The man who hated Jack...

[Mister Kitzel]

In Milt Josefsberg's biography of Jack Benny he mentions that in the early 60's Jack was planning a television special and had someone contact people to work on the show rather than call them himself. One person took that as an insult and forever cursed Jack. The only clues given were that the man had worked with Jack for about twenty years by that time and had been acquainted with Jack since the 30's. Does anyone know who this may be?

[Roman]

Since Jack had the same writers and actors for years, even decades in many cases, it could be almost anyone. Well, o.k., I think we can be pretty safe assuming it wasn't Mel Blanc.

[Yhtapmys]

In Milt Josefsberg's biography of Jack Benny he mentions that in the early 60's Jack was planning a television special and had someone contact people to work on the show rather than call them himself. One person took that as an insult and forever cursed Jack. The only clues given were that the man had worked with Jack for about twenty years by that time and had been acquainted with Jack since the 30's. Does anyone know who this may be?

I vote for Mary.

Yhtapmys
"Drive Your Blues Away!"

[shimp scrampi]

The identity of the person Milt Josefberg called "Quentin" is known to LL, our fearless leader, but the info hasn't been made public out of respect for the individual. We discussed it in the February chat (check the transcript).

[Mister Kitzel]

Thank you for telling me that. Just one more darn mystery!

[LLeff]

The identity of the person Milt Josefberg called "Quentin" is known to LL, our fearless leader, but the info hasn't been made public out of respect for the individual. We discussed it in the February chat (check the transcript).

In case it makes anyone feel better, Quentin softened his stance on Jack later in life. So Milt told the story as far as he knew it, and there were more issues beyond those, but it wasn't permanent enmity.

Just goes to show you what digging deep into unsorted personal papers can get you...

[shimp scrampi]

You know, based on what LL has volunteered / corrected about the story and knowing who the possible earlier "candidates" for Quentin were, and why some were eliminated, I have a pretty strong suspicion of the person's identity... which out of respect for Laura I would not put her in the position of confirming or denying.

But, in a way, I just wish Milt had never brought the issue up in his book. It creates a silly "mystery" (at least within Benny fandom) that just publicly aggravates and reinforces a private matter that should have been a byegone. I am sure there are others that Jack had tiffs and fallouts with that we haven't heard about and/or were patched up. But, this chapter in a major Benny biography ensures the story ain't going to go quietly into the sunset.

It seems bizarre to me to document the (temporary, as it turns out)emotional meltdown of someone you're not even going to name in a book that was otherwise upbeat and not mining for "dirt". Maybe someday the Kitty Kelley version of Jack's life will be written, or one that otherwise lays out any "dirty laundry" that exists in full ... but Milt's book sure was not that!

And, based on Josefsberg's own recounting of the incident it seems that Jack himself was at least partially ancillary to the meltdown. Quentin clearly had other issues. I wonder if Milt himself might have had some of his own issues with "Quentin"...why include it? I think it's a wildly out of whack chapter in an otherwise excellent Benny book.

My two cents!

[Moose Hatrack]

Happy Birthday Milt! Would have turned 99 today.

[helloagain]

I'm usually aggrevated by those juicy anecdotes about a famous person 'who shall remain nameless'. Milton Berle did the same thing in his autobiography about an actress that he had an illegitamate child with. If they don't want to disclose the details, why bring it up in the first place? Squeeze me but don't tease me.

[Flash Benny]

I have heard some people suggest it was a certain musical director. But, this person COULD NOT attend Jack's funeral in person because he passed away 5 years before Jack (1969).

[TheSportsmenQuartet]

My guess, based on absolutely nothing, is Frank Nelson.

[Yhtapmys]

My guess, based on absolutely nothing, is Frank Nelson.

Well, it's not Joe Kearns

Yhtapmys
"Drive Your Blues Awayyy!"

[Gumlegs]

My guess, based on absolutely nothing, is Frank Nelson.

No. I knew Frank. He always had nice things to say about Jack, his writers, and working on the show.

He was not wild about Irving Fein ...

[helloagain]

I believe it was in Milt's book, where he said the man who hated Jack was 'actor' Keefe Brassille, who played the title role in the 'Eddie Cantor Story'. I'm surprised nobody mentioned this before, but then, he couldn't be the man you're referring to if he had known Jack since the '30s.