I know you guys had your clocks turned back one hour, so cut that out!
- Play something, Phil!
- Yes, Mr. Legree…
To think some listened to Jack at 3 in the afternoon instead of 4…
can’t quickly find something appropriate by Phil but this comes close: — First song: “Look Who’s Here” (Vocal by The Three Ambassadors)
MP3
1932-00-00_-_cocoanut_grove_ambassadors_-_g-60a_-_look_whos_here.mp3
re y’all…. just arrived early by way of finessing the slack thinger to make sure it would work
btw, i have been in chats, etc under the nick diogenesNY…. this is just what it logged me in as
I’m sure you fellows have heard about a certain “enemies list” that got leaked…
I’m afraid Jack would have made that ominous list were he alive these days…
You know, the list would have pointed out his “ethnic persuasion” and his show’s treatment of women and blacks.
I think we should move on to a lighter issue…
Can’t think of anything more lighter than this — at sunset
The igloo is going to need some preparation work for the longer evenings
have some historical/operational questions about the 1942-43 era radio show, but figure that they are best defered till 8:00pm official start or so
btw, any way to change online nick…. no biggie either way
Ask – now — allows us some time to research
okay….
I have, as late, been revisiting some of the radio shows from the late Jello era transitioning into grape nuts/flakes…..
seems that in late 42, a big deal was made over Phil joining the merchant marine. Was this legit? as he returned to the show about 3 months later, or was there maybe a behind the scenes story there?
November 1942 – yes he was in the Merchant Marien
Also somewhat curious about the switch from Jello to Grape nuts/flakes (noting that noth were General Foods products) Kate Smith had been the previous endorser of Grape Nuts, I know, and there was a show about Jack fearing that he was losing his sponsorship, and ‘Mr. Mortimer” letting him know he was transitioning to another General Foods product
Kernel Korn in a Navy suit…
whats the story with the return three months later then…. seems kinda short service….. I know Dennis Day was in the Navy for two or three years, IIRC
Regarding the switch, GF thought they were paying too much for sponsoring Jack’s show.
In November 1942, Harris and his band joined the Merchant Marines. After training at Port Hueneme, California and they were soon playing their music on Catalina Island. While able-bodied seaman graduates of the school were to serve at least a year after instruction the Harris organization was back on the Benny program in March 1943.
so I guess that Phil & co were a bit less than ‘able bodied’ ?
With respect to Ensign McNulty, After the grand send-off broadcast of April 23, when the Benny troupe was in Vancouver, British Columbia, Eugene McNulty joined the United States Navy, and while in the Pacific Theater under the direction / command of band leader Claude Thornhill managed to meet with his brothers Frank and James who were in the Marine Corps.
A aircheck of one of his performances, without Thornhill, from the Pacific can be found on-line.
cool
Believe it or not, GF was already trying to switch Jack from Jell-O to another product in the srping of 1938.
*spring.
would the product switch lower the cost of sponsorship somehow?
1944 – Dennis Day and brothers James and Frank in the Pacific circa December.
A lower-selling product tends to have less of an advertising budget.
OIC
Actually, the “sugar rationing” thing was probably an excuse to switch to Grape-Nuts.
I guess having the Slack app makes me perpetually “on”…
ya, much mentioned on the show was that Grape Nuts was a non-rationed food
My understanding was that Phil and his band went into the Merchant Marines as a trade instead of having them picked off one by one by the draft.
just kinda curious about the short service period…… I guess that could have been part of the deal
And since it was a ‘volunteer’ service, it was not subject to the “duration plus 6 months”
Well… Jell-O again, Laura!
re Laura
Hi Rodrigo, hi folks!
We were talking about the election and the war…
Sounds like fun
Eerie, isn’t it?
thats one way to put it
Sigh. Sadly, yes.
I wish Gracie Allen were running this year.
Remember what “The World’s Greatest Comedian” said of Milton Berle?
I’d vote fpr Gracie in a heartbeat, or maybe Pigmeat Markham
For those who haven’t already read Milt’s book…
Say the secret word — you get “Rah Rah Rah in Omaha”
!!!
“The World’s Greatest Comedian” was the self-appointed title of vaude comedian Frank Fay, who wasn’t precisely the kindest or most selfless person…
Wonder if the idiom “fey” was inspired by the man, considering Milt’s book describes his stage appearance as more sophisticated that what was the custom at the time, and became an influence on how the young comedians of the 20s acted on stage…
That’s an interesting thought…I’ve wondered that myself.
The “celeb enemies list” stuff turned me off from sharing a few “recaps” of a “present-day” Benny show I was doing…
Milt seems to have had some really nice (/s) things top say about Fay
Should I even ask what this celeb enemies list is?
Well, has to do with a planned relief event for the pandemic…
Can you send a link? I can edit it out later.
I will better explain it. There were about 100 celebs that were “studied”, but only 6 made the cut. The others received rather scathing comments.
Studied by whom? For what?
For instance, Billie Eilish, a young singer, was described as “trying to destroy the nation”,
Has to do with you-know-who…
Oh OK
Richard Nixon?
Tricky Dick at least kept his comments to himself…
H.S.T. not to be confused with the Hamonized Sales Tax
What does the S. stand for?
Sanforized?
I was pondering about a discussion on how radio got so political in 1932, with the persistent Hoover-bashing, but I think it wouldn’t be right…
Well, I’ll go easy until the top of the hour. We’re adults here. I don’t know for certain what everyone’s political leanings are, but I lean left.
I do recall Jack narrating the “fight” between Hoover and Roosevelt as he was having a nervous breakdown (because of George Hicks’ persistent interruptions).
Once Jack was pre-empted for a Hoover speech.
At least Jack didn’t go so far as Eddie Cantor…
“Banjo Eyes” did a song in late ’31 called “Cheer Up! Smile! Nertz!”
And there was a line about “hanging the fathead” or something along the lines…
At least I assumed the alluded “fathead” was Hoobert Heever…
Cantor was way more political than Jack in many ways
I know he was “blacklisted” from radio during the 1939-40 season because of a speech at the World’s Fair.
Drat — the scripts book only go to July and it was aug 10 that jack got pre-empted — LL is there a script for that date??
(Obligatory Allen reference) Bristol-Myers eventually picked up Cantor for their Wed. evening slot.
I don’t believe so, but I’d have to go back to my notes. I think there was just a typewritten page saying that they were pre-empted, or comments the week after.
Last Sunday I listened to Fred’s burlesquing of “Oklahoma!”
“North Dakota!”
Among the songs, there was a corny ditty about an union suit.
And guess how his version of “Oh! How A Beautiful Morning” was entitled?
44-04-23 With Oscar — great progam
Oh! How a miserable morning…
Oh! What an horrible day…
Sometimes, I’ve found comments on YT complaining about Allen’s curmudgeonly demeanor, finding it quite rude.
On “What’s My line”, I forgot to add.
That’s like complaining that H.L. Mencken or Oscar Levant were curmudgeonly. Or that Jack Black is heavy-set.
Blimey an extra hour of conversation
That should be a question mark!
I forgot.
It’s like complaining about having gravy instead of butter for a Thanksgiving dinner!
Jell-o folks, what an end to last time’s chat!
or this time’s chat, I am messed up with the end of daylight savings time
This chat began an hour early…
Hello Everyone!
Did I miss something last week?
New
yikes, then howdy everyone and sorry to be late!
I think that that just sorta happened, tho…
We were talking about the election, the war, sponsors, and Fred.
This message is repeated for those joining us during the program already in progess
An electric transcription!
That’s OK, it OFFICIALLY begins now!
Petrillo won’t be happy about those repeats!
At the tone the time will “bee…”
Hey Benny hive mind, do you all have a feeling about how “important” that Movie and RAdio Guide publication was? I have a grad student (oh these youngsters) who wants to claim that no publication before TV Guide presented a broad version of the TV (ahem, radio) schedule that was not presented by the networks….
Garth. For some time, I actually wondered about the beep heard at the beginning of many Benny shows of the 40s…
Road runner getting his/hear opinion in on it
I realized it was a time signal after watching a video where they also recorded a spot ad for “Spellbound”.
OK, I am no longer multitasking.
Wpkey – Did you get the answers to your questions?
Hello Laura, any turkeys in the yard tonight?
Good evening, all
Kathy – No, but I did fill the bird feeders and put out some ear corn. And adjusted the mask that tries to scare the neighbors from peeping in the back yard, since it blew over in the wind storm.
Hi Perri!
mostly…. still idelly curious about Phil’s short service in the Merchant Marine
In case turkeys are not plentiful, there are always ostriches and ducks!
oh good, anything to scare the obnoxious neighbors!!!!
Kathy – Did you ever happen to see any papers in the Benny collection about arrangements for Phil’s band to join the Merchant Marines for a limited time?
Kathy – I saw them puttering around behind the leaves, so stepped back to sip my latte and see if anything interesting happened.
no, there might be some, but I did not see any/was not looking for that. But nothing jumped out. I wonder if we could search through the National Archives????
Rodrigo – Not in my backyard though. Yes.
Yet
Every person’s service record is available to search
Kathy – Hmmm. That’s an excellent idea.
Is it available online?
I haven’t dug up much on Phil’s service, a couple of photos and a few news clippings that I summerized above
it just seemed like such a short interval between his departure and his return….. seemed curious
I hadn’t looked for it either, so figured I’d ask the person that I know has worked with the collection as much as I have!
well, one can make requests…. (I actually only did this 20 years ago before the internets…..)
If you are interested, the allusions to gravy and ducks were from a 1939 episode…
Rodrigo – I figured the ostrich was Trudy
Like is said earlier the MM is not military so he could get out
Rodrigo, I am always haunted by the turkeys having a trial to convict Jack of murder…
Wpkeay – I can look it up, but how long were they gone? 6 months? I know Jack was touring and had a bunch of sub orchestras.
ya, but four(ish) months?
I think his last show wa in December 42 and he was back by mrch of 43
There are a lot of jokes to be constructed here.
*march
wpkey I bet we would find similar results with other media celebrities…. in and out for public relations’ sake
We had to send ’em back because they kept drinking the ship’s fuel
Now that’s something I can believe…
he ya…. I questioned whether they were found to be ‘abe bodied’
I have the letter Jack wrote trying to get Bill Morrow out of the draft.
*able , dammit
Wpkeay – Maybe more able-livered.
ya
that is a great one, Laura!!!! Oh he is so critical to my program…..nah sez the Army
Abe-bodied. So they were quite big like Abe Lyman I suppose…
But not as big as Whiteman…
And considering that Phil’s character was based on Bill Morrow…
What?
I didn’t expect that…
Kathy – I’m sure they needed the laughs overseas. But they already had Al Gordon.
Rodrigo – Didn’t expect what?
This photo really need Mary …
there’s a great story to be told about the entertainment media folks working with the military and US government. I have seen bits and pieces of it in publications, but not a big overview…..
That deserves some focused research.
the advertising agencies that ran so many radio programs had a big part to play in the wartime soldier entertainment
Really, I never ever heard about Bill Morrow being a skirt-chaser…
Or being from the South…
Rodrigo – That’s what I’m told. He was a drinker and a woman-chaser. Guy knew how to have a good time. Ironically when I interviewed Phil, it was in a home that he had bought from Bill Morrow.
You know, I’m not sure where Bill Morrow was from.
hahaha great connection!
Hello all! Got on here late because of my new puppy.
Hi Doug!
Excellent reason.
Speaking of the South, remember to go to the little old grocery store to get a little old package of little old Jell-O.
My instinct says that the South was brought by Phil. But I don’t have facts to back it up.
Ham hocks and turnip greens in aspic.
It comes in six delicious little old flavors! Strawberry, Raspberry, Cherry, Orange, Lemon and little old Lime!
I think this is him, amusing to only have his TV credits here (IMDB) William Morrow was born on August 16, 1907 in Sandwich, Illinois, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for The Colgate Comedy Hour (1950), The Frank Sinatra Show (1957) and Road to Bali (1952). He died on February 5, 1971 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
IMDb
The Colgate Comedy Hour (TV Series 1950–1955) – IMDb
Created by Fred Hamilton. With Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Al Goodman, Eddie Cantor. This was a Colgate-sponsored comedy hour that featured many notable comedians and entertainers of the era as guest stars. (99 kB)
IMDb
The Frank Sinatra Show (TV Series 1957–1960) – IMDb
With Frank Sinatra, Jesse White, Bing Crosby, Nancy Sinatra. (70 kB)
IMDb
Directed by Hal Walker. With Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Murvyn Vye. Two unemployed show-biz pals accept treasure-diving work in Bali for a local princess and they find treasure, love and trouble. (134 kB)
I’m mentally hearing Don Wilson’s voice with a southern accent.
Laura when you interviewed Phil, did he speak much about his time in Indiana?
- What’s this?
- On payday, Jack’s gonna pay us in Confederate money!
well, when Phil Harris joined the Benny radio program, Variety pundits claimed that their voices sounded too similar, so a character was created for Phil to be Southern…. Linton Indiana is a bit southern, but still…
Roger – I know he said something about it, but not much about his growing up. I think he mentioned his golf benefit.
Kathy – The first time I remember hearing him do anything resembling a southern accent is on the Minstrel Show episode.
And it’s almost more of an Ebonics-dialect.
all I know is what I read in the trade papers, hahaha
Kathy – Oh, I’m not doubting you! And if anyone can point at a show earlier than that which has him drawling, I’d be interested to re-hear it!
Hey folks, happy news, Jack Benny scripts volume 2 will go into production in late January, to be out in Spring 2021, yay!!!!!
Oh yee hah!
Cool
Great
Hey Garth, you want to re-ask your question since Kathy has more recent visibility to that volume?
Hey Neil, Ernie!
Kathy – does it include the script for the Aug 10 32 show that was pre-empted by Hoover??
howdy Garth, what’s up
wow, let me look…..
Waiting to see if my memory serves
<– trying to confuse Phil’s and Don Wilson’s voice in my mind…. It’s just not happening
then again, a good professional voice had little to do neccesarily with what one actually sounded like….
Graduations Kathy!
Hi Laura
well, that is not on the twice-a week Benny schedule in August 1932, he broadcast August 8 and 9, then 15 and 17. Oh but if you could help me with the Sept 26 1932 script, which somehow I seemed NOT to have photographed!
there… nick refined
Which is the one where he was pre-empted?
my feeble efforts to label the files makes me think that I screwed up…now searching the bible of 39 Forever volume 1 which (unlike me) is never wrong…I will now go and look back at the purported August 9 script which may be the 10th…..
9/26/32 was Russian Night
Dangit…I can’t find it in Volume 1.
OK!!! research shows that the script was originally labeled Aug 9, but pencil scratch out August 10. I DO have a full script for that broadcast, Hoover be damned
Starting to wonder if I imagined it.
Possibly my mistake in typing date — poor memory — Season 1 Episode 30 — aug 9 is a tuesday – aug 10 is wed
Ah-HA!
Then we have “the truly lost” Benny episode — as never broadcast, never previously published!
Next thing you know, I’ll be saying Mary was related to the Marx Bros.
he
eh
I am horrified that I missed an entire script, but it’s sad justification that I was there in like 2015 on a tight schedule at the UCLA subterranean archives and snapped like 5000 photos in 2 days….. I am hoping for a world when I can get back to the archives!
That and where you can have an unlimited supply of TAB
I know exactly how that is. I was so proud of Volume 1 at the time, and now I bemoan that I didn’t take more copious notes.
Garth – Har har
But now the full scripts are coming out and no one needs my notes now!
oh gosh, how I will miss Tab! haha I have 10 cans left for special occasions
Does Tab cellar?
Laura your notes are AMAZING!!!!
I think I have had about 2 cans of Tab in the last 20 years……
Oh…blush…thank you! I got better at my work by Volume 3.
not too long for Tab, the sacharrin disintegrates after a while
Kathy is a Tab-head for those who don’t konw.
know
mostly to see if I actually remembered it accurateely
They still make Tab?
TAB is so yummy, far less sweet than the rest of the sodas. But I do claim that it was embalming me from the inside out. My undergrads even created tribute videos about my love for TAB, great students!
not for much longer
They just discontinued it.
In the US they still make it, but the brand will be phased out.
Oh Roger, Coca Cola says they are discontinuing Tab, boo hoo
wow…..been a long time since I seen a can of Tab.
In Chile and most other countries, it was replaced by Diet Coke in the 80s.
Kathy – That’s OK…any kind of pop will destroy your stomach biome in nothing flat.
yes, Roger, in the US too, but lately in an attempt to sell ANY sodas, they had brought it back. And I was so grateful. I brought a can to every lecture in my huge freshman course…
So if you need to be embalmed, any pop will do.
yay, especially when consumed in a 50 year period,! haha
You wouldn’t touch a probiotic with a 39-foot pole.
Or a probiotic couldn’t touch you.
I have actually met the female chemist who created Tab, I should write her for the formula, but I am sure I will be horrified to find out what went in it
Mountain Dew is my poison….. many consider it posion
Why not take the opportunity to switch to Canada Dry Ginger Ale?
Hey Laura, I look forward to learning about the secret you hinted at….. new material?
I grew up on Vernor’s Ginger Ale. I still love it, but probably buy a 6-pack of it once every 5-10 years now.
Shh – don’t tell anyone
I should though my Dad was a big Vernon’s Ginger Ale guy.
yum, Vernor’s ginger ale puts Canada Dry to shame!
Kathy – I’ve actually got to finish the rework of the Web site. It’s just hard to sit here for the work day and then motivate myself to keep sitting here for many more hours.
Kathy – Amen and amen.
But I am getting there. Was hoping to have it up for renewals, but didn’t happen. Yet.
I should try Ginger Ale just for the fact that after 40 years I left State Farm for another insurance company for my car and home.
oh I am sure we all know how it goes in Viral times!!!! I did just scan a collection of scrapbooks from the Baltimore Sun TV critic in 1973 and 1974. I learned that I can convert all my documents to word-searcable format.
Imagine hitting “benny”
Oh my!
Hey Kathy – Any updates on shipping? Not really chat fodder, but while I remember the box sitting behind me.
Want to process 4,000 odd newspaper clippings for “Benny”
Oh gosh Laura, I sure want to receive that box(es)!!! The Fed Ex people say that is the correct account. If it wont’ work, I can paypal or anything in an instant….
haha Garth you are such a glutton for punishment!!!!
Kathy – Did you get my E-mail about the discount UPS prices on Stamps.com?
no I did not….but I will look! The great news is that I have a research expense account to reimburse me for these expenses……so everyone should say, let’s hold a big Benny party!
Sorry to do business here and bore everyone. As you may recall, Kathy is scanning Barbara Thunell’s scrapbooks, and I need to send her the next batch. But we’re having a couple logistics problems.
Woo hoo! Someone did offer the thought that we do something online next February 14th.
Any thoughts on that?
Gosh, Barbara is so excited that we are making her scrapbooks available! Hooray, everyone will like them
with Zoom, everything is possible. I recently “attended” the silent film festival in Pordennone, Italy, via zoom, as I am always teaching in October, it was WONDERFUL to see things and hear talks!
From what I’ve seen there are some really good material in them — better than a lot of the Newspapers stuff or Getty
God bless Barbara.
By the way, does anyone want to watch something or are we just all happy chatting?
I’m good either way.
and Darrel just did a nice video podcast on the 70th aniversary of Jack’s First TV show…we could make something happen as a zoom conference
six of one… enjoying the chat, but no objections to otherwise
Kathy – That’s great! Maybe we should get some folks together who are doing things like that and brainstorm.
sure, great idea!
OK, noted.
I can get behind that.
OK, let’s enjoy some of this: https://w2g.tv/mbrm7osc3l5p85x3t9
w2g.tv
Watch2Gether lets you watch videos with your friends, synchronized at the same time. (5 kB)
Thoughts?
Classic stuff!
That was fun. I don’t how many times I’ve heard that si, si, so, sew routine though
Following Mel and Jack was Dylana Jenson
Just hilarious
That was cool! I like Johnny!!
I thought about keeping in the monologue and all to give you the full Carson hi-yo experience, but decided that would be too long.
I remember seeing that when it aired
Before I forget to ask, any requests for future chats/happy hours?
Carson always makes me happy — thanks to youtube I can watch all that stuff I missed when I was too young to stay up that late.
I remember someone supposedly did a study that nine months after Carson had a mediocre monologue, the birth rate went up.
Garth I agree!
Hah!
About two days before the last newsletter, I coincidentally happened upon the show with the chimps, lol
https://youtu.be/I3v90PDaA6E?t=2445
YouTube | Free The Kinescopes!
Jack Benny Hour (March 18, 1959)
Ah yes!
Anything else Benny-wise on everyone’s mind, or are we happy to have Carson lead us out for this week?
Good night all!
OK, thanks for stopping folks!
Good night.
That was fun. Goodnight
Thanks again, Laura — good night everyone!
Good Night!
Good night, folks!
nites