How to expand Jack's legacy today

[haverpopper]

Just curious, but is there any way to help expand knowledge about the Jack Benny Show to a wider audience? I don't think you'll ever again have him be as mainstream as he was 60 years ago, but the shows are still so fresh and funny that I think there's the potential for an even stronger cult following among younger people, kind of like what happened with "The Honeymooners" reruns a couple of decades ago. And considering the ease of disseminating the shows in MP3 format (which is how I got into OTR) I can really see a bunch of younger people walking around playing the show on their iPods. Any ideas of how to get the word out there???

[LLeff]

Just curious, but is there any way to help expand knowledge about the Jack Benny Show to a wider audience?

The most basic answer is to have Jack back on TV. I Love Lucy and the original Star Trek are still very "top of mind" to today's media society because you can always turn on the television and find them somewhere. However, the Lucy Show and the Star Trek cartoon are only remembered by devotees since they just doesn't seem to be run anywhere (which is a shame, in both cases).

But that brings us back to the old, old argument: why ISN'T Jack on TV now? And the old ire-sparking response that the networks (cable included) are too afraid of running it because of the Rochester character.

To this I'll add that MCA likes to charge a good chunk of change for their shows. I've even had NBC and other majors come to me for review copies of Jack Benny material rather than pay MCA prices. Why do television stations run shows? So they can sell advertising during them and make money. The Super Bowl is an easy sell and advertisers spend big bucks for a slot. Jack Benny is not an easy sell (where's that coveted 18-35 audience? And the whole racism thing again...), and you won't be able to charge as much or just use ads that bought a block of airings (e.g., 100 ad displays between the hours of 6PM and midnight during a certain month) rather than advertise during a particular show. So if you're paying more for a show that is generating less money for you...the financials aren't compelling.

I recently watched a show called "TV in Black: The First 50 Years". They had a big section on Amos n Andy and several mentions of Rochester, but all the clips of Rochester were from "Topper Returns" or other non-Benny movies. I said to Dan, "I bet they didn't do Rochester because they couldn't get the rights, or couldn't afford them." A documentary on cartoons once omitted Popeye for much the same reason.

Maybe more than you wanted to know, but that's what I think. I'm interested to hear what others have to say on the topic of broadening Jack's exposure.

[River Phoenix]

Good answer!

[haverpopper]

Thanks for the very informative answer. Two questions: 1) have Civil Rights groups (the NAACP, etc.) officially protested Rochester, either today or when the show originally aired, and 2) when does the copywrite on the shows run out? Surely sometime soon they must enter the public domain?

Assuming that Jack's not going to get back on TV any time soon, what are other ideas for spreading the fun of his radio show (or all OTR for that matter) to a wider audience? Like I mentioned before, the time seems ripe for an OTR renaissance, considering how easy it is to listen to MP3 files, and how many shows you can fit on to one CD. It's just getting the idea out there that's the problem -- people seem to think the early TV shows sprang out of nothing, totally ignoring the rich radio history that preceded it.

Personally, I think Jack in particular is a hard sell for the OTR neophyte. So much of his comedy depends on previous experience with the characters and situations ("What happened to the gas man?" "When You Say I Beg Your Pardon, I'll Come Back to You," and even the great Fred Allen feud) that people who aren't in on the jokes might easily become bored. I've shared some OTR shows with other people, and they're almost invariably more interested in the "one-off" shows like "Suspense" or "Mercury Theater on the Air."

[LLeff]

Thanks for the very informative answer. Two questions: 1) have Civil Rights groups (the NAACP, etc.) officially protested Rochester, either today or when the show originally aired, and 2) when does the copywrite on the shows run out? Surely sometime soon they must enter the public domain?

I don't know if there's been an "official" protest against Rochester, any more than against Amos n Andy. However, it's easy to find sites which make the racism or "Uncle Tomism" connection:

http://www.ferris.edu/news/jimcrow/tom/ Museum of Racist Memorabilia
http://www.aaregistry.com/african_american_history/360/Eddie_Anderson_was_Jack_Bennys_better_half African American Registry

As far as the copyright, several TV shows have already become public domain. They are the ones that you see over and over in the various video/DVD sets, like Humphrey Bogart or Burns/Crosby and Goldie, Fields, and Glide. About 120 of them were transferred to MCA, and those are in the syndication packages that have been shown on CNN, Canada TV, etc. However, I understand that not all the copyrights on those shows have been renewed. I have also been asked for information about specific MCA-registered shows by producers looking to use clips, who later informed me that they already asked MCA if they owned the rights and MCA said that they didn't. (This infers copyright abandonment, or a lazy researcher.)

However, the laws on television shows from this era are tremendously tricky, and I've heard various interpretations of them from lawyers and people who make their livelihood on these shows. To be absolutely certain, I need to dig back into the Catalog of Copyright Entries to see which of the MCA shows have been renewed, and do a little more case research to see if there are any legal cases that would give a definite interpretation of the verbiage. Until then, this is what I tell people re the TV shows:

+ If it's not registered to MCA, then it looks to be free game
+ If it's registered to MCA, then it's MCA's until they say it's not.
+ If it's radio, it belongs to the Benny estate.

[haverpopper]

+ If it's radio, it belongs to the Benny estate.

Wait, so all those people selling the radio show online are breaking copywrite? Or has Jack's estate allowed it?

[Huxley]

Just curious, but is there any way to help expand knowledge about the Jack Benny Show to a wider audience?

The most basic answer is to have Jack back on TV.

Jack's show was on the Canadian Comedey Network a couple of years ago but it didn't seem to stay in one time slot. Just my preference, but I've always liked the radio show better.

One way to increase exposure of Jack's show is an homage in a Hollywood movie or TV show; something that would pique people's interest enough to Google the name 'Jack Benny'.

[Mike]

Tell your friends about XM Satellite Radio, which plays Jack's shows on their 'old time radio' channel #164. Note: The current issue of Time Magazine (2-21-05, page 66) states that 347,000 people PER MONTH are signing up for satellite radio! Mike in L.A.

[shimp scrampi]

I think a legitimate, well-done DVD collection from MCA would also bring Jack some attention and publicity. A special feature that includes some discussion of the "Rochester issue", could circumvent some flack, highlighting Jack's real life sensitivity to discrimination, and the fact in the link you mentioned that Eddie Anderson was actually appreciated in many ways by black audiences of the day.

I doubt Jack's show will ever really catch on modern TV with the exception of some limited-context airings. In addition to the financial issues Laura mentions, there is also the fact that it is a schizophrenic format. Jack's house set changes from episode to episode, there are variety shows and "sitcom" shows, live and film. A diversity I appreciate but can see how it might not ring true with the "comfort food" predictablity factor of perennial favorites like "I Love Lucy", "The Brady Bunch" etc. And, as much as Benny fans come to terms with the Rochester concerns in whatever way works for them, I have to say it CAN be distressing to a first time viewer who has no idea of the history of the program. If I were a young black kid flipping channels and coming across, say, the "4 O'Clock in the Morning" show, I would probably be a little underwhelmed to say the least at Jack's paternalistic treatment of Rochester, demanding he is in bed at a certain time and so on! Obviously to us fans, we get the joke and can put it in a historical context -and "move on" from those issues instead of constantly hand-wringing. However, on broadcast or cable, every audience is a fresh one who may or may not be so receptive. And, sadly, the guest stars on many of the Benny shows are becoming more obscure to modern audiences. If you look at what MCA last officially issued, they stressed guests who were still relevant to contemporary audiences (Carol Burnett, Johnny Carson, etc), even though they weren't the funniest or most representative episodes of the show.

But DVDs are 1. much more cost-effective to produce than VHS, and 2. "opt-in" media (as is Satellite Radio) to use the corpspeak, where you are actively choosing to receive the content. There is a strong market for these, and the audiences can grow by word of mouth and collectors without the perceived "risks" of broadcast. I mean, if "Punky Brewster" "Jem the Cartoon Rockstar" and all this other awful '80s dross can merit offical DVD releases, I am sure Jack would sell well. It just needs to happen before all the public domain collections undermine the perceived market, if it's not too late already.

[LLeff]

Wait, so all those people selling the radio show online are breaking copywrite? Or has Jack's estate allowed it?

They're all breaking copyright, with the exception of Radio Spirits which has a contract with the estate. It's been reported to Ebay, but they don't seem interested in doing anything about it. The copyrights aren't mine to enforce, so there's not much I can do other than say who owns what.

[ZEjackbennykid]

Just curious, but is there any way to help expand knowledge about the Jack Benny Show to a wider audience?

The most basic answer is to have Jack back on TV.
But that brings us back to the old, old argument: why ISN'T Jack on TV now? And the old ire-sparking response that the networks (cable included) are too afraid of running it because of the Rochester character.

LLeff, Just because Rochesters character was steryotype that doesn't stop people from showing Geoffery in Fresh Prince Reruns. The chacter is a lousy excuse for anyone to have. If we want jack back, we need to petition to the estate and owners of the copyrights. If I can get the help it could happen

[haverpopper]

Sorry jackbennykid, but I don't think Geoffry in "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" is a good comparison to Rochester, for the obvious reason that Geoffry was a black servant in a black family. I suppose you could make more of a comparison to "Gimme a Break" or that other 80s show that had a black butler in a white family (Bentley?), but you don't see those shows much in reruns either. And anyways, any way you look at it, none of those shows compare to the tricky and yes, sometimes offensive attitude towards Rochester on the Jack Benny Show. So I think LLeff's right, that's got to be one of the major reasons the show isn't on the air much anymore.

I looked on the Radio Spirits website, and it doesn't appear that they sell shows in the MP3 format. I'm starting to repeat myself, but I think the best way for a Jack renaissance is through MP3 versions of the radio show -- maybe the estate can arrange for MP3 versions with Radio Spirits, or else make a deal with another company.