[Laura Leff] Pooh - That's when I put my collection together. They were easy to come by.
[Fred Allen] I see them every once in a while, buty they are usually in bad shape
[Scott in KC] Laura, if I ever relocate back to Cali, can I see your Fibber McGeesque basement?
[Pooh Dreerson]
[Scott in KC] Or "may"?
[Laura Leff] Somebody said something about having some "really old" records a few years ago. So I asked to see them.
[Laura Leff] They were maybe late 60s early 70s.
[Laura Leff] Scott - Sure.
[Laura Leff] And it wasn't a young person who said it.
[Pooh Dreerson] Well, late 60s is now almost...forty years old
[Laura Leff] I challenged him about why he said they were "really old" and he shrugged and said, "I was on crack."
[Pooh Dreerson] (chill runs down spine)
[Laura Leff] Pooh - By that measure, I'm almost "really old".
[Scott in KC] I used to have a Jack Benny recording on disc with Jack discussing OTR.
[Pooh Dreerson] I'm in the same boat, Laura
[Laura Leff] Scott - "The Jack Benny Story"? The Jack Benny White Album?
[Pooh Dreerson] Jack Benny was on the White Album?
[Laura Leff] Pooh - Listen really closely to Revolution 9.....
[TuckerMike] yeah in Revolution #9"
[Laura Leff] (Yes, I'm kidding.)
[Scott in KC] No, Laura, the Longemes [?] series.
[Pooh Dreerson] "Number nine...number nine...now cut that out!"
[TuckerMike] backwards
[Fred Allen] Play it backwards though
[Laura Leff] Every day we get a little bit older and a little bit slower
[TuckerMike] on blotter paper
[Laura Leff] While playing a sitar
[Pooh Dreerson] "Take this brother, may it serve you...well!"
[Laura Leff] Turn off your mind, relax, and float downstream
[Scott in KC] If you play your C&W song backwards, you get your girl back, your dog back, your beer back....etc.
[Laura Leff] It is not dying...It is not dying...
[Laura Leff] Scott -
[Laura Leff] Don't forget about your truck back.
[Laura Leff] Pooh -
[Scott in KC] your truck back....
[TuckerMike] it "Anihime , Azusa and Kukamonga" in a loop
[Scott in KC] GMTA LL!
[Laura Leff] OK, I think my computer needs to be plugged in.
[Fred Allen] I thought on Jack's album, the song would go "Thirty-nine, Thirty-nine"....
[Laura Leff] Fred - Ooooooooooooo
[Pooh Dreerson]
[TuckerMike] running out of potatos to power it, laura?
[Scott in KC] Maybe Carmichael ate the AC wire?
[Laura Leff] Tucker - Yup...the gerbil is getting tired
[Laura Leff] Scott - That happened earlier this week. But it was an old wound inflicted by a rabbit some time ago.
[Laura Leff] I had to unplug it to plug into Ethernet
[Scott in KC] In search of a lost cord, Laura?
[Laura Leff] Scott - More like a chewed cord.
[Fred Allen] Now a Moody Blues reference
[Scott in KC] ^5 Fred
[Laura Leff] OK folks...feel free to hang out and chat as long as you like.
[Pooh Dreerson] "To lie in the meadow and hear the grass sing..."
[Pooh Dreerson] I've got to walk Charlie the Pup...he's getting restless...
[Laura Leff] Thanks for stopping, and see you next month!
[TuckerMike] yusa, is playing "bob and Ray", even I think it's kinda wierd
[Pooh Dreerson] Night, you all, have a good post-holiday season