The Devineness of Andy!

[Jack Benny]

Jello again,

I know Andy Devine is a highly debated cast member. Some love him some...well...don't love him. He has really grown on me lately, and I enjoy his positive and fun characterization. Does anyone know when he first appeared, last appeared as a regular, and last appeared as a guest?

Thanks ever so much,

The Benmeister

[Gerry O.]

It's really strange about Andy Devine on Jack's show.....I like him and find him very funny, but I just don't think of him as "one of the gang". I know that Andy did social things with Jack and the others on the show (attending house parties, going out to dinner, going to the circus, etc.), but he's always seemed like an outsider to me.

It's sort of like Jack, Mary, Phil, Don, Dennis (or Kenny) and even Rochester were like an "immediate" family, and Andy was like an uncle who would drop in and visit....even when he was on the show almost every week!

Maybe this is just how I perceive it....Thoughts, anyone?

[Jack Benny]

[quote="Gerry O."

It's sort of like Jack, Mary, Phil, Don, Dennis (or Kenny) and even Rochester were like an "immediate" family, and Andy was like an uncle who would drop in and visit....even when he was on the show almost every week!

Maybe this is just how I perceive it....Thoughts, anyone?[/quote]

It always seemed that way to me as well Andy and Schlepperman seemed to come and visit often, but weren't part of the core group. I thinkl what helped us get this feeling was that Andy and Schlepperman almost never showed up for the begining banter on the show, but they only came in during the skit at the end of the program, or just right before the skit. Giving them a more distint feel.

I have a question about Andy. Did he choose to leave the show, or was he let go? I always though they probably let him go because he didn't quite "fit," but I just watched "Stage Coach" with John Wayne last night and Andy has third billing just below Wayne in the credits. This has got to be the biggest picture that any Benny cast member was asociated with. "Stage Coach" was made in 1939, and I was thinking that Andy may have decided that he wanted to be free to do more film work. Does anyone know more about this?

[Michael]

It's really strange about Andy Devine on Jack's show.....I like him and find him very funny, but I just don't think of him as "one of the gang". I know that Andy did social things with Jack and the others on the show (attending house parties, going out to dinner, going to the circus, etc.), but he's always seemed like an outsider to me.

It's sort of like Jack, Mary, Phil, Don, Dennis (or Kenny) and even Rochester were like an "immediate" family, and Andy was like an uncle who would drop in and visit....even when he was on the show almost every week!

Maybe this is just how I perceive it....Thoughts, anyone?

My sentiments exactly

[TEADJones]

Anytime I hear Andy sing, it's hilarious, especially next to Mary. The Snow White wishing well bit is a classic.

[Jack Benny]

I just checked the IMDB and Andy was in 179 movies in his career. Wow! That's five more than John Wayne. I wonder if it is the most by any actor?

Here is a list of the movies he was in while also being on the Benny Show.

Trail of the Vigilantes (1940) .... Meadows
Margie (1940) .... Cameo appearance
Devil's Pipeline, The (1940) .... Andy Jennings
... aka Isle of Missing Men (1940) (USA)
Leather Pushers, The (1940) .... Andy Adams
When the Daltons Rode (1940) .... Ozark Jones
Black Diamonds (1940) .... Tolliver Higgenbotham [Script Name: Barney Tolliver]
Hot Steel (1940) .... Matt Morrison
Torrid Zone (1940) .... Wally Davis
Man from Montreal, The (1940) .... Const. Bones Blair
Little Old New York (1940) .... Commodore, Ferry Boat Owner
Danger on Wheels (1940) .... 'Guppy' Wexel
Geronimo (1939) .... Sneezer
Legion of Lost Flyers (1939) .... 'Beef' Brumley
Mutiny on the Blackhawk (1939) .... Slim Collins
Tropic Fury (1939) .... Tynan ('Tiny') Andrews
... aka Fury of the Tropics (1939) (USA)
Never Say Die (1939) .... Henry Munch
Spirit of Culver, The (1939) .... Tubby
... aka Man's Heritage (1939) (UK)
... aka Two Smart Boys (1939) (UK)
Stagecoach (1939) .... Buck
Swing That Cheer (1938) .... Doc Saunders
Personal Secretary (1938) .... 'Snoop' Lewis
Storm, The (1938) .... Swede Hanzen
Men with Wings (1938) .... Joe Gibbs
Strange Faces (1938) .... Hector Hobbes
Yellow Jack (1938) .... Charlie Spill
Dr. Rhythm (1938) .... Officer Lawrence O'Roon
... aka Doctor Rhythm (1938)

[LLeff]

Here is a list of the movies he was in while also being on the Benny Show.

Where's "Buck Benny Rides Again"?

[Jack Benny]

Here is a list of the movies he was in while also being on the Benny Show.

Where's "Buck Benny Rides Again"?

Interesting you would ask. I don't think "Buck Benny Rides Again" exists in the IMDB. I looked under Jack And didn't see it either. Weird.

[LLeff]

Interesting you would ask. I don't think "Buck Benny Rides Again" exists in the IMDB. I looked under Jack And didn't see it either. Weird.

It does... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032289/... but it doesn't seem to be cross-referenced to the actors. Go figure.

[Stallone]

Extremely odd topic but I'm a newbie here so what the heck!

I was actually going to post a similar thread because I'm no at all familiar with Andy Devine. He was featured during what years?

Despite being a big Jack Benny fan, I don't own a huge collection and just recently discovered the Jack Benny OTR podcast through iTunes so I'm going through episodes there as they post.

To be honest, I'm not really much of a fan of Devine on the show. Or Kenny Baker for that matter. In my mind (and probably the mind of others) the "classic" cast is Jack, Mary, Don, Phil, Dennis and Rochester.

What was Devine's role on the show? Was he just a friend of Jack's who popped up for the gang's outside-the-studio adventures?

[Maxwell]

Extremely odd topic but I'm a newbie here so what the heck!

I was actually going to post a similar thread because I'm no at all familiar with Andy Devine. He was featured during what years?

Despite being a big Jack Benny fan, I don't own a huge collection and just recently discovered the Jack Benny OTR podcast through iTunes so I'm going through episodes there as they post.

To be honest, I'm not really much of a fan of Devine on the show. Or Kenny Baker for that matter. In my mind (and probably the mind of others) the "classic" cast is Jack, Mary, Don, Phil, Dennis and Rochester.

What was Devine's role on the show? Was he just a friend of Jack's who popped up for the gang's outside-the-studio adventures?

From the shows I've heard from Devine's period with Jack, he seems to have been a semi-regular. His biggest role was in the Buck Benny sketches. He also made one of the classic bloopers in what I think was his first appearance on the show, where in closing the show he calls it the "JellY" series, sending things into complete chaos just as the show ended.

[Mandolynn]

To be honest, I'm not really much of a fan of Devine on the show. Or Kenny Baker for that matter. In my mind (and probably the mind of others) the "classic" cast is Jack, Mary, Don, Phil, Dennis and Rochester.

Regarding Kenny/Dennis, I think it kind of depends on which one you encountered first.

I have listened to all of the shows in chronological order twice, so I "met" Kenny before Dennis. Both times I was really sorry to hear Kenny go. Kenny and Dennis filled similar comedy roles on the show, but Kenny was a schemer underneath and had a little edge to him that Dennis didn't have. Over the years Dennis would sometimes do calculated things to drive Jack crazy, but he never had that real rebellious streak that Kenny's character sometimes had.

Of course I loved Dennis, too, once they got past the first season and he lost some of that utter meekness they had him portray at first. But I missed Kenny a lot that first season he was gone. Dennis sang fine, but as far as the comedy went, he was almost too nice. Of course his mother was funny, but I think she got funnier over the years when she would stick up for Dennis on the one hand while simultaneously wondering how he found his way home every day on the other.

They were both terrific singers and the switch there didn't bother me.

I think Kenny came into his own when he ended up working with Fred Allen on the Texaco show. Those are my favorite "FA" shows.

I adored Andy, too, and I think the cast doing "Snow White" was one of the best things they ever did, especially the version where Schlepperman was Prince Charming.

[mackdaddyg]

I think Kenny came into his own when he ended up working with Fred Allen on the Texaco show. Those are my favorite "FA" shows.

I agree. I was listening to a couple of FA's shows last week, and was reminded how well Kenny Baker fit into the show. The combination of Kenny, Goodman, and Portland actually makes for some funny moments, with Fred being the only sane one in the room.

As for Andy's "Jelly" blooper, what's the date of that show? Does it still exist?

[Gumlegs]

I think Kenny came into his own when he ended up working with Fred Allen on the Texaco show. Those are my favorite "FA" shows.

I agree. I was listening to a couple of FA's shows last week, and was reminded how well Kenny Baker fit into the show. The combination of Kenny, Goodman, and Portland actually makes for some funny moments, with Fred being the only sane one in the room.

As for Andy's "Jelly" blooper, what's the date of that show? Does it still exist?

December 13, 1936 and yes.

[Maxwell]

I just listened to the Jelly blooper again. Is that Jack with the loudest laugh? I never could really tell. For me the best part is Don. He valiantly tries to get through the final announcements, but can't quite make it before he cracks up.