Kenny Baker Vs. Dennis Day

[Jack Benny]

Jello again,

This week I was thinking about Dennis Day's career. It would appear that he made far better choices by staying with the Benny show over the years instead leaving early like Kenny Baker did. My questions are: Wasn't the Benny show number 1 in the nation when Kenny left, what did Kenny do after he left the Benny show, and What years did Kenny appear on the Fred Allen Show?

Now over to Dennis. Dennis seemed to be on a career high in the early 1950's. His radio show was converted to a TV show, but it only lasted a couple of years - was the premise the same as the radio show? He starred in a movie or two about this time, but after 1955 and the end of the Benny radio show his career seemed to dry up. Was he featured often on the Jack Benny TV Program after 1955? He would seem to be more available.

[LLeff]

Wasn't the Benny show number 1 in the nation when Kenny left

I'm going to let others answer the rest of the questions, as we have some devoted Kenny Baker and Dennis Day fans in the group. But Kenny left at the end of the 1938-39 season, during which the show was #2 in the ratings.

[Roman]

I had the feeling that Kenny Baker felt uncomfortable and constrained by the callow youth role he was assigned (and Dennis Day inherited) on the Benny Show. I have nothing definite to point to but the fact that the show began including Kenny's name in the opening credits in 1938 was probably due to Kenny's insistence. Then there was the later inclusion of at the show's conclusion that Kenny was appearing courtesty of Mervyn Leroy Productions that hints at some backstage negotiating/discord over his role. Lastly, Kenny's choice of movies and plays (The Mikado, Harvey Girls and, on Broadway, One Touch of Venus with Mary Martin, indicates that he most likely had greater ambitions that just being Jack's boyish tenor. We should remember that Kenny was in his late 20s when he left Jack's show. He may very well have felt that it was now or never if he was going to achieve singing stardom on his own.

Dennis certainly had a more long-lasting career than Kenny but Kenny did have his share of post-Jack success of which he could be proud. To be hired to sing with the likes of Judy Garland, Angela Lansbury, and Ray Bolger in The Harvey Girls attests to his reputation in Hollywood. And to be asked to star with Mary Martin in the original Broadway production of a Kurt Weill musical is something that most Broadway actors would have given their right arm to do. The Internet Movie Database says that Kenny retired from performing in the early 1950s and became a Christian Science practitioner and motivational speaker. By any measure, Kenny Baker had a rich and varied life.

[mrdj]

I was just listening to an AFRS ''Mail Call'' with Groucho Marx as guest host. Kenny Baker was also one of the guests and sang a couple of songs and was involved in the skit. He sounded like the old Kenny from on The Jello Show.
It was especially great to hear the Les Paul Trio. To me however, except when on ''You Bet Your Life'', Groucho can be an.... how shall I say.... acquired taste. His rapid fire puns read from a script grate on my nerves. He did sing ''Lydia the Tatooed Lady'' though, and that made it worthwhile. Jack's brand of humor and style of delivery are much easier to listen to. Back to the topic and why I posted, Kenny or Dennis, I guess because my name is Dennis, well you get the picture.