"Jack Benny" vs "Benjamin Kubelsky"

[Floorwalker]

Did "Jack Benny" ever become Jack's legal name? If so, when did he make the change? Or was he always "Jack Benny" the performer, but still "Benjamin Kubelsky" the person?

[TheSportsmenQuartet]

He is listed in the Social Security Death Index as Jack Benny so I'm assuming he changed his name legally.

[LLeff]

Did "Jack Benny" ever become Jack's legal name? If so, when did he make the change? Or was he always "Jack Benny" the performer, but still "Benjamin Kubelsky" the person?

Your timing is great...I found the legal documents for Jack changing his name just a couple weeks ago. I don't have it immediately at hand, but he did it around 1924.

[Brad from Georgia]

One of my favorite moments on a Tonight show interview with Jack was when Johnny Carson said, "You changed your name for show business, didn't you?"

Jack said, "Well, I shortened it to Benjamin Kubelsky."

"From what?"

"From O'Kubelsky."

Carson (laughing): "I didn't know you were Irish!"

Jack: "Full-blooded, I'm not."

[shimp scrampi]

That brings up a couple of thoughts...

There are a few "Kubelsky" references here and there as in-jokes in the radio and TV shows, Dennis also gets a "McNulty" reference now and then. Are there any deliberate "Eddie Anderson" or "Sadye Marks" references that anyone can think of?

And - in line with the latter - I believe Mary also legally changed her name from Sadye Marks - but to WHAT? She was married to Jack by the time the "Livingstone" name was invented, so did she legally go directly from Sadye Marks to Mary Benny, was 'Livingstone' ever a part of her legal name?

And what's the story with 'Wonga' Phil Harris, anyway? Is that a family name?

[LLeff]

There are a few "Kubelsky" references here and there as in-jokes in the radio and TV shows, Dennis also gets a "McNulty" reference now and then. Are there any deliberate "Eddie Anderson" or "Sadye Marks" references that anyone can think of?

I've not heard an Eddie Anderson comment, possibly because that was his REAL name (Dennis changed his stage name, then later in life changed it back) and might have broken character. Mary does appear as Sadie Thompson in the 1/15/33 show, then as Sadie Johnson in the 3/10/35 show. There is a reference to someone having a girlfriend named Sadie, but I didn't trap the date on that. Keep in mind that Mary hated her real name, and I'm sure was happy not to be reminded of it.

And - in line with the latter - I believe Mary also legally changed her name from Sadye Marks - but to WHAT? She was married to Jack by the time the "Livingstone" name was invented, so did she legally go directly from Sadye Marks to Mary Benny, was 'Livingstone' ever a part of her legal name?

She changed it from Sadie (spelling per the legal papers...found those when I found Jack's...guess she used both spellings later) Benny to Mary Benny around 1946 (would have to grab the papers to check exactly).

[David47Jens]

And - in line with the latter - I believe Mary also legally changed her name from Sadye Marks - but to WHAT? She was married to Jack by the time the "Livingstone" name was invented, so did she legally go directly from Sadye Marks to Mary Benny, was 'Livingstone' ever a part of her legal name?

She changed it from Sadie (spelling per the legal papers...found those when I found Jack's...guess she used both spellings later) Benny to Mary Benny around 1946 (would have to grab the papers to check exactly).

Too bad she never changed it legally to "Mary Livingstone." That would would have settled the question of whether it was "Livingstone" or "Livingston" once and for all! *sigh*

[shimp scrampi]

Well, at least Mary didn't change her first name to "Mrs. Jack" as it seems she was inclined to prefer! I don't think the "Livingston" spelling was ever anything but an error on outsiders' part, if you look at autographs and so on, it's always "Livingstone".

LL, (or anyone else in the know) can you clarify your comment:

Dennis changed his stage name, then later in life changed it back

What exactly was the sequence of McNulty-Day, etc? Are you saying McNulty was a stage name as well?

Another thought on the use of the real names as gags, McNulty and Kubelsky are "comedic" sounding words, "Anderson" and "Marks" are pretty plain-jane. Sadie's a good "gun moll" name for a character though, no offense to the Sadies out there!

[LLeff]

I don't think the "Livingston" spelling was ever anything but an error on outsiders' part, if you look at autographs and so on, it's always "Livingstone".

Sorry to have to disagree...I have an NBC tour guidebook from the General Tire timeframe that has autographs of Jack, Mary, and Don Bestor. And Mary signed it "Livingston". C.f. intro of "39 Forever" for a detailed discussion of the Livingston/e controversy.

What exactly was the sequence of McNulty-Day, etc? Are you saying McNulty was a stage name as well?

Apologies. Eugene Patrick McNulty (I believe, going from memory) was Dennis' birth name. He later changed it to Dennis Day, but later in life changed it back to Eugene McNulty. Eugene McNulty...Titus Moody...hmmm...

[shimp scrampi]

Interesting on the early Livingston <drops spare change into his 'savin' fer "39 Forever" piggy bank'>, it was certainly consistently Livingstone by the Jell-O era onward though?

One of the advantages of radio, I guess, you don't have to be a good or consistent speller! Milt Josefsberg has some odd variant spellings in his book as well, "Kitzle", e.g. If there can be two spellings of "Sadie", why not "Livingstone"?

[LLeff]

Interesting on the early Livingston <drops spare change into his 'savin' fer "39 Forever" piggy bank'>, it was certainly consistently Livingstone by the Jell-O era onward though?

Yes, it flipped back and forth but seemed to settle on Livingstone.

One of the advantages of radio, I guess, you don't have to be a good or consistent speller! Milt Josefsberg has some odd variant spellings in his book as well, "Kitzle", e.g. If there can be two spellings of "Sadie", why not "Livingstone"?

And also Jack's father's name: Meyer vs. Mayer. Kitzel is Yiddish for "to tickle", so transliterating Yiddish or Hebrew is sometimes an imprecise science (e.g., Hanukkah, Hanukah, Chanukkah, Chanuka, Chanukah, Channukah, etc.). I recently pulled up the picture of the gravestone to remind me which way it was spelled, and semi-unconsciously said, "M-A-Y-E-R". This gave me an instant mnemonic for it..."my bologna (hopefully kosher) has a second name, it's M-A-Y-E-R."

Jacques Benet...............

[shimp scrampi]

And maybe Mr. Harris just thought "W-O-N-G-A" was the right way to spell "Phil"

Found out that he was named that after a friend of his parents, btw.

[David47Jens]

I have an NBC tour guidebook from the General Tire timeframe that has autographs of Jack, Mary, and Don Bestor. And Mary signed it "Livingston". C.f. intro of "39 Forever" for a detailed discussion of the Livingston/e controversy.

Yup, that's what I was referring to when I said that if she'd ever changed her name to Livinston(e) legally, it would have settled the issue with more finality.

[David47Jens]

And also Jack's father's name: Meyer vs. Mayer... I recently pulled up the picture of the gravestone to remind me which way it was spelled, and semi-unconsciously said, "M-A-Y-E-R". This gave me an instant mnemonic for it..."my bologna (hopefully kosher) has a second name, it's M-A-Y-E-R."

That reminds me of a comic book writer/artist named Eric Mayer. He pronounced his last name "MAY-er" (like the "mayor" of a town) but people always assumed it was "MY-er" because of the Oscar Mayer company. He was resigned to this fate since the Oscar Mayer people had "better publicity."

Speaking of "bologna" and its lesser-known alternate spelling, "bologne," I wonder when the spelling of the word was corrupted into "baloney" (as it's usually spelled to denote hogwash, nonsense, or any other stronger term you'd care to include)?

And, hey, what was this thread about originally?!?

[Maxwell]

That reminds me of a comic book writer/artist named Eric Mayer. He pronounced his last name "MAY-er" (like the "mayor" of a town) but people always assumed it was "MY-er" because of the Oscar Mayer company. He was resigned to this fate since the Oscar Mayer people had "better publicity."

What about Louis B. Mayer? Metro-Goldwyn-"MY-er"? (Besides, as any Chicagoan will tell you, Oscar Mayer's wieners are garbage. It's Vienna Sausage Co.'s or nothing!)