The Flu Show and Bert Scott

[Yhtapmys]

There's always something interesting on the monthly chats attached to Jack's Fan Club. A show will be selected to listen to and, with any luck, it'll actually be discussed.

The show for this month was March 18, 1951. Part of it was based around Jack's battle with the flu. As Don would say, "We take you now..." to an L.A. Times story of Monday, March 12, 1951:

Jack Benny and Mary Ill, Miss Show
Jack Benny and Mary Livingston, both stricken by the flu, were unable to appear for their radio last night on KNX. Instead the studio presented a show transcribed by the pair two years ago with Van Johnson, according to Bert Scott, Benny's secretary. He said Mary Livingston had been ill for two weeks and Benny since last Monday. They left yesterday for Palm Springs to hasten recovery.
Scott said it was the first time in many years that illness pre- vented Benny from presenting his Sunday show.

Jack made it to air the next week. The show opens with Don reading an adventure story to a bed-ridden Jack:

Don: Realising that their arduous trip was finally over, Bert lifted Ann out of the raft, and carried her to a little clearing among the swaying palm trees. Her clothes were meagre and tattered, doing little more than to conceal her wealth of feminine charm.

The lines aren't funny but someone in the background is getting a great laugh out of them.

In the tag at the end, Don continues:

Don: As the rescue ship slowly sailed from the island, Bert, Ann and Valerie looked back toward (phone ring interrupts)

Anyway, someone connected the dots and figured it was an inside joke and that "Bert" was Bert Scott, Jack's Secretary. It turns out that's correct, as you can see by Scott's L.A. Times obit of July 9, 1971:

W. Bert Scott; Long-Time Aide to Jack Benny.
Requiem Mass for W. Bert Scott, comedian Jack Benny's executive secretary for 29 years, will be celebrated at noon today at St. Timothy's Catholic Church.
Mr. Scott died Tuesday [July 6] at his Beverly Hills home. He was the father of Milton B. Scott, advertising executive and vice president of the Los Angeles Municipal Arts Commission. In addition to his son, he leaves his wife, Ann; daughter, Mrs. Valerie Donato; two grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

The story doesn't list his first name or age. However, the Social Security Death index lists only one Scott who died in all of Los Angeles in July 1971 -- a Walter Scott who was born March 1, 1895 and died in Beverly Hills. It's a safe guess that's him.

Incidentally, speaking of Jack's Secretaries, the Times had a story that Harry Baldwin was sworn into the U.S Naval Reserve on Aug. 27, 1942.

Yhtapmys