Benny, Paar Sullivan Fued

[Jack Benny]

There was an interesting triad of Jack Benny, Jack Paar, and Ed Sullivan. Ed Sullivan helped Jack Benny get started in radio, and in turn Jack Benny helped Jack Paar get his start. When Jack Paar went on to television, he had a real life fued with Ed Sullivan. Not a fake fued like the Benny Allen Fued. On a guest appearance on the Jack Paar Tonight Show, Jack Benny tried to act as a peacemaker by saying that If Ed hadn't given him a break and he hadn't given Paar a break, then Paar would not be where he was today. In other words without Sullivan there would be no Paar.

I think the fued may have had to deal with the fact that Ed Sullivan's show played to the lowest common denominator with chimps and plate jugglers, while the Paar Show played way up to and past the audience, with Castro, Jack Kennedy, and Bobby Kennedy interviews. Does anyone know more about this? Are any of these interviews still around in any format?

[alain]

after hearing Paar on some OTR. a few video replays and a handful of TV guest appearances, i regretfully have to say;i don't understand most of the veneration he gets....

My take is that most of this is cuz he was a bit more po-mo than most COMMERCIAL late-50's early 60's contemporaries, (and yes, i respect his monologue and speaking/storytelling skills-but i think this reflected his midway stance between mass-mkt and non-mainstream performers rather than him being particularly entertaining or innovative)

[Gerry O.]

after hearing Paar on some OTR. a few video replays and a handful of TV guest appearances, i regretfully have to say;i don't understand most of the veneration he gets....

My take is that most of this is cuz he was a bit more po-mo than most COMMERCIAL late-50's early 60's contemporaries, (and yes, i respect his monologue and speaking/storytelling skills-but i think this reflected his midway stance between mass-mkt and non-mainstream performers rather than him being particularly entertaining or innovative)

-----------------------------------------

I think what set Jack Paar above other talk show hosts was that he was a host who was truly INTERESTED in what his guests had to say.

Present day talk show hosts like Jay Leno and David Letterman, and even past veterans like Steve Allen and Johnny Carson, are/were comedians FIRST and conversation hosts SECOND....but with Paar it was just the opposite.

Paar could take an insecure celebrity like Judy Garland and make her feel at ease while talking with him. He would coax her to tell some funny real-life experiences that she had had, and he was able to bring out the best in her. Many of his favorite guests had no upcoming film, TV show, record or book to plug....they were simply interesting or unusual people whom he enjoyed talking with.

Some talk show hosts are the type of people who ask you "So how are you?", and you just KNOW that they don't really care...they're just asking that as a greeting....but when Jack Paar asked someone "So how are you?", you somehow felt that he really wanted to know!

[bennyguy]

There was an interesting triad of Jack Benny, Jack Paar, and Ed Sullivan. Ed Sullivan helped Jack Benny get started in radio, and in turn Jack Benny helped Jack Paar get his start. When Jack Paar went on to television, he had a real life fued with Ed Sullivan. Not a fake fued like the Benny Allen Fued. On a guest appearance on the Jack Paar Tonight Show, Jack Benny tried to act as a peacemaker by saying that If Ed hadn't given him a break and he hadn't given Paar a break, then Paar would not be where he was today. In other words without Sullivan there would be no Paar.

I think the fued may have had to deal with the fact that Ed Sullivan's show played to the lowest common denominator with chimps and plate jugglers, while the Paar Show played way up to and past the audience, with Castro, Jack Kennedy, and Bobby Kennedy interviews. Does anyone know more about this? Are any of these interviews still around in any format?

I believe the fued was based on that Ed Sullivan would spend big money to book a guest and then Paar would then get them to come on his show later at scale. I read this in Milt Josefburg's book.

[Roman]

I have to agree with the earlier poster who didn't understand the fuss made over Jack Paar. Jack Paar may have been witty (although I saw precious little of his famed wit on the Paar shows I've seen), erudite, and intelligent. But I didn't find him funny in the least. I'll take the less witty and erudite Carson, Leno, and even Howard Stern any day over the humor-challenged Jack Paar.

[Maxwell]

I think some of you are missing the point about Paar. Paar was a comedian second and an interviewer first on the Tonight Show and on his later prime time show. I love watching his interview style. He would look the guest in the eye, lean in towards him/her, and really show interest.

As a result he was able to obtain some great interviews. He was also good at spotting trends. One thing I remember from his Friday night show few months before the Beatles hit the USA, he showed film of them performing in England, probably their first "appearance" on American network television.