| Laura
Leff |
3:08 PM |
|
| Today it
would be offensive if a non-African American said the
n-word. But I wonder if anyone will ever find the
African-American use of the term to be offensive. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:08 PM |
|
| What does
she want? Him dancing with one of the Sportsmen? |
| Laura
Leff |
3:08 PM |
|
| And I've
heard people call the Si-sy routine racist. |
| R.
Hookie |
3:09 PM |
|
| It was just
funny |
| Phil
Curry |
3:09 PM |
|
| Si |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:09 PM |
|
| oh now THAT
would be au courant and cool. Academics love all the swish and gay jokes
as very subversive |
| Laura
Leff |
3:09 PM |
|
| I love the
movie "The Celluloid Closet." |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:10 PM |
|
| that is a
great documentary |
| Laura
Leff |
3:10 PM |
|
| Now the
assertions that Rochester and Jack were sleeping together are way out in
left field--I don't think they're even close to the
ballpark. |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:10 PM |
|
| the last
"safe" group to make fun of is hillbillies. I wish "Jack's
friend from Calabasas" was funnier |
| Phil
Curry |
3:10 PM |
|
| What about
Amos n ANdy |
| Laura
Leff |
3:11 PM |
|
| Fortunately
that seems to originate with just one academic paper that I haven't had
the stomach to finish reading. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:11 PM |
|
| Yeah, I'm
sad that Sam Hearn couldn't make more out of that character. |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:11 PM |
|
| exactly, I
know an academic published a book last year where he asserted that ANY
time two men are seen together (this book was about 1930s-40s comedy) they
are gay. Hope and Crosby too |
| R.
Hookie |
3:12 PM |
|
| That's
ridiculous |
| Laura
Leff |
3:12 PM |
|
| Geez |
| R.
Hookie |
3:13 PM |
|
| so, Abbott
and Costello? |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:13 PM |
|
| you got
it! The only twig of respect I give'em is that
audiences/listeners/viewers can make anything they want to out of what
they see. If you WANT characters to be gay or racist or whatever, no
author can stop the audience from thinking so |
| Laura
Leff |
3:13 PM |
|
| Stoopnagle
and Budd? |
| Laura
Leff |
3:13 PM |
|
| And what of
the Ritz Brothers? |
| Phil
Curry |
3:13 PM |
|
| Martin and
Lowis |
| Laura
Leff |
3:13 PM |
|
| They've been
reading too many Tijuana Bibles. |
| Phil
Curry |
3:13 PM |
|
| lewis |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:13 PM |
|
| all the Marx
Brothers, including Gummo! |
| R.
Hookie |
3:14 PM |
|
| Rowan and
Martin? |
| Phil
Curry |
3:14 PM |
|
| and zeppo |
| Laura
Leff |
3:14 PM |
|
| Van and
Schenk |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:14 PM |
|
| I think this
phase of "scholarship" will be over in a while, luckily |
| Laura
Leff |
3:14 PM |
|
| And now we
know why the Happiness Boys were so happy. |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:14 PM |
|
| how do you
do, how do you do, wasn't that the Happiness Boys line? |
| Laura
Leff |
3:14 PM |
|
| There are a
few things in Celluloid Closet that I think are reading something in
that's not there, but not many. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:14 PM |
|
| How do you
do everybody how do you |
| Laura
Leff |
3:14 PM |
|
| Gee it's
great to say hello to all of you |
| Laura
Leff |
3:15 PM |
|
| I'm Billy
Jones! I'm Ernie Hare! |
| R.
Hookie |
3:15 PM |
|
| What's their
thoughts on Laverne and Shirley? |
| Laura
Leff |
3:15 PM |
|
| We're the
Interwoven Pair! |
| Laura
Leff |
3:15 PM |
|
| How do you
doodle-doodle-doodle-doodle-doo. |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:15 PM |
|
| haha such a
memory you have! you'll have me singing the Pepsi jingle |
|
| and you got
it, any two women together are considered an opportunity for lesbianism. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:16 PM |
|
| Well, I've
loved Jones and Hare for a long time, and collected their records. |
| R.
Hookie |
3:16 PM |
|
| Lenny and
Squiggy |
| Laura
Leff |
3:16 PM |
|
| And that's
one that I went, "I dunno about that" in Celluloid Closet...the
excerpt from Rebecca. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:16 PM |
|
| Moran and
Mack |
| Laura
Leff |
3:16 PM |
|
| Goldie,
Fields, and Glide |
| R.
Hookie |
3:17 PM |
|
| Two Bushels
and a Peck |
| Laura
Leff |
3:17 PM |
|
| Good one |
|
|
3:17 PM |
|
| Phil Curry
left the room. |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:17 PM |
|
| yeah, what
gets me is that these scholars are CERTAIN that sex is the top topic on
everyone's minds , 24 x 7. Perhaps for those writers |
| but
I think other folks might think differently |
|
| Laura
Leff |
3:17 PM |
|
| Oops...did
we offend Phil... |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:18 PM |
|
| or he might
have been burped out, ooops I will hope not. |
| R.
Hookie |
3:18 PM |
|
| I think he
went to see The New Look |
| Laura
Leff |
3:18 PM |
|
| Well said,
Kathy. It's why I've got an inherent cynicism about any kind
of artistic criticism. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:18 PM |
|
| You can read
just about anything into anything, and make an argument for
it. |
| R.
Hookie |
3:19 PM |
|
| or was that
from Benny's Bag? |
| Laura
Leff |
3:19 PM |
|
| I was
recently discussing motivic analysis with a music teacher/lecturer, when
he'd given a lecture noting an interval of a descending 4th as a motive,
and I questioned it, "When is a descending fourth just a descending
fourth and not a motive?" |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:19 PM |
|
| that is the
interesting part of studying audiences (or reception) -- there are so many
different meanings that can be made. I am not a fan of the scholars who
are sure that their's is the only or even best analysis of a thing's
meaning |
| Laura
Leff |
3:20 PM |
|
| I'm pretty
sure it's New Look. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:20 PM |
|
| Yeah...it's
one person's opinion. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:20 PM |
|
| Now that
opinion may be held by a lot of other people, but that doesn't make it
right. |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:20 PM |
|
| New Look is
the one with the fabulous "Graduate"
parody? "The Graduate" gets screened in over half a
dozen courses here at UT, and my colleagues have never seen Jack do it up
the right way |
| Laura
Leff |
3:21 PM |
|
| Exhibit
A: Nazi Germany. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:21 PM |
|
| Oo...let me
check. |
| R.
Hookie |
3:21 PM |
|
| I think that
is from Benny's Bag |
| Laura
Leff |
3:21 PM |
|
| No, that's
Jack Benny's Bag |
| Laura
Leff |
3:21 PM |
|
| Echo |
| R.
Hookie |
3:22 PM |
|
| sorry Laura |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:22 PM |
|
| ah HA, I
always get them mixed up oops |
| Laura
Leff |
3:22 PM |
|
| Not at
all! |
|
|
| Laura
Leff |
3:22 PM |
|
| Yeah, New
Look was in limited circulation, but I remember sitting in CBS watching
the transfer of Benny's Bag from the master and oohing and ahhing at the
condition. |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:23 PM |
|
| lucky you!
What are the best ones NOT in circulation? |
| Laura
Leff |
3:23 PM |
|
| And I've got
a script from New Look showing some reworking of a few lines, including
the line Jack delivers when he's standing in Peck's residence surrounded
by towering servants. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:23 PM |
|
| Shows or
specials? |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:24 PM |
|
| either? and
what does Jack say about those extremely tall people? |
| R.
Hookie |
3:24 PM |
|
| Yeah, all of
the special, or hour-shows, were great. (A special is when coffee goes
from 89 cents to 75.) |
| Laura
Leff |
3:24 PM |
|
| Good memory
on you too, Hookie! |
| R.
Hookie |
3:24 PM |
|
| Well, I
watched the hell out of it. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:24 PM |
|
| Oh, I can
probably come up with shows more easily because I remember my heart
bleeding over losing some from the Shout set for stupid reasons. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:25 PM |
|
| My very
favorite episode is the 60-piece orchestra skit. |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:25 PM |
|
| do you think
response has been good enough to get Shout volume 2? |
| Laura
Leff |
3:25 PM |
|
| I do have a
copy of it that was back doored to me, and I showed it to Stuart Canin and
his wife. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:25 PM |
|
| They went
nuts for it. |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:25 PM |
|
| that is so
cool! |
| Laura
Leff |
3:26 PM |
|
| The TV
version of Jekyll and Hyde is fascinating to watch...it's SO different,
and really interesting how they shot the whole transformation, especially
considering the limitations of the media then. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:27 PM |
|
| There's an
episode that has a ton of famous ballplayers...the name of skit is
escapting me, but it's a parody of "The Caine Mutiny." |
| Laura
Leff |
3:27 PM |
|
| Hm...let me
look at my original picks for Shout. |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:27 PM |
|
| did you get
to see these rarities at one of the archives like UCLA or Wyoming? or in
CBS's version of Benny's vault? |
| Laura
Leff |
3:27 PM |
|
| I would have
said the Colman episode, but we got that into the set. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:28 PM |
|
| I saw them
mostly at UCLA, and a few at the Paley center. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:29 PM |
|
| Oh, and
either time they did the Mikado. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:29 PM |
|
| Helen Hayes
training Jack in acting is a stitch |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:30 PM |
|
| here's
hoping for Volume 2, then! Oh, Fred Allen loved parodying the
Mikado so much, that would be fun! |
| Laura
Leff |
3:30 PM |
|
| The Giant
Mutiny...there's the name of the script. |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:30 PM |
|
| did you
happen to get the disk I sent of those 1932-33-34 radio scripts? Put it in
w the blanks I sent you |
| Laura
Leff |
3:30 PM |
|
| And I wish
we could get the controversial Jack Webb Charlie Chan episode out...but
people would find it offensive. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:31 PM |
|
| Ah, yes I
did! My apologies...it's sitting on the desk here next to me
waiting for me to copy the first show for you. I'll do that
tonight. |
| R.
Hookie |
3:31 PM |
|
| Jack Webb... |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:31 PM |
|
| sounds like
there are some goodies! oh, no hurry on the TV show, I won't
get back to that chapter before late April |
| Laura
Leff |
3:31 PM |
|
| You'll be
happy to know that it was sitting directly beneath the Harry Conn script
and Buck Benny budget. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:32 PM |
|
| OK,
thanks. Still want to get it back to you in a timely fashion! |
| Laura
Leff |
3:32 PM |
|
| So what else
for discussion this month? |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:32 PM |
|
| in excellent
company then! OH, I found a newspaper citation to Conn being
a doorman at a Broadway show in the 50s, will post it to the page, just
fyi |
| Laura
Leff |
3:33 PM |
|
| Great find! |
|
|
3:33 PM |
|
| Chris D
joined the room. |
| HipChat |
3:33 PM |
|
| Hi @ChrisD!
Welcome to Hipchat. You can @-mention me by typing @HipChat and I'll tell
you what HipChat can do! |
| R.
Hookie |
3:33 PM |
|
| It turned
into more than I though at first |
| Laura
Leff |
3:33 PM |
|
| I wonder if
his ambitious wife followed him all the way down too. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:33 PM |
|
| Hi Chris! |
| Chris
D |
3:33 PM |
|
| Howdy |
| R.
Hookie |
3:33 PM |
|
| 'thought |
|
|
3:33 PM |
|
| Marc Thorner
joined the room. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:33 PM |
|
| I can just
imagine Harry Conn and his wife arguing |
| R.
Hookie |
3:34 PM |
|
| lousy
typing... hi Chris |
| Laura
Leff |
3:34 PM |
|
| Well, hi
Marc! |
| R.
Hookie |
3:34 PM |
|
| Hi Marc |
| Laura
Leff |
3:34 PM |
|
| Gee, here
come a bunch of new folks! |
| Marc
Thorner |
3:34 PM |
|
| Hey |
|
| finally got
this to work!!! |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:34 PM |
|
| haha that
wife of Harry's was a pill. I think I saw in Variety that they got
divorced. The newspaper article says Conn claims ill health is why he'd
been out of the spotlight |
| R.
Hookie |
3:34 PM |
|
| Yes, but....
I was here first. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:34 PM |
|
| Good stuff! |
| Laura
Leff |
3:35 PM |
|
| Kathy - That
makes a lot of sense. I can't imagine two people with that
level of audacity and ego being a happy marriage. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:35 PM |
|
| I'll vouch
for Hookie...he was here before I was! |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:35 PM |
|
| yeah, Lady
MacBeth Conn, haha |
| Laura
Leff |
3:35 PM |
|
| Oh well
said! |
| Laura
Leff |
3:35 PM |
|
| Very well
said. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:36 PM |
|
| So Chris and
Marc, I'm deferring discussion on the radio episode until next
month. What is on your mind Benny-wise? |
| Chris
D |
3:37 PM |
|
| Just thought
I would pop in and see whats about. Im a long time OTR
listener, mostly via podcasts.. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:37 PM |
|
| Although
this is kind of in reference to the show for tonight, it's interesting to
hear Morrow and Beloin in their early stages, which are not THAT far
removed from Conn's writing. |
| Chris
D |
3:37 PM |
|
| though have
been a Jack Benny follower for years |
| R.
Hookie |
3:37 PM |
|
| This is
where to be then |
| Laura
Leff |
3:37 PM |
|
| So your
interest is mostly in the radio episodes? |
| Laura
Leff |
3:38 PM |
|
| That seems
to be where most people do focus their attention, because of availability
and quantity. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:38 PM |
|
| And a lot of
people do think it's his best work. |
| Chris
D |
3:38 PM |
|
| Almost every
year my wife and I drive over to waukegan for his birthday and visit his
statue. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:38 PM |
|
| Aha! Were
you there at the unveiling? |
| Chris
D |
3:38 PM |
|
| No, we found
out about it later. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:39 PM |
|
| And did they
do anything at the statue this year? They used to have a cake
and all, and I know they put a plaque at the one house of his that's still
standing this year. |
| Chris
D |
3:39 PM |
|
| This year we
drive up on the 15th for the last of them Tim Newell Mr.Benny shows there. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:39 PM |
|
| How was
that? |
| Chris
D |
3:40 PM |
|
| Was nicely
done. He channeled Benny well. |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:40 PM |
|
| wow, I am
envious, have never been to Waukegan |
| Chris
D |
3:40 PM |
|
| Well Im in
Chicago, co its only like 45 mins away. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:40 PM |
|
| I had been
sent an article on him some years ago, where he claimed that he's never
out of character as Benny--that he's Jack Benny 24 hours a day. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:40 PM |
|
| Which I
found more than a little scary. |
| Chris
D |
3:41 PM |
|
| Cant say.
Didnt see him but in the 2 hour show. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:41 PM |
|
| And he's
SUPPOSED to be Jack during that time! |
| R.
Hookie |
3:41 PM |
|
| I wonder if
he tips... |
| Laura
Leff |
3:41 PM |
|
| Phil Harris
does |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:42 PM |
|
| that's
tipples |
| R.
Hookie |
3:42 PM |
|
| rimshot |
| Laura
Leff |
3:42 PM |
|
| Ohhhhhhhh...TIPPLES! |
| Chris
D |
3:42 PM |
|
| It was nice
the show had a section on Mel Blank in it. I think Mell does not get
enough credit sometimes. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:42 PM |
|
| Oooo what
she said... |
| Laura
Leff |
3:42 PM |
|
| Sorry, just
had an attack of Dennis Day. |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:42 PM |
|
| so how many
Benny statues are there? I have seen one in Rancho Cucamonga at the
baseball park.... |
| Laura
Leff |
3:42 PM |
|
| I think he
does within devotees of the show, but maybe not in the casual Benny
listener. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:43 PM |
|
| Hm...thinking |
| Laura
Leff |
3:43 PM |
|
| There's one
at the Academy in LA I think |
| Laura
Leff |
3:43 PM |
|
| You're not
counting ESCO statues, are you? |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:43 PM |
|
| haha nor the
Oscarine |
| Laura
Leff |
3:44 PM |
|
| OK, then I
think there are three. |
| Chris
D |
3:44 PM |
|
| And yes,
this year they had put the little plaque on the house Benny grew up
in. really not much to look at but still recognition. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:44 PM |
|
| Anaheim,
Azusa, and Cucamonga. |
| R.
Hookie |
3:44 PM |
|
| I wonder
what ever happened to the Bennybot? |
| Laura
Leff |
3:44 PM |
|
| Yeah, we'll
take what we can get! |
| Laura
Leff |
3:45 PM |
|
| Oh man, what
I wouldn't give to find the Bennybot in a prop archive... |
| Chris
D |
3:45 PM |
|
| We had been
past the house many times in previous years. And the park
dedicated to Ray Bradbury |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:45 PM |
|
| there ought
to be one at Hillside, since they have a Jolson on his knees singing Mammy |
| Laura
Leff |
3:45 PM |
|
| Have you
ever been to the cemetery? |
| Chris
D |
3:45 PM |
|
| ? |
| R.
Hookie |
3:45 PM |
|
| I got a
picture of Johnny Carson's former home in Norfolk, NE |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:45 PM |
|
| I just went
there in August, liberated a couple clivia plant seeds from outside Jack's
mausoleum |
| Laura
Leff |
3:46 PM |
|
| I had
thought about putting one of my Esco statues there, but figured it was too
subject to theft. The Jolson one was stolen once, you know. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:46 PM |
|
| Chris - Am
Echod cemetery where Jack's parents, sister, and several relatives are. |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:46 PM |
|
| no, who
cares enough about Jolie to steal his statue, wow |
| Laura
Leff |
3:46 PM |
|
| Hookie -
What does it look like? |
| Laura
Leff |
3:46 PM |
|
| Kathy -
People who wanted to melt it down for the bronze. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:47 PM |
|
| So I've done
the main flower arrangements there. Flowers aren't
traditional in Jewish mourning, but there are a lot of them at Hillside. |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:47 PM |
|
| I've
mentioned that the U Nebraska library has put up online Johnny's
undergraduate honors thesis about Jack Benny? Carson recorded it |
| R.
Hookie |
3:47 PM |
|
| well, I have
it in my Facebook pictures. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:47 PM |
|
| Oh OK...I'll
have to look at it. Thanks! |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:47 PM |
|
| too bad they
weren't looking for ham! |
| Laura
Leff |
3:48 PM |
|
| Kathy - My
brain is telling me that I've heard it. Maybe it's a later
radio tribute Carson did that I've heard. |
| R.
Hookie |
3:48 PM |
|
| I'll try to
share it on the Benny page, with your permission? |
| Marc
Thorner |
3:48 PM |
|
| tradition is
to place a small stone of the tombstone |
| Laura
Leff |
3:48 PM |
|
| Kathy -
Yeah. Although Jolie's still one of my favorite singers. |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:48 PM |
|
| I put down
some pennies : ) |
| Laura
Leff |
3:48 PM |
|
| Marc -
Correct. Although it seems a lot of people have amended that
to putting a penny at Jack's grave. |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:48 PM |
|
| I admit to
crying at Sonny Boy |
| Laura
Leff |
3:48 PM |
|
| Well, there
ya go. |
| Marc
Thorner |
3:49 PM |
|
| Pennies?
that's funny!! |
| Laura
Leff |
3:49 PM |
|
| Pennies for
Benny! |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:49 PM |
|
| I'll post
the link to the Nebraska site, its pretty good |
| Laura
Leff |
3:49 PM |
|
| I usually
put 50 cents there if I have it. |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:49 PM |
|
| Winston
Churchill will be singing your praises, Laura |
| Chris
D |
3:50 PM |
|
| (Wife trying
to get in to chat now.) |
| Laura
Leff |
3:50 PM |
|
| Mentally
hearing Frankie Fontaine talking about it |
| Laura
Leff |
3:50 PM |
|
| Kathy - And
Ronald Colman. Or at least Dennis Day doing Ronald Colman. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:50 PM |
|
| Thank you,
Benita. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:50 PM |
|
| You know,
THERE'S another thing that people sometimes say is
offensive. John L.C. Silvoney. |
| Chris
D |
3:51 PM |
|
| SOme people
are also clueless |
|
|
| Laura
Leff |
3:51 PM |
|
| People seem
to have all kinds of interpretations and spins on what his
"malady" was...drunkenness, cerebral palsy, other mental
illness. |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:51 PM |
|
| because we
can't make fun of the mentally impaired....all we have left is hillbillies
and rednecks |
|
|
3:51 PM |
|
| Pam Dunn
joined the room. |
| HipChat |
3:51 PM |
|
| Hi @PamDunn!
Welcome to Hipchat. You can @-mention me by typing @HipChat and I'll tell
you what HipChat can do! |
| Laura
Leff |
3:51 PM |
|
| Hi Pam! |
| Chris
D |
3:51 PM |
|
| cheezit..
the wife! |
| R.
Hookie |
3:51 PM |
|
| Hi Pam |
| Laura
Leff |
3:52 PM |
|
| Yes, his
speech sounds just like friends of mine who had cerebral
palsy. But I don't think anyone was consciously trying to
make fun of them. It's just a funny sound! |
| Laura
Leff |
3:52 PM |
|
| I think
Fontaine said there was a guy he once knew who sounded like that, so he
imitated him. |
| R.
Hookie |
3:53 PM |
|
| I shared the
picture on the fan club page. |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:53 PM |
|
| it looks
better when the character is a hillbilly lion in WB cartoons |
| Laura
Leff |
3:53 PM |
|
| Other people
say he's drunk, and that it's offensive to make jokes about alcoholics. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:53 PM |
|
| Thanks,
Hookie! |
| Laura
Leff |
3:53 PM |
|
| Kelly - I
thought that was Pete Puma |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:53 PM |
|
| thank
goodness that Jack got around that, that we can make fun of him with
abandon...
|
|
| yes Pete
Puma, I think |
| R.
Hookie |
3:54 PM |
|
| It's from
inside a car, as the street it's on is also US Highway 81. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:54 PM |
|
| Yeah, why
isn't it offensive to make fun of cheap people? Or people who
play an instrument badly? |
| Laura
Leff |
3:54 PM |
|
| Or people
who wear toupees? |
| Chris
D |
3:54 PM |
|
| Jack made it
ok cause he made fun of himself. he set himself up. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:54 PM |
|
| Donald Trump
jokes abound. |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:54 PM |
|
| ah, white
men, the other last group we can make fun of , esp if they have $$ |
| Laura
Leff |
3:55 PM |
|
| Ah right! |
| R.
Hookie |
3:55 PM |
|
| Please don't
make fun of me... |
| Laura
Leff |
3:55 PM |
|
| Does that
mean you've got money? |
|
|
| Laura
Leff |
3:55 PM |
|
| Or do you
wear a toupee? |
| R.
Hookie |
3:55 PM |
|
| I'm fragile,
like a little flower in the meadow.... well, if that didn't set me up |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:56 PM |
|
| I think if
he had worn his religious identity on his sleeve like Cantor that it might
have been more dicey |
|
| (mental
image of Flower the Bambi character, hahaha) |
| R.
Hookie |
3:56 PM |
|
| enough about
the toupee |
| Pam
Dunn |
3:56 PM |
|
| Hi all,
sorry, I was just catching up on what I missed |
| R.
Hookie |
3:56 PM |
|
| Kathy thinks
I'm a skunk? |
| Laura
Leff |
3:56 PM |
|
| Right, we
started that discussion last time...people claiming to me that Jack'
cheapness and violin playing was a subtle way of expressing his Judaism. |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:57 PM |
|
| no, a little
flower : ) |
| Laura
Leff |
3:57 PM |
|
| Hookie -
It's that white stripe down the middle of the toupee that makes the
connection. |
| R.
Hookie |
3:57 PM |
|
| I may have
exaggerated |
|
| I think
that's grey |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:58 PM |
|
| exactly,
Laura, and an academic told me that she thought Jack folding his arms was
Jewish. Whaaaaaa? was my response. The downside to the viewer can make
anything they want to out of what they see |
| Laura
Leff |
3:58 PM |
|
| But once
again, I think that's people reading into things what they want to see. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:58 PM |
|
| There ya go. |
| Pam
Dunn |
3:58 PM |
|
| To me, the
surprising thing is how little is really done in Waukegan to keep his
memory alive. |
| Marc
Thorner |
3:58 PM |
|
| never saw it
that way before... I mean Jack's about Jack's performance?!?! |
| Laura
Leff |
3:58 PM |
|
| I should
tell you about trying to donate CDs of all of Jack's radio shows to the
Waukegan Public Library. |
| R.
Hookie |
3:58 PM |
|
| Start a fan
club chapter there |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
3:58 PM |
|
| well, can
they keep ANYTHING alive in Waukegan, or is the town more like Detroit? |
| Laura
Leff |
3:59 PM |
|
| Hookie -
Actually, we had one at the Middle School. But then the
teacher spearheading it went elsewhere. |
| Chris
D |
3:59 PM |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Channeling
jack. |
| Laura
Leff |
3:59 PM |
|
| He looks
like Drew Carey. |
| R.
Hookie |
3:59 PM |
|
| Was the
teacher fired? |
| Laura
Leff |
4:00 PM |
|
| I don't
think he was fired...he just kind of disappeared and I never heard from
him again. |
| Pam
Dunn |
4:00 PM |
|
| It has
potential, but when I think of how Jack promoted Waukegan it is annoying |
| Laura
Leff |
4:00 PM |
|
| Maybe he was
rubbed out. |
| R.
Hookie |
4:00 PM |
|
| Should have
been fired |
|
| or rubbed
out! |
| Laura
Leff |
4:00 PM |
|
| Hookie - For
running an IJBFC chapter? |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
4:00 PM |
|
| sounds
subversive to me |
| R.
Hookie |
4:00 PM |
|
| Sure, what's
it pay? |
| Laura
Leff |
4:00 PM |
|
| Gee...he
never did send any money to me....hmmm |
| Laura
Leff |
4:01 PM |
|
| Maybe he was
extorting money from the students. |
| Laura
Leff |
4:01 PM |
|
| So just
quickly, I called the Waukegan Public library a LONG time ago (maybe about
the time we unveiled the statue) and offered to give them, no strings
attached, all the Benny radio shows in circulation then. |
| R.
Hookie |
4:01 PM |
|
| Well if that
don't burn my biscuits |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
4:02 PM |
|
| I have
another little thing to post to the facebook site, when they dedicated the
middle school, Jack set up bank accounts for each baby born in Waukegan
that day, $39 (plus interest) to be paid out when the babies reached 39! |
| Laura
Leff |
4:02 PM |
|
| And I got
handed from person to person, getting a "Well....I don't know about
that...." answer from everyone. |
| Laura
Leff |
4:02 PM |
|
| Kathy - Ah
yes, that's funny how those ended up. |
| Laura
Leff |
4:02 PM |
|
| Finally, the
answer I got was, "Well, I just don't know where we'd put them, so
thanks but no thanks." |
| Laura
Leff |
4:03 PM |
|
| I didn't
know that 7 CDs were so space-consuming. |
| R.
Hookie |
4:03 PM |
|
| their loss |
| Laura
Leff |
4:03 PM |
|
| So I called
my friend with the City, and he got the Mayor to announce that I was
donating the shows to the library. |
| Laura
Leff |
4:03 PM |
|
| Somehow they
found a way to make a little room for them then. |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
4:03 PM |
|
| oh I am
sorry, but not terribly surprised. I was trying to do research in
Poughkeepsie, and local kids kept stealing the microfilms and throwing the
reels at each other in the streets |
| Laura
Leff |
4:03 PM |
|
| Or maybe
they took them and sold them at the next book sale. I don't
know. |
| Pam
Dunn |
4:03 PM |
|
| sounds like
the birth town of Phil Harris. We had to drive all over to find all the
stuff he and Alice had donated and then we couldn't see it cuz it was all
locked up |
| Laura
Leff |
4:04 PM |
|
| Kathy -
Ouch! Tell them to pick their feet instead! |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
4:04 PM |
|
| Oh no! I was
going to go to Linton someday, too, shucks |
| Laura
Leff |
4:04 PM |
|
| Pam - Oh
down in Southern Indiana? |
| Laura
Leff |
4:04 PM |
|
| Yeah, I
should get to Linton some day. |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
4:04 PM |
|
| there ain't
much there once you arrive! |
| Laura
Leff |
4:05 PM |
|
| But some
stuff isn't there. There's a private collector who has some
jewels of transcription discs that Alice lent him for transfer, and then
she died. |
| Pam
Dunn |
4:05 PM |
|
| yes, Linton.
On the other hand, 30 miles down the road in Vincennes they have a 4
million dollar museum for Red Skelton. |
| Laura
Leff |
4:05 PM |
|
| Including
some lost later Benny radio shows. |
| Laura
Leff |
4:05 PM |
|
| I think they
also have a theatre for him there too, don't they? |
| Laura
Leff |
4:06 PM |
|
| Because I
think a friend of mine and member of the IJBFC did his show there. |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
4:06 PM |
|
| so it can
happen in big universities too -- I asked to see Benny and John Crosby the
radio critic clippings from the New York Herald Tribune Collection, and
they eventually told me that I could not see them, because the archive was
so short of storage room that there were so many boxes piled up that they
could not get to them! |
| Chris
D |
4:06 PM |
|
| Stuff
suposedly in som etown arts center, but the person running it that day
could not show up. so we sat around while we tried to find
someone to open it. Listened to piano music lessons being
given on the second floor... never did get in. |
| Laura
Leff |
4:06 PM |
|
| DAWWW! *Slapping
self in head with both hands* |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
4:07 PM |
|
| the Alice
Faye stuff could be fabulous, I am sorry it was a no-go |
| Laura
Leff |
4:07 PM |
|
| Yeah, I try
to make my connections before getting to town so they know I'm coming. |
| Pam
Dunn |
4:07 PM |
|
| even the
sign at the Phil Harris golf course was in desperate need of a fresh coat
of paint... that would cost all of 10 bucks. |
| Laura
Leff |
4:07 PM |
|
| Maybe the
club should donate it. |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
4:07 PM |
|
| well, not
sure anybody in Linton HAS 10 bucks, its pretty shabby territory |
| Laura
Leff |
4:08 PM |
|
| That's why
I'm offering... |
| Laura
Leff |
4:08 PM |
|
| Which makes
you wonder how the play golf. |
| Laura
Leff |
4:08 PM |
|
| they...not
the |
| R.
Hookie |
4:08 PM |
|
| someone in
town surely has a bucket of paint |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
4:08 PM |
|
| Used to have
to drive through there with ex and his parents. do not miss those trips :
) |
| Laura
Leff |
4:08 PM |
|
| Speaking as
a very happily divorced woman, I can well imagine that. |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
4:09 PM |
|
| : ) |
| R.
Hookie |
4:09 PM |
|
| So, I'm
single too |
| Pam
Dunn |
4:09 PM |
|
| after being
in the state of the art Skelton Museum and then seeing Linton, well it
broke my heart. |
| Laura
Leff |
4:09 PM |
|
| The Friars
Club in LA doesn't even exist any more |
| Laura
Leff |
4:09 PM |
|
| Georgie
Jessel would be disappointed. |
| Marc
Thorner |
4:09 PM |
|
| really? |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
4:09 PM |
|
| I wonder if
THEY had any archives, that is a shame |
| Laura
Leff |
4:10 PM |
|
| Chris/Pam -
Have you seen the Waukegan Historical (Hysterical?) Society? |
| Pam
Dunn |
4:10 PM |
|
| no, we went
to the performing arts center .... that was a joke |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
4:11 PM
Laura, speaking of archives, have you ever been to the library in
Sherman Oaks, they have Rudy Vallee's papers and supposedly LOTS of fan
mail, couple of people have said I should go there
|
| Laura Leff |
4:11 PM
You should see if you can see Jack's vaudeville trunk at the Historical
Society.
|
|
| Pam Dunn |
4:11 PM |
|
| ok, we'll
check it out |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
4:11 PM |
|
| oh neat,
that sounds like a find! when did he give it, or who gave it? |
| Laura
Leff |
4:11 PM |
|
| Kathy -
Sherman Oaks or Thousand Oaks |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
4:11 PM |
|
| 1000 oops |
| Laura
Leff |
4:12 PM |
|
| Kathy - I'm
not sure when they got it, but it's got Salisbury and Benny painted on
it. It's nice. They asked me to appraise it for
them for insurance purposes once. |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
4:12 PM |
|
| very, very
cool! |
| Laura
Leff |
4:12 PM |
|
| I've heard a
LOT about the 1000 Oaks library collection, but I've never been
there. Many people have donated papers there. |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
4:12 PM |
|
| yeah, I have
to get there one of these days |
| Laura
Leff |
4:12 PM |
|
| I should
have photos of it on the IJBFC Web site... |
| Laura
Leff |
4:12 PM |
|
| *going to
look* |
| Pam
Dunn |
4:13 PM |
|
| They have
painted a mural across the street from the Genesee Theater thant includes
Jack. |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
4:13 PM |
|
| that is
really neat, too! I am envious, Pam : ) |
| Laura
Leff |
4:13 PM |
|
| Hm...maybe
not. |
| Laura
Leff |
4:14 PM |
|
| Indeed! The
building that was there burned to the ground some time around the statue
unveiling. |
| Laura
Leff |
4:14 PM |
|
| I haven't
seen the mural. |
|
|
4:15 PM |
|
| Chris D
joined the room. |
| R.
Hookie |
4:15 PM |
|
| Welcome back
Chris |
| Pam
Dunn |
4:15 PM |
|
| the area
around the statue and theater seems to be becoming a little more arty and
more of a tourist draw so that is good. |
|
|
4:15 PM |
|
| Chris D left
the room. |
| Laura
Leff |
4:15 PM |
|
| Yes, they've
been trying to do that for some time. Is there anywhere
decent to eat down there yet? |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
4:15 PM |
|
| maybe there
is hope yet for Waukegan.... |
| Pam
Dunn |
4:16 PM |
|
| nothing
really exciting. We try different places looking for good spots. |
| Laura
Leff |
4:16 PM |
|
| They had an
Italian restaurant when we did the statue, which was a Mexican restaurant
when I returned. |
| R.
Hookie |
4:17 PM |
|
| Same owners? |
| Pam
Dunn |
4:17 PM |
|
| oops, gotta
run, have a great night all! |
| R.
Hookie |
4:17 PM |
|
| Good night
Pam' |
|
| nice chat |
| Chris
D |
4:18 PM |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Chris
D |
4:18 PM |
|
| Sorry for
the delay... computer acting up. |
| Laura
Leff |
4:18 PM |
|
| Good night,
Pam! |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
4:18 PM |
|
| gosh at
least its green in Linton! I am sorry about that flaking old paint |
| Laura
Leff |
4:18 PM |
|
| Oh
man...let's send them some white paint and a brush. |
| Marc
Thorner |
4:18 PM |
|
| yeah really |
| Laura
Leff |
4:18 PM |
|
| It looks
like a cemetery. |
|
| Laura
Leff |
4:19 PM |
|
| *scratching
head* Don't know why I can't find photos of that trunk. Maybe
I took them all on film cameras. |
| Laura
Leff |
4:19 PM |
|
| It has been
a while since I've been in Waukegan. |
|
|
4:19 PM |
|
| Pam Dunn
left the room. |
| Chris
D |
4:19 PM |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Suposedly
where the phil and Alice stuff is. |
| Marc
Thorner |
4:19 PM |
|
| in a giant
Lego brick? |
|
| oh |
| Laura
Leff |
4:20 PM |
|
| Who knew? |
| R.
Hookie |
4:20 PM |
|
| That does
look like a Lego toy |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
4:20 PM |
|
| shucks, and
when they promised that everything was awesome, too : ( |
| Chris
D |
4:20 PM |
|
| It IS a lego..
part of an exhibit at the place. |
| Laura
Leff |
4:21 PM |
|
| Lego is
apparently more awesome than Phil and Alice. |
|
|
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
4:21 PM |
|
| Hey Laura,
speaking of Jack's things, is there stuff that Joan is still holding on
to, do you think? I mean documents |
| R.
Hookie |
4:22 PM |
|
| No, I don't
think so. Maybe to a 10 year old |
| Marc
Thorner |
4:22 PM |
|
| just a
thought.. Lego Jack Benny play set? |
| R.
Hookie |
4:22 PM |
|
| Build a
Maxwell |
| Marc
Thorner |
4:22 PM |
|
| The Vault |
| Laura
Leff |
4:23 PM |
|
| A violin |
| Laura
Leff |
4:23 PM |
|
| What special
pieces would be needed to make it Jack's set? |
| Laura
Leff |
4:23 PM |
|
| Would Don be
a larger character piece than the others? |
| R.
Hookie |
4:23 PM |
|
| A while back
I found a Maxwell for sale a Ebay, claiming it was once Jack's |
| Laura
Leff |
4:24 PM |
|
| I think
EVERY Maxwell wants to claim it was Jack's. |
| Laura
Leff |
4:24 PM |
|
| Some of them
were used for Jack in publicity stunts. |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
4:24 PM |
|
| poor Jack
was always being offered junk Maxwells to buy, I bet! |
| Laura
Leff |
4:24 PM |
|
| Like picking
him up at an airport. |
| Laura
Leff |
4:24 PM |
|
| Kathy - I
bet you're right. |
| R.
Hookie |
4:24 PM |
|
| I think I
sent you the link, or did I? |
| Laura
Leff |
4:25 PM |
|
| To the
Maxwell on Ebay? |
| R.
Hookie |
4:25 PM |
|
| If I did it
was a few years ago |
| Laura
Leff |
4:25 PM |
|
| One of the
real ones I have actually had the pleasure of sitting in. |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
4:26 PM |
|
| unless it
was a mid-1920s model, I bet it was not too comfortable, haha? |
| Laura
Leff |
4:26 PM |
|
| Hookie - You
well may have and it's just not ringing a bell now, because my reaction
was probably, "Oh great, another one." Not saying
that about you, just that everyone wants their violin or Maxwell to have
Jack in its pedigree. |
| Laura
Leff |
4:26 PM |
|
| I believe it
actually was a mid-1920s model. |
| Laura
Leff |
4:26 PM |
|
| 1924 IIRC |
| R.
Hookie |
4:26 PM |
|
| You're
probably right |
| Laura
Leff |
4:26 PM |
|
| It was (and
I think still is as far as I know) in a private collection in Frankfurt,
Indiana. |
| R.
Hookie |
4:27 PM |
|
| I think I
was hoping you could give some authenticity on that listing |
| Laura
Leff |
4:27 PM |
|
| I define a
"real one" as being one used on the actual program/movie or in
standard network/studio-issued publicity stills. |
| Chris
D |
4:28 PM |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Just
because. |
| Laura
Leff |
4:28 PM |
|
| Um...do you
remember what I said? |
| Laura
Leff |
4:28 PM |
|
| Interesting
perspective... |
| R.
Hookie |
4:28 PM |
|
| There was a
Maxwell in Benny's Bag |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
4:28 PM |
|
| that's a
great statue! The one in Cucamonga just has his arms crossed |
| R.
Hookie |
4:29 PM |
|
| and in a
Texaco commercial |
| Laura
Leff |
4:29 PM |
|
| The
Cucamonga and Waukegan statues are overall very similar, although the
Waukegan artist claimed never to have seen the Cucamonga one when he was
designing it. |
| Laura
Leff |
4:29 PM |
|
| Hookie - Not
the one they build around him with Eddie Carroll, right? |
| Laura
Leff |
4:29 PM |
|
| Oh right,
Jack drives it. |
| R.
Hookie |
4:29 PM |
|
| What ever
happened to the Texaco commercials you had on the site? |
| Laura
Leff |
4:30 PM |
|
| Hookie - Is
that the one I used on the cover of the color newsletter issue, with a
non-Roch chauffeur? |
| R.
Hookie |
4:30 PM |
|
| Yes, where
Dennis fills up one gallon |
| Laura
Leff |
4:30 PM |
|
| My name is
Rodney! |
| Laura
Leff |
4:30 PM |
|
| (At least, I
think that's Dennis' line...) |
| Chris
D |
4:31 PM |
|
| Anyone
notice what the did to that yellow street sign in the last picture ? |
| R.
Hookie |
4:31 PM |
|
| But you're
Dennis Day.... |
| Laura
Leff |
4:32 PM |
|
| Chris - I
hadn't zoomed on it...is the walker carrying a violin case? |
| Chris
D |
4:32 PM |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Waukegan
trying to be artsy |
|
| Marc
Thorner |
4:32 PM |
|
| Oh that's
too funny!!! |
| Laura
Leff |
4:32 PM |
|
| Cute! |
| Laura
Leff |
4:32 PM |
|
| I'll have to
comment on that to my friend David, who's PR for Waukegan. |
| Laura
Leff |
4:33 PM |
|
| I bet that's
his handiwork right there. |
| Laura
Leff |
4:33 PM |
|
| Too bad it's
a guitar and not a violin |
| Chris
D |
4:33 PM |
|
| aye. |
| Laura
Leff |
4:34 PM |
|
| So what else
Benny-wise for discussion today? |
| Chris
D |
4:34 PM |
|
| Pix from our
2013 visit. we actualy didnt get close to the statue this
year as it was dark after the show and we had Pams mom along and she was
cold. |
| Laura
Leff |
4:34 PM |
|
| Where was
the show done? |
| R.
Hookie |
4:35 PM |
|
| I had fun
tonight |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
4:35 PM |
|
| gosh I have
to go, THANKS Chris for the photos from Waukegan! |
| Laura
Leff |
4:35 PM |
|
| Thanks again
for calling me back, Hookie! |
| R.
Hookie |
4:35 PM |
|
| You got it |
|
| good night
Kathy |
| Kathy
Fuller-Seeley |
4:35 PM |
|
| thanks it
was fun! |
| Laura
Leff |
4:35 PM |
|
| Thanks for
stopping Kathy! Always great to have you here. |
| Laura
Leff |
4:35 PM |
|
| OK, see you
all in April! Thanks for sharing! |
| Chris
D |
4:35 PM |
|
| Clockwize
theater, about a block from the statue. Right next to the big
theater |
| Laura
Leff |
4:36 PM |
|
| Ah next to
the Genesee |
| Chris
D |
4:36 PM |
|
| yes |
| Laura
Leff |
4:36 PM |
|
| OK, then
that's new. |
| Laura
Leff |
4:36 PM |
|
| Cool. |
| R.
Hookie |
4:36 PM |
|
| I need to
travel more.... |
| Laura
Leff |
4:36 PM |
|
| There is
more to life than the prairie. |
| Marc
Thorner |
4:36 PM |
|
| heh yeah |
| R.
Hookie |
4:36 PM |
|
| I'm missing
out on so much |
|
| But the
prairie is nice |
| Laura
Leff |
4:37 PM |
|
| You should
come see the Jack Benny museum in California. |
| Laura
Leff |
4:37 PM |
|
| But give me
some notice so I can get the house cleaned up a bit. |
| R.
Hookie |
4:37 PM |
|
| That's a
long drive |
| Laura
Leff |
4:37 PM |
|
| They fly
planes now. |
|
|
