Different writers, different gags...

[bboswell]

We were talking about surrealism in the Jack Benny show a few months back, and I heard a gag today from the show that reminded me of it, and spawned a new question.
In the June 13th, 1948 show (from Detroit) Jack has a gag where he talks about counting all of the audience while he's on stage, even with the spotlight in his eyes. He then says something like:

"I only got fooled once when a man with two heads was in the balcony. And one of the heads was asleep on his own shoulder."

and then he said something like... "Imagine us coming up with a joke like that without George."

I'm assuming this is referring to George Balzer the writer. So then I wonder if Balzer is responsible for most of the bizzare or surreal situations or jokes, and further if there are any other gags that are easily attributable to one particular writer or another.

Any ideas anyone?

[LLeff]

So then I wonder if Balzer is responsible for most of the bizzare or surreal situations or jokes, and further if there are any other gags that are easily attributable to one particular writer or another.

Any ideas anyone?

The show halves were always written by a pair of writers (either George and Sam or Milt and Tack...or later Hal and Al), so it's hard to pin down a joke to a specific writer. Sometimes you can sort of pin one half down to which writing pair did it.

Jack might also have meant it in a more subtle way, like, "What a silly joke...guess that's what we get for writing without George." Obviously I've only known George later in life, but he's a pretty serious guy. Personality-wise, I'd think that John Tackaberry would be the most likely source of surreal humor (he is also the one who wrote "Pickle in the Middle"). I mean, we're talking about a guy who bought 5,000 pairs of paper underwear.

But sometimes comedy writers can surprise you.

[LLeff]

Now that I've heard this show in context, it makes more sense to me...

Over previous weeks, there had been several jokes about people having two heads. There was one about Dennis where Jack says "let me feel your head...no the other one", and various others. Since the show in question was done in Detroit, I'd guess writer George Balzer must not have gone on the road with the show, but was probably responsible for the various two-headed jokes over the previous weeks. Thus this is one of those inside jokes that's thrown around now and then. Good spotting! Now you can go back to the other shows and guess with confidence as to which half was written by George and Sam and which by Milt and Tack.

Another example is during one of Babe's appearances, and Jack says something like "I hope Myrt is listening." Myrt Blum was Babe's spouse and Jack's manager (the latter preceded the former, FYI).