IJBFC Chat - March 6, 2016
(Name of message originator above the comment)
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:00 PM
howdy
folks, I am happy that we have a meeting to fill up the time before the last
Downton Abbey episode. And I wonder how Jack and Company would parody this show
on their show. Jack would be the totally inept Daddy Downton. Too bad Mary could
not be BOTH Cora AND Grandma Downton (ie the wonderful Maggie Smith). Mary has
the attitude to be Dame Violet...
Josef
Silvia·5:01 PM
Hello!
That sounds fun. I've never actually seen Downtown Abby, sadly.
Judy
R·5:01 PM
Jell-O
everybody ! *hugs*
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:02 PM
the
first season is the best, much like an Edith Wharton novel. The rest...is all
melodrama and sentimentality....
Josef
Silvia·5:02 PM
Hi
Judy!
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:02 PM
Hello
Judy and Josef!
and
Steve too
Josef
Silvia·5:02 PM
Hi
Steve, Hi Kathy!
Steve
Archer·5:02 PM
Hi
Everyone
Judy
R·5:02 PM
downton
abby? I tried to watch it. couldn't get into it
R.
Hookie·5:02 PM
Hellofolks!
Steve
Archer·5:02 PM
Hi
there Hookie
Josef
Silvia·5:02 PM
Hi
R.
Hookie!
Judy
R·5:02 PM
Jell-O
*hugs*
Steve
Archer·5:03 PM
Cherry
Jell-O with stuffed olives to all
Judy
R·5:03 PM
ol
steve
lol
R.
Hookie·5:03 PM
Sorry
I missed so many chats...
Steve
Archer·5:03 PM
Hopefully
everyone made it for their Washington's Birthday parties.
You
did have them, right?
Judy
R·5:03 PM
me
too hookie
Josef
Silvia·5:03 PM
Me
too, Hookie. This is my first chat in months
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:04 PM
so
glad to have the clans gather!
Judy
R·5:04 PM
hey,
a big late happy anniversary to the US Navy Seabees! 74th anniversary yesterday!
HipChat·5:04
PM
Hi
@BuckBenny! Welcome to Hipchat. You can @-mention me by typing @HipChat and I'll
tell you what HipChat can do!
R.
Hookie·5:04 PM
Now....
where's Laura?
Steve
Archer·5:05 PM
Hiya
Buck
Judy
R·5:05 PM
hiya
buck!
Buck
Benny·5:05 PM
He
all, it's been awhile!
Josef
Silvia·5:05 PM
Hi
Buck!
Judy
R·5:05 PM
*with
andy dvine voice*
Buck
Benny·5:05 PM
Hey
R.
Hookie·5:05 PM
Howdy,
Buck
Steve
Archer·5:06 PM
Was
it just me or did we have the same show 2 months in a row? I think
we were supposed to be on the fourth Yosemite show.
Buck
Benny·5:06 PM
Anyone
chatch Jack on Johnny Carson last Sunday from 1973?
R.
Hookie·5:06 PM
I
recorded it
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:06 PM
one
last Downton reference, Rochester would make a FABULOUS Carson
Judy
R·5:06 PM
yea,
I have watched that one a long time ago
Laura
Leff·5:06 PM
Hey
folks!
Steve
Archer·5:06 PM
Wasn't
last Sunday still 2016?
Josef
Silvia·5:06 PM
Hi
Laura!
Steve
Archer·5:06 PM
Hi
Laura
Judy
R·5:06 PM
laura!
*hugs*
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:06 PM
the
Yosemite journey DID go on forever...
R.
Hookie·5:06 PM
Hi
Laura!
Laura
Leff·5:07 PM
Hey,
I love all these folks in the room!!!
Buck
Benny·5:07 PM
Hiya
Laura
Laura
Leff·5:07 PM
Yeah,
we really didn't talk about the show last month, so I kept it on for this month.
R.
Hookie·5:07 PM
Hold
on... be right back...
Steve
Archer·5:07 PM
The
feeling is Mutual. But often NBC and CBS too.
Laura
Leff·5:07 PM
Josef
Silvia·5:08 PM
Glad
to be able to catch up a month
Laura
Leff·5:08 PM
So
how's everyone doing tonight?
Buck
Benny·5:08 PM
The
Yosemite trip is my favorite Benny Story arc of all time!
Laura
Leff·5:08 PM
Yes,
welcome back Josef!
Josef
Silvia·5:08 PM
Thanks!
Judy
R·5:08 PM
i'm
about to be a godmother again
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:08 PM
congrats,
Judy!
Laura
Leff·5:08 PM
Other
than the Ronald Colman oscar, there aren't a lot of serial stories like this...
Judy
R·5:08 PM
thanks
Laura
Leff·5:08 PM
Mazel
tov, Judy!
Buck
Benny·5:08 PM
Doing
great, but son's got the flu
Josef
Silvia·5:08 PM
Congrats!
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:09 PM
I
am impressed that in the Yosemite arc that they didn't obsess about where
Rochester would sleep
R.
Hookie·5:09 PM
On
a personal note, I think my neighbors moved out!
Steve
Archer·5:09 PM
I
had a third grade teacher who pronounced Yosemite as rhyming with
"dynamite"
Judy
R·5:09 PM
thanks
all
Steve
Archer·5:09 PM
Congrats
Judy
Laura
Leff·5:09 PM
Mazel
tov, Hookie!!!!!
R.
Hookie·5:09 PM
Thanks
Buck
Benny·5:09 PM
Laura,
do you know why they never revisited this concept again?
Laura
Leff·5:09 PM
Buck
- Well, it takes some pre-planning to create an arc like this that can sustain.
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:10 PM
good
question, Buck!
Laura
Leff·5:10 PM
And
my understanding is that they mainly took the shows week-to-week.
Steve
Archer·5:10 PM
I
think they shouldn't have had Jack speak after the crash and made it a real
cliffhanger like a Republic Serial.
Judy
R·5:10 PM
long
serial bit then
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:10 PM
and
the shows were live, if you missed it, you could not catch up with missed
plotlines
Steve
Archer·5:10 PM
Then
we find out the next week that he gets offered the hot chocolate.
Laura
Leff·5:10 PM
Also
you didn't have TIVO or reruns back then, so if you missed a week, you missed
part of the story.
Yeah,
what Kathy said.
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:10 PM
yeah,
what Laura said
Laura
Leff·5:11 PM
Steve
- Yes, although that may have made it overly dramatic.
Josef
Silvia·5:11 PM
Right,
which is why Don is reminding us of what happens each week
Laura
Leff·5:11 PM
*Snicker*
And
why Doctor Who does the same thing.
Judy
R·5:11 PM
mmm
snickers
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:11 PM
which
they could have done more with in the Mean Old Man episode(s)
Judy
R·5:11 PM
and
milky way
Laura
Leff·5:11 PM
Off-topic
comment...been enjoying the variant Snickers labels.
Buck
Benny·5:11 PM
I
also think that the concept might have got lost in the writer change from Beloin
and Morrow to the new crew
Judy
R·5:11 PM
lol
me too
Laura
Leff·5:12 PM
If
Jell-O did the same, I wonder what they'd put on the label...
Judy
R·5:12 PM
shake
me
Laura
Leff·5:12 PM
Buck
- Maybe, but Morrow and Beloin didn't do it too much either.
Steve
Archer·5:12 PM
I
wonder if they plotted out all four at once or just wrote them all week-to-week.
R.
Hookie·5:12 PM
Some
of us are trying not to think about candy... thank you...
Laura
Leff·5:13 PM
There's
always room for Jell-O.
Steve
Archer·5:13 PM
Not
that there are a lot of complex story arcs going on or anything.
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:13 PM
but
SO MANY
Buck
Benny episodes, trying to figure out why they found that so fascinating to
continue for so long
Laura
Leff·5:13 PM
Steve
- I don't know for sure. Kathy - You see anything in the files on
this?
Buck
Benny·5:13 PM
Yeah,
but it was right before the war, then the whole show changed it's focus until
after the war, easy to lose a concept
R.
Hookie·5:13 PM
Well,
I ate a bag earlier and feeling the guilt
Laura
Leff·5:13 PM
Kathy
- Well, in a clipping I saw from the early days, they noted that if they were
short of ideas for a week, they could always reach for Grind
Hotel. Which they did.
Josef
Silvia·5:13 PM
Yeah
the mid to late 30s I feel like
Buck
Benny was a prevailing theme
Laura
Leff·5:14 PM
Hookie
- A whole bag of Snickers?
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:14 PM
From
what I've seen, they keep figuring out that its better NOT to have continuing
plotlines, and to mix it up more
R.
Hookie·5:14 PM
Well,
a variety
Steve
Archer·5:14 PM
As
the Maxwell Turns
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:14 PM
exactly
about Grind Hotel, they must have run out of ideas for months to continue BB for
so long. They DID love Andy Devine's voice, so kept him on week after week
Laura
Leff·5:14 PM
I
don't think it was that much of a prevailing theme...I bet if I counted up the
shows with that as the skit, I probably would have ten, or no more than fifteen.
Yeah...they
also reached for "Who Killed Mr. X?" all the way through Murder at
Romanoffs and the Dick Van Dyke TV episode.
Josef
Silvia·5:15 PM
I
love Jack, but for some reason I'm not Andy Devine's biggest fan so
Buck
Benny was hit or miss for me.
Buck
Benny·5:15 PM
Wasn't
the Cowboy serial a fairly new concept when the skit was created? I
mean Roy Rogers and Gene Autry just started to mine that territory in the mid
1930's right? So
Buck
Benny was trendy?
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:15 PM
yikes,
Laura you are right, and it gets less funny each week...
Laura
Leff·5:16 PM
Hookie
- If you've got a Krackel, Dark Chocolate, or Reeses' left...send it my way.
Judy
R·5:16 PM
like
the "walking man" episodes. I remember one of the jb episodes, where
jack lost a card game to Rochester and ended up doing the housework
dennis
mentioned about it
Steve
Archer·5:16 PM
That's
the last time I'll play gin rummy with you, Judy!
Laura
Leff·5:16 PM
Well,
that was more a continuing thing on another show...
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:16 PM
This
could be a leftover from Harry Conn, who was really into "odd" or
unusual voices as a way to help radio jokes get over
R.
Hookie·5:16 PM
I
got peanut butter cups and sweetarts
Judy
R·5:16 PM
lol
steve, I play a mean game of gin rummy
Buck
Benny·5:17 PM
Have
you heard the Gene Autry radio show with Jack as guest playing Buck Bennny?
Judy
R·5:17 PM
no
buck
Laura
Leff·5:17 PM
Buck
- I don't know that it was new...I remember seeing Westerns back to the early
30s
Josef
Silvia·5:17 PM
No
I haven't, Buck. But being an Autry fan as well, I have to hear it!
Laura
Leff·5:17 PM
Buck
- No!
I
haven't heard it...tell us about it.
Steve
Archer·5:17 PM
That
sounds intriguing Buck
R.
Hookie·5:17 PM
About
how many of these "mini-series" were there?
Laura
Leff·5:18 PM
Well,
we've got a knowledgeable crew...how many can we name? We've got
two.
And
what qualifies? Does the one where Jack and Rochester are looking
for Jack's golf ball at the end of one ep and the beginning of the next count?
R.
Hookie·5:18 PM
It
could, I guess
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:18 PM
Grind
Hotel, the one about the girl who has to go to the city to earn money to pay the
Parent's rent
Laura
Leff·5:18 PM
Oh,
I got one! Tom Sawyer!
Josef
Silvia·5:18 PM
Wasn't
there the song "When you say I beg your pardon, I'll come back to you"
a little miniseries of sorts? Then Jack hits his head and becomes un-stingy.
Steve
Archer·5:18 PM
Ronald
Colman's Oscar
R.
Hookie·5:18 PM
I
was just about to ask that
Judy
R·5:19 PM
the
Oscars one where jack borrowed Ronnie's oscar
Buck
Benny·5:19 PM
I
posted it over in the form about a years ago. It has great sound
quality! Fun show! Done when Jack Stole Gene's
timeslot when he switched to CBS, kind of a payback.
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:19 PM
Mr
X, Tom Sawyer YES, and Jesse James
Laura
Leff·5:19 PM
So
what's the difference between a serial and a running gag, like "When You
Say I Beg Your Pardon"?
Buck
Benny·5:19 PM
Forum
R.
Hookie·5:19 PM
I
guess primary story line
Steve
Archer·5:19 PM
Sounds
like a good one for a chat discussion sometime Buck
Laura
Leff·5:20 PM
So
noted...
R.
Hookie·5:20 PM
and
airiing back to back
Laura
Leff·5:20 PM
So
with Tom Sawyer...one could say the classroom bits that they
did. Since the series degenerates into that.
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:20 PM
involving
a continuing plot and sometimes a new character for a while, like Andy Devine,
or the strange boarder, or Herman Peabody the insurance agent
eeeeek
I found the schoolroom bits not their best, BUT it was a strong tie back to a
standard vaudeville routine
Steve
Archer·5:21 PM
It's
a messy blurry line. Would the I Can't Stand Jack Benny contest
count as a serial? I wouldn't think so.
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:21 PM
oh
that is one of the BEST
Laura
Leff·5:21 PM
Steve
- I agree
Judy
R·5:22 PM
yea,
Laura
Leff·5:22 PM
What
about the Beverly Hills Beavers then?
Judy
R·5:22 PM
several
episodes withthem
Josef
Silvia·5:22 PM
Aren't
they more like recurring characters?
R.
Hookie·5:22 PM
I'd
say guest cast
Buck
Benny·5:22 PM
I
think of all the mentioned plots as story arcs, as well as taxes and Don's
contract disputs
Laura
Leff·5:22 PM
Oh
yeah, Jack needs to hire a new quartet.
Don't
give up the ship?
Judy
R·5:23 PM
the
new your trip episodes
Josef
Silvia·5:23 PM
Yeah,
the quartet episodes went on a while.
Buck
Benny·5:23 PM
Yep,
and the replacement of Dennis too
Judy
R·5:23 PM
new
york
Laura
Leff·5:23 PM
Oh!
Oh! The I Can't Stand Jack Benny Because contest!
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:23 PM
so,
these are all recurring BITS, not long narrative arcs. I think we can say that
after the Yosemite, that the Oscar theft was one of the few long-term ones
Steve
Archer·5:23 PM
The
show's structure can't really be categorized so easily, one of the reasons why
it holds up. It has aspects of self-contained and continuing series
Laura
Leff·5:23 PM
Kathy
- That's where I am. But I think the "I Can't Stand"
contest counts.
R.
Hookie·5:24 PM
Agreed,
I guess
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:24 PM
I
think you all are SO correct, and Jack was quoted many times as saying he and
his writers liked to change things up, so we listeners would never know what to
expect
Josef
Silvia·5:24 PM
I
think one of the reasons people wanted to keep hearing it each week was they
always left you with a reason to tune in next week, however slight, but nothing
overly serialized all the time beyond the obvious two or three.
Laura
Leff·5:25 PM
Right. There
were common ideas, like Si-Sy, the vault, Jack listens to sports on the radio,
etc.
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:25 PM
how
different from a sitcom tied to one place and theme. I always argue that Benny's
show was one of the most experimental and what they call "meta" today
Laura
Leff·5:25 PM
Or
"I Stand Condemned"
Judy
R·5:25 PM
carmichal
the polar bear episodes
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:25 PM
I
love the I Stand Condemed skits!
Laura
Leff·5:26 PM
Kathy
- Very well put. I was saying earlier today that while Jack is
credited with the invention of the sitcom, I'm not 100% sure that he's fully
there.
OK,
everyone blow up over that.
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:26 PM
no
sitcom could do what Benny often did, break the fourth wall to talk to us the
audience about script reading screwups or things he found funny
Josef
Silvia·5:26 PM
Yeah.
One of my favorite skits is when they do The Killer a few times with different
people playing "The Killer."
Laura
Leff·5:26 PM
I
personally credit Amos n Andy with that.
Buck
Benny·5:27 PM
I
ran a "I can't Stand
Buck
Benny because..." contest on the anniversary of the original episodes a
couple of months ago.
Steve
Archer·5:27 PM
Definitely
not the "situation resolved in 30 minutes and never spoken of
again". You have the "shows about nothing",
sometimes a little situation in the opening half that is wrapped up before the
skit, and then these occasional continuing sagas that crop up over a season or a
number of episodes.
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:27 PM
I
agree, Laura! But Amos n Andy did not break fourth wall the way Jack did from
the start. His show is so modern, not easy to categorize
Laura
Leff·5:27 PM
So
I've expressed my opinion...what do others think of the concept of Jack
inventing the sitcom? Discuss.
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:28 PM
I
would claim that all sitcoms as well as all late night talk shows owe Jack a bow
for creating what they have
Judy
R·5:28 PM
there
were so many vaudeville comedians in radio, it really is hard to say who started
the sitcom first
Buck
Benny·5:28 PM
Don't
know if he created the sitcom, but he sure perfected it!
Laura
Leff·5:28 PM
Kathy
- And in the early days, it was all over the map. Sometimes it was
more music, sometimes you had some story like the budding romance between Jack
and Mary, sometimes it was someone breaking Jack out of jail, and sometimes a
spoof skit of a movie or "Who Killed Mr. X" etc.
R.
Hookie·5:28 PM
If
not 'invent' then certainly improved
Josef
Silvia·5:28 PM
Jack
is half variety, half sitcom, but while I don't think he invented the sitcom (I
too would credit Amos and Andy with that), he definitely re-envisioned it and
improved it.
Laura
Leff·5:28 PM
Kathy
- Agreed.
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:28 PM
Jack
WAS one of the first to create ongoing characters (Yes A&A did it earlier).
But it was so different from the flat joke telling of other 1932 comics
Steve
Archer·5:28 PM
When
I think of sitcom as in "situation comedy", where it's all about some
(contrived) plot - I really think I Love Lucy.
So
many lesser shows aped that format, not so many borrowed from Jack's.
Laura
Leff·5:29 PM
Exactly. You
have people like Ed Wynn or Joe Penner just having funny dialogue with the
people around them, with little story.
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:29 PM
I
so agree w your great ideas, Laura! Jack created a flexibility that
few TV shows today can attempt
Laura
Leff·5:29 PM
Kathy
and I are in violent agreement.
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:29 PM
hahaha
Laura
Leff·5:30 PM
I
think breaking the fourth wall was an inherent part of the live radio broadcast,
though.
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:30 PM
I
like to talk about this w my students, that radio's invisibility let Benny and
his writers and cast do amazing things that even Seinfeld and Friends and
Arrested Development can't do. Maybe the Simpsons
Laura
Leff·5:30 PM
If
someone blows a line, you can't redo it. And if you're on a comedy
show, you may as well go with it.
Buck
Benny·5:31 PM
To
me the Jack Benny Radio show is the finest example of weeky comedy in an
medium? agreed?
Laura
Leff·5:31 PM
Kathy
- For example? I know less about the other shows.
R.
Hookie·5:31 PM
I
think Jack's TV shows could be divided into "sitcoms" and
"variety" shows, depending on the episode.
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:31 PM
LIVENESS!
Yes Laura that is what I have been trying to get students to understand, and
they have a problem with it, in a world of a million retakes
Laura
Leff·5:31 PM
Can
you compare it to a stage play? Would that make the jump for them?
Judy
R·5:32 PM
like
the gunsmoke radio show with William Conrad. years ago in a ninterview he
mentioned he did a major flub in an episode when the show was live.
Buck
Benny·5:32 PM
Also
some say how do we have the shows taped if it was live, to that I reply like
Saturday Night Live? Duh!
Laura
Leff·5:32 PM
Hookie
- Very much agreed. One week is "Where's
Jack?" "He's out in the hall..." and the next is
"Let's go down to Jack Benny's house in Beverly Hills where..."
R.
Hookie·5:32 PM
Yes
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:33 PM
the
only shows my students see live are Superbowl and Academy Awards. Not ones about
creating comedy on the fly. Analogies to standup work better, but even then the
scripts are memorized
Laura
Leff·5:33 PM
Buck
- LOL
Kathy
- Have you ever thought of having them recreate a show?
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:34 PM
great
idea!!! I have several volunteers already to help me recreate some of the best
un-recorded Benny shows from 1932-34
Laura
Leff·5:34 PM
Buck
- That's hard to extend to any medium. I often have said that Jack
invented radio comedy, because he was so effectively able to use
silences. But I think Ernie Kovacs created television comedy, doing
things that couldn't be done on a vaudeville stage or radio.
Judy
R·5:34 PM
thtat
would be fun
Buck
Benny·5:34 PM
Laura
in case I never get the chance again, I think you have done more to
keep/enhance Jack's legacy than anyone else, and I truly;y thank you for that!
Laura
Leff·5:34 PM
Kathy
- There ya go.
Buck
- *blush* Thanks very much for the kind words! Very
much appreciated!
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:35 PM
atleast
the students LOVED hearing a Benny radio skit (Colbert and Rathbone ) and then
seeing the TV version. Some of the 125 had paid attention and could tell me how
Benny and writers/crew had tried to inject more visual humor into the radio skit
Laura
Leff·5:35 PM
Say,
thoughts on Frank Nelson in tonight's show?
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:36 PM
what
Buck said, yes!
Judy
R·5:36 PM
as
the doctor
Steve
Archer·5:36 PM
It's
a little shocking hearing Frank so low key
Laura
Leff·5:36 PM
Josef
Silvia·5:36 PM
Yeah,
Nelson wasn't....well, Nelson.
Judy
R·5:36 PM
sucha
change of character
Buck
Benny·5:36 PM
Hey
Laura, where did you get the uncirculated Jack Benny scripts, and did you know
that some are Don's personal copies?
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:36 PM
I
agree with Steve, I am more used to Frank being over the top annoying
Laura
Leff·5:36 PM
Yeah...in
some of his earlier appearances, he's downright unrecognizable.
Steve
Archer·5:36 PM
You
can hear the rude just trying to bust out though!
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:36 PM
haha
Steve
Laura
Leff·5:36 PM
Buck
- Kathy, would you like to respond to that?
Judy
R·5:37 PM
it
sounded like mary doing the voice of his grandmother on the ski slope
Steve
Archer·5:37 PM
an
oooooooooooooooooooooooh! bubbling right under the surface.
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:37 PM
Hiya
Buck, I am getting them from the LIbrary of Congress, Benny's archives at UCLA,
and the Tobacco Documents collection online
Laura
Leff·5:37 PM
Wasn't
that Blanche Stewart as the waitress? I didn't look it up...
*reaching
for Volume 1*
Judy
R·5:37 PM
I
think so laura
sounded
like her
Buck
Benny·5:38 PM
Hiya
Kathy, more to come I hope?
Laura
Leff·5:38 PM
No! The
waitress was Mary Kelly!
Blanche
Stewart was the grandmother skiier!
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:39 PM
you
betcha, Buck! There are some doozies, and I hope to get both scripts and a few
recreations up and available in the coming months
Laura
Leff·5:39 PM
BRB
Judy
R·5:39 PM
ok.
she sounded like mary
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:40 PM
that
was her job! She was one of the first radio performers hired to be a permanent
back up/stand in, is that correct? 1932?
Buck
Benny·5:41 PM
Just
did a podcast about her, way sad that she died so young and is mostly forgotten.
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:41 PM
where
can I find that, Buck? Want to hear!
Judy
R·5:41 PM
lol.
cat just stole my dads chair. she laid right down on it and won't give it up.
lol
Laura
Leff·5:42 PM
Kathy
- Correct. In fact, pitching in for Mary who was out with
laryngitis is how she was signed as a permanent supporting cast.
I
found a clipping on that which I copied out of Jack's scrapbooks.
Judy
- That's a cat for you.
So
what else about the Yosemite show?
Steve
Archer·5:43 PM
Mary
L comes across awfully nasty in these shows to my ears
Buck
Benny·5:43 PM
Kathy,
It's on my podcast, but doesn't give to much info on her because there isn't
much info on her, but it's mostly my praise for her work. It's an
intro to an 80 year old episode where sh takes over for Mary and does a stellar
job with her Mary impression right down to the laugh.
Judy
R·5:44 PM
well
time for me to call it early. been down sick with allergies. *HUGS* everybody.
catch ya all next month
Judy
R left the room (user disconnected)
Steve
Archer·5:44 PM
Bye
Judy
Gone
already!
Laura
Leff·5:44 PM
Steve
- Agreed. This is the first time her character really gets to be a
you-know-what
Josef
Silvia·5:44 PM
Bye
Judy!
Laura
Leff·5:44 PM
Have
a...oh...oh well...
Steve
Archer·5:44 PM
Later
she would just be there to burst Jack's balloon, but here it's sort of
unprovoked aggression.
Laura
Leff·5:45 PM
I
have to say that some of the stereotypical "negro" humor of Rochester
in these shows still bothers me a bit.
"Don't
get lost in the snow" "Boss, who me?"
(Approximately)
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:45 PM
yep.
I so agree with you, Laura. Sadly, it was par for both the radio and film
industries
Josef
Silvia·5:45 PM
Yeah
or the Rochester waking up and dreaming about crap games
Laura
Leff·5:46 PM
Steve
- And it's very consistent, with her constantly going after Jack.
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:46 PM
the
way that the writers were obsessed with calling out skin COLOR in these days is
horrifyingly fascinating
Buck
Benny·5:46 PM
Hey
Lara, how big of a file can we attach in this chatroom?
Steve
Archer·5:46 PM
I
actually thought that, "who me" not to apologize for it - could have
been worse. Other comedians would have had the white comic make the
joke. Here it's Rochester pointing out he's a bit different from
the other white cast.
Laura
Leff·5:46 PM
Or
in the previous episode Jack not being able to see him because it's dark, and
asking Rochester to "smile or open your eyes."
Steve
Archer·5:46 PM
Took
a little of the sting out of it for me.
Laura
Leff·5:47 PM
Buck
- Dunno. Let's find out!
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:47 PM
you
are so RIGHT, Steve!! The Benny show was one of the most sensitve shows out
there, others were FAR worse
Laura
Leff·5:47 PM
And
a Central Avenue reference.
Oh,
and who believes that Don was a good skier?
Josef
Silvia·5:48 PM
Those
stuck around for a while too
Laura
Leff·5:48 PM
Yeah,
I think the jokes about Rochester slowly phased out during the war, and then
were not heard again afterwards.
Josef
Silvia·5:48 PM
Well,
it was radio......in TV, no I wouldn't believe Dion could ski
*Don
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:49 PM
I
very much agree, Laura, the writers got smarter (except for the big oooops of
reusing a 10 year old script on a 1950 NY visit)
Laura
Leff·5:49 PM
It
was less than 3 years prior to this episode and before the establishment of
Rochester's character that he plays a waiter and during a song about Jell-O
declares "Make mine watermelon!" *Facepalm*
Buck
Benny·5:49 PM
Gene
Autry Melody Ranch Podcast 1949-01-01 Guest Jack Benny (
Buck
Benny).mp337.6MB
I'll
try and post the Gene Autry with Jack as guest.
Laura
Leff·5:49 PM
Hey
hey! Looks like it worked!
Buck
Benny·5:49 PM
Did
that work?
Josef
Silvia·5:49 PM
Thanks
Buck!
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:49 PM
thank
you Buck!
Steve
Archer·5:50 PM
Nice,
will have to listen to that later!
Laura
Leff·5:50 PM
Yay
Buck!
Steve
Archer·5:50 PM
Thanks
Buck
Buck
Benny·5:50 PM
Somebody
try and download it and tell me if it worked
Josef
Silvia·5:50 PM
Downloading
it now will let you know
Laura
Leff·5:50 PM
Same
here
Buck
Benny·5:51 PM
Sorry
it's such a large file, but the sound quality is worth it
Laura
Leff·5:51 PM
Say...per
the question that came up about the gag with Dennis of Jack
Got
the file
Josef
Silvia·5:51 PM
Yep
it worked Buck!
Buck
Benny·5:51 PM
Cool!
Laura
Leff·5:51 PM
Starts
with Jack playing Love in Bloom from the 2-49 show?
So
Jack saying, "Where's Dennis? ......Oh."
Steve
Archer·5:52 PM
I've
got it too
Laura
Leff·5:52 PM
Does
anyone interpret it as something other than Dennis going to the bathroom?
Or...going
to do what one does in the bathroom?
Josef
Silvia·5:52 PM
Question......where
exactly is Dennis supposed to be when Jack says "Oh?" I've always
thought the bathroom too.
Laura
Leff·5:52 PM
That's
the only thing I can think of.
Buck
Benny·5:52 PM
Laura
do you have the audio for the complete Tonight Show from 1973-07-20 with Jack as
guest. If not I'll upload that. I used to just have
the interview section, but now I have the whole thing.
Definately
Dennis going to the bathroom and it's hilarious!
Josef
Silvia·5:53 PM
The
studio audience apparently loves the line, took me forever when I was to younger
to figure out where Dennis was.
Laura
Leff·5:54 PM
Buck
- Looks like not. Bring it on!
Oh...there's
a point where there's an extended laugh, and it sounds like someone in the cast
was breaking up at one of Dennis' lines.
Steve
Archer·5:55 PM
the
studio audience is going nuts at a few lines that seem not to deserve such a
huge laugh "I've got your sailboat here" for example
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley·5:55 PM
I
hate to chat and run, but its the last night of Downton Abbey, I imagine Jack
would have had fun parodying the show!
Kathy
Fuller-Seeley left the room (user disconnected)
Steve
Archer·5:55 PM
Bye
Kathy!
Josef
Silvia·5:55 PM
One
thing about becoming a Jack Benny fan at age 16, I am now finding a lot of jokes
funnier as an adult than I did then.
Laura
Leff·5:55 PM
Man,
everyone's cutting and running tonight...
Josef
- I hear that.
R.
Hookie·5:56 PM
Sorry...
I'm kind of in and out here....
Josef
Silvia·5:57 PM
Well,
one particular thing, half the jokes about Phil Harris' drinking went right over
my head as a kid. So when I had my church parody Jack Benny back when I was 17,
I had Phil say some drinking lines. My dad (the minister) said, Phil can't say
those lines. And told me why.
Steve
Archer·5:57 PM
So
Phil was pretty much silent?!
Laura
Leff·5:57 PM
You
should have had him say, "J'ai manger la fenetre."
I
remember asking my mother who Remley was.
Buck
Benny·5:58 PM
Rats
50 meg limit! Maybe I can lower the sound quality a little to fit.
Josef
Silvia·5:58 PM
Well,
I basically I to find Phil lines that didn't have drinking references and
actually did hav him use the "I ate the window."
Laura
Leff·5:58 PM
Buck
- Or break it into two files.
Josef
- Ha!
I
think you could do "That's What I Like About the South"
Josef
Silvia·5:59 PM
I
disn't have those episodes at the time. Only had like three cassette albums of
Jack Benny back then.
*didn't
Laura
Leff·5:59 PM
Josef
- Ah, I remember those days too.
Steve
Archer·5:59 PM
Back
when people had childrens' parties for Washington's Birthday.
????!
Buck
Benny·6:00 PM
Laura,
do you know why Blanche Stewart left the show in the middle of the 1940's then
cam back in 1948?
Laura
Leff·6:00 PM
A
long-time member has recollected a Howdy Doody show where Buffalo Bill has the
kids raise their glasses of milk to salute a picture of Eisenhower.
Buck
- A really good question...let me double-check something...
Steve
Archer·6:01 PM
I
heard Ike liked the harder stuff like strawberry sody pop
Laura
Leff·6:02 PM
Buck
- Well, I think she ultimately left the show because she died...
Buck
- And I'm actually not sure if she got married or was working elsewhere during
that time. Be right back, let me look up something on the fly.
(The
fly is so knowledgeable...)
R.
Hookie·6:03 PM
Hmmm...
trust my fly......
Laura
Leff·6:03 PM
Ummmm...
R.
Hookie·6:04 PM
Not
that one...
Laura
Leff·6:04 PM
Well,
it looks like Blanche hardly worked at all in radio from early '43 to '48.
My
guess would be that she got married and then divorced, but let's see if I can
prove that theory out.
Buck
Benny·6:04 PM
Maybe
she had a baby?
Stayed
at home to raise it for a few years>
Steve
Archer·6:05 PM
Her
obit (posted on the forum, thanks Google) noted she was injured in a fall and
then implies she came back to radio after recovering
Laura
Leff·6:05 PM
That's
what I'm thinking. That sort of thing.
Aha! Good
work, Steve.
Buck
Benny·6:06 PM
Nice
Steve!
Josef
Silvia·6:06 PM
yeah!
Laura
Leff·6:06 PM
IMDB
doesn't give any marital info on her.
Steve
Archer·6:06 PM
Blanche
P. Stewart
Special to the New York Times
LOS ANGELES, July 25--Mrs. Blanche P. Stewart, who won fame in the early days of
radio, was Brenda of the team of Brenda and Cobina, died today at her home here.
She gave up continuous broadcasts after being injured in a fall ten years ago,
but she had been active intermittently in radio until a few days ago.
Mrs. Stewart began her radio career in New York on the Jack Benny shows and
later came to Hollywood. She also appeared with Bob Hope, Fred Allen and
George Burns and Gracie Allen.
She leaves a sister, Mrs. Ann Miller, and two brothers, Anthony O'Mellan, a sea
captain of New York, and Leo J. O'Mellan, operator of a radio station at Erie,
Pa.
Laura
Leff·6:06 PM
She
was an incredible talent.
Buck
Benny·6:06 PM
What
about Harry Baldwin, I have a picture of him joining the armed services with
Jack and Mary at his side then he neer cam back to the show. Did he
die?
Laura
Leff·6:07 PM
Another
very good question. I haven't chased that one down yet.
Buck
Benny·6:07 PM
She
was Brenda? Cool!
Laura
Leff·6:08 PM
Buck
- Remind me...are you on the Facebook group? That would be a
perfect place to post that question, I'm sure someone would take the challenge.
Buck
Benny·6:08 PM
What
facebook group?
Steve
Archer·6:08 PM
Interesting
Blanche is listed as a "Mrs." and doesn't have the same last name as
her brothers, but no mention of a husband. Perhaps he predeceased
her.
Laura
Leff·6:08 PM
Buck
- The International Jack Benny Fan Club Facebook group. Very, very
active.
Steve
- I don't think so. I think it was her stage name.
IMDB
gives a different birth name.
And
Mrs. was often given to older women, just like the term "Senora."
Josef
Silvia·6:09 PM
Yes,
we post pics, coversate, I've been more active on the FB page than I have in the
chat rooms
Laura
Leff·6:09 PM
Even
if they weren't married.
Buck
Benny·6:10 PM
No
I just go to the forum and watch the paint dry on my fonts, while I wait for no
one to repy
Steve
Archer·6:10 PM
Aha. Yes,
O'Malley in the obits and Omelian on IMDB. Close enough for
journalism!
Laura
Leff·6:10 PM
There's
been tons of energy there lately with some enthusiastic participants and me
being off work and posting from the 1000+ clippings I've been sorting.
Buck
Benny·6:11 PM
Hmmm...
maybe I have a new hangout!
Laura
Leff·6:11 PM
Buck
- You know, I'm as guilty of that as anyone. I check once in a
while and see if something new has been posted, but it seems like the Facebook
group is the place to be now.
Josef
Silvia·6:11 PM
I
always check it on the train after work. Lots of fun.
Laura
Leff·6:11 PM
Buck
- We would love to have you there.
Thanks,
Josef.
Josef
Silvia·6:12 PM
You
bet
Buck
Benny·6:12 PM
Oh,
I'll be there, baby! You can bet your sweet bippy on that.
Laura
Leff·6:12 PM
It's
such a great group...I found a caricature drawing from the Great Temptations,
with the notation "At the Shubert Detroit" and I posted on the FB
group if anyone could triangulate when they played there. And
within minutes, someone had an answer for me (last week of November, 1926).
(May
not have been the Shubert, but you get it.)
R.
Hookie·6:12 PM
I'm
sorry about not being more active... I've got a distraction.
Laura
Leff·6:13 PM
Hookie
- Say hi to Penny for us. Or Bernie and Hillary.
Steve
Archer·6:13 PM
Someday
I'll be dragged kicking and screaming onto Facebook.
Buck
Benny·6:13 PM
Bad
distraction or good sitraction?
Laura
Leff·6:13 PM
Steve
- Yeah, I still say "good for you" for not letting it be a time sink
for you. But it's been pretty darned good for the club.
Buck
Benny·6:14 PM
What
is the best singing performance by Dennis? Anyone?
Steve
Archer·6:14 PM
I'm
sure - and I'm sure I'm missing out!
Laura
Leff·6:14 PM
Buck
- Hmmm...the first that comes to mind is "Vesti la Giubba" on the Rod
Serling TV episode...
Buck
Benny·6:15 PM
Sorry
never seen that episode other than the Serling section.
Make
Love With My Guitar?
Laura
Leff·6:16 PM
I
think it's "a Guitar," but still double-entendre...
If
you want an Irish song, the one that comes to mind is "An Irishman Will
Steal Your Heart Away" from one of the New Year's shows.
Buck
Benny·6:17 PM
Funny
how Making Love has such a different conotation in the past
Steve
Archer·6:17 PM
That's
a good one
Or
multiple "Clancy Lowered the Boom"s
Laura
Leff·6:17 PM
Buck
- No kidding. In "Horse Feathers," Thelma Todd says to
Zeppo, "Are you making love to me?" and Zeppo is fully clothed.
Buck
Benny·6:18 PM
Did
a whole podcast on Phil saying "Hey Jackson, what does WTF mean?"
Josef
Silvia·6:18 PM
I
love Clancy Lowered the Boom
Laura
Leff·6:18 PM
Steve
- I thought about that one, but the visuals on "Irishman" are so fun
that it's hard to beat.
*Wondering
if Dennis ever did Clancy on TV*
Buck
- I think I remember hearing that in my car and probably amusing other drivers
as I drove with my mouth hanging open as far as it could
Looked
it up...Dennis never did Clancy on TV. But one of the Beavers did.
So
what else Benny-wise is on your minds tonight?
Steve
Archer·6:20 PM
I
had a head scratcher like that in watching an episode of Dark Shadows from 1968
where a character says "I can't reach him, he doesn't have his cell
phone".
Laura
Leff·6:21 PM
That's
interesting...
Buck
Benny·6:22 PM
Tonight
Show 1973-07-20 Guest Jack Benny (96-44.1).mp344.3MB
Here
we go! Enjoy it has Joe Namath and Elke Summer too!
Laura
Leff·6:22 PM
I
guess the technology does go back to WWII
Yay! Thanks
very much!
Steve
Archer·6:22 PM
It
was a blooper as the character was in jail in a cell, so it was just some
scrambled dialogue (the show was basically done live), but it did give me pause!
Laura
Leff·6:23 PM
Very
prescient. Ala Star Trek.
Steve
Archer·6:23 PM
Yeah,
look at those clunky old flip-phones Spock trots around with.
Buck
Benny·6:23 PM
Now
that Johnny Carson is on seven nights a week on Antenna TV, I'm hoping to find
even more great Jack episodes! I really want Mary's appearance from
1978 with The Rose story!
Steve
Archer·6:24 PM
I
thought most of those Tonight Shows had been erased.
Laura
Leff·6:24 PM
Steve
- We were watching the remake of "Ocean's Eleven" last night, and I
said, "Motorola must have paid good money for the product placement of all
the Star-Tac phones...that's what everyone is using!"
R.
Hookie·6:25 PM
I
watch Johnny every night.
Buck
Benny·6:25 PM
Found
a great JAck interview on Merv Griffin from "72 I think! Jack
talks about all his movies.
Laura
Leff·6:25 PM
Some
of them were...supposedly the first one with Groucho is gone.
Steve
Archer·6:25 PM
Did
they stop erasing them after a certain date, or was it haphazard?
Laura
Leff·6:25 PM
Hey,
out of curiosity, what's the best Jack interview you ever heard?
Buck
Benny·6:25 PM
most
everything from 1974 on exists, but earlier than that is mostly missing.
Steve
Archer·6:26 PM
I
like the David Frost one you have in the library Laura.
R.
Hookie·6:26 PM
Many
of the first 10 years shows were "wiped."
Laura
Leff·6:26 PM
I
know that Carson owns most of them, and you can license clips from
them. Their site is simply killer for searching the shows.
Steve
- That's the one that I think is the best too.
Buck
Benny·6:26 PM
I
like the one with Him a Mel on the tonight show
Laura
Leff·6:27 PM
But
we still have Ed Ames throwing tomahawks. And George Carlin doing
the Hippy Dippy Weatherman. And they're in black and while.
white
R.
Hookie·6:27 PM
A
few of the early episodes were found thanks to guests who had been given a copy.
Steve
Archer·6:27 PM
It
would have been interesting if Jack had done something more in-depth and
substantial more mid-career say in the 40s or '50s.
R.
Hookie·6:27 PM
And
there's kinescope
Buck
Benny·6:27 PM
Those
were saved because they used them for best of shows that were made and saved
before the great purge
R.
Hookie·6:28 PM
...
out again.... be back soon...
Buck
Benny·6:28 PM
Most
of the audio for the entire run of Johnny Carson is saved in the Library of
Congress due to making the audio available for the armed services
Laura
Leff·6:28 PM
Steve
- Definitely, but from all the clippings that I've handled over the past couple
months, I sense that it was still more like the studio system. A
lot of well-controlled articles and publicity.
Buck
- Oooo...
Steve
Archer·6:29 PM
Yep. And,
there really wasn't any kind of "entertainment scholarship" the way
there is now. It wasn't a subject really considered worthy of
documenting.
That
is really good to hear Buck.
Laura
Leff·6:30 PM
There
was a point later in Jack's life when he walked into his office and saw Irving
and someone else working on some piece of publicity. Allegedly,
Jack said, "Don't make me sound like a g*d-d*mned saint."
And
boy oh boy, do I understand what he probably meant.
Steve
Archer·6:31 PM
I
wonder if there were any tapes made of the sessions with Zolotow that led to
Sunday Nights at Seven - and wasn't Jack working with Hickey on a book toward
the end?
Probably
long crumbled to dust if they were taping those conversations.
Laura
Leff·6:31 PM
On
watching "The Manchurian Candidate" recently, I pointed out the line
of "Raymond Shaw was the kindest, gentlest, bravest man I ever
knew." Interviewing people about Jack is like that.
Buck
Benny·6:32 PM
One
of the early interviews that I like the best is the one where he and Don
recreate his first ever appearance on radio from the Ed Sullivan show
Laura
Leff·6:32 PM
Steve
- I don't think Jack was working with Hickey, although he was considered part of
the comedy writing crew. Much to the chagrin of the other writers.
Steve
- Oh, and I need to ping George Balzer's son to see what's up.
Steve
Archer·6:33 PM
OK,
maybe mismatched memory. I seem to recall he was working with
Hickey on a autobiography project after Mary nixed the Zolotow manuscript.
Buck
Benny·6:33 PM
I
also like his short interview on the 2oth Century Train from 1946
Laura
Leff·6:33 PM
Steve
- You may be right and I've just forgotten.
Buck
- I think I need a memory jog. Which one is that?
Steve
Archer·6:33 PM
And
perhaps some of that ended up in the Marcia Borie book somehow.
Laura
Leff·6:34 PM
Steve
- Certainly possible. Interesting to contemplate.
Steve
Archer·6:34 PM
If
only because they would have had to sit down and dive into topics deeper in time
than the usual talk-show anecdotes.
Laura
Leff·6:35 PM
Yeah,
and probably more honestly because it wasn't intended for public release.
Josef
Silvia·6:35 PM
sorry
guys i gotta go! talk to you all next month and fb!
Laura
Leff·6:35 PM
OK...should
we call it good for this month? Don't have to ask for a show...
Josef
Silvia left the room (user disconnected)
Steve
Archer·6:35 PM
I
think some of this might actually be in the Marcia Borie book, I'll have to give
it a look and report back.
Laura
Leff·6:35 PM
Steve
- Please do!
Steve
Archer·6:36 PM
OK,
I am good with winding down. Good night all!
Laura
Leff·6:36 PM
OK,
thanks for stopping folks!
Buck
- Hope to see you on FB!
Steve
Archer left the room (user disconnected)
Buck
Benny·6:36 PM
let
me get you a couple more shows first.
Laura
Leff·6:36 PM
Bye
Hookie and Penny...
OK
R.
Hookie·6:36 PM
Good
night folks!!!
Buck
Benny·6:36 PM
Do
you have the merv griffin?
R.
Hookie left the room (user disconnected)
Laura
Leff·6:37 PM
Which
one?
Buck
Benny·6:37 PM
1973
where he talks bout his movie career
Laura
Leff·6:38 PM
Don't
think so.
Buck
Benny·6:38 PM
let
me at least give you that one, it's nice
Laura
Leff·6:38 PM
Great!
Thanks
very much.
Buck
Benny·6:40 PM
04
Merv Griffin Show 1973-04-27 Jack Benny, Mel Ferrer, and Twiggy.mp335.5MB
Here
you go. I'm looking for the 20th Century train one
Buck
Benny·6:40 PM
I
think I posted the video for this over in the forum
Laura
Leff·6:41 PM
I
need to take a closer look at that.
Buck
Benny·6:41 PM
02
nate_gross_show_1946-06-09_nate_gross_with_jack_benny.mp33.4MB
Found
it
Laura
Leff·6:41 PM
Cool...got
it. Thanks again!
Thanks
again for joining us...look forward to chatting with you again!
Buck
Benny·6:42 PM
Have
fun see you on Face Book! I still want an interview with you at
some point for my podcast
Laura
Leff·6:42 PM
We
will do it!