Laura Leibowitz4:59 PM
Hi folks!
garth_johnson4:59 PM
And now, ladies and gentlemen, for the biggest event in our Canada Dry series… the
greatest accomplishment since the history of the radio… The Monthy IJBFC Chat!
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Nancy A. Acosta4:59 PM
Hi again 
Rodrigo Araya4:59 PM
Hello, folks!
Osa Buchner4:59 PM
Osa from Chicago here
Tom V.4:59 PM
Good evening everyone!
garth_johnson4:59 PM
Everybody was keeping their social distance for the past 10 minutes!
Laura Leibowitz5:00 PM
You all were so quiet I wondered if there was something wrong with my connection!5:00Hi Osa! Glad you made it in!
Rodrigo Araya5:00 PM
“JACK BENNY ENTERTAINS”
(ADVT.)
5:00Hello, Osa 🙂
Dale Bales5:00 PM
Thanks for adding me, Laura. This has been a long time coming.
Osa Buchner5:00 PM
Hi, Nancy
Laura Leibowitz5:00 PM
Hi Nancy! Hi Dale! Glad you could make it!
Rodrigo Araya5:01 PM
And this time, “ADVT” does not stand for “Advertising”, but “A Dinner Vit Turkey”!
Laura Leibowitz5:01 PM
Since we have a few new people on the line, how about a quick round robin of where everyone is?5:01Rodrigo – Should be a Dinner Mit Turkey if we’re going to be perfectly Yiddishkeit about it.
Dale Bales5:01 PM
Grand Rapids, MI.
Laura Leibowitz5:01 PM
Dale – Seriously?
Rodrigo Araya5:01 PM
MARY: Oh, Jack. You’re vonderful!
Laura Leibowitz5:02 PM
That’s my home town!5:02I’m in Oakland, CA
Dale Bales5:02 PM
Yes, I emailed you several years ago…
Nancy A. Acosta5:02 PM
Ames, IA (but originally from Puerto Rico)
Laura Leibowitz5:02 PM
And I probably gave you the same response!5:02Dale – Either that, or it’s still in my inbox waiting for me… 
Dale Bales5:03 PM
Still trying to get a small community theater to produce some of Jack’s shows. And, yes, you did.
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Nancy A. Acosta5:03 PM
The despair of a busy inbox XD
Laura Leibowitz5:03 PM
Dale – Hmmm. Trying to think if I know anyone in those circles in GR.
Rodrigo Araya5:04 PM
“I’ll be seeing you… in all those familiar places”5:04That’s how it goes, right?
Laura Leibowitz5:04 PM
How about Garth and Rodrigo…you’re covering the international contingent
garth_johnson5:04 PM
I’m Garth and I’m 50km east of Vancouver,
Laura Leibowitz5:04 PM
Rodrigo – In all the old familiar places
Rodrigo Araya5:04 PM
I’m in Santiago, Chile.
kathy_fuller_seeley5:04 PM
good evening, folks!
Laura Leibowitz5:04 PM
And Kathy!5:04Representing the great state of AUSTIN!
Rodrigo Araya5:05 PM
Well, right now, I’m in an old familiar place after all.
Laura Leibowitz5:05 PM
It’s a good place to be these days.
kathy_fuller_seeley5:06 PM
haha yes, lovely Leander TX 25 miles north of Austin, glad to be anywhere these days!
Laura Leibowitz5:06 PM
So I need to do a little housekeeping on Watch2gether…any creative thoughts for the convention?
kathy_fuller_seeley5:06 PM
fan art section?
Doug Kiser5:06 PM
Hello everyone!
garth_johnson5:06 PM
I was in a State a while back, a state of shock – now that I’ve unplugged the electrical cord I’m getting back to normality — what ever that is
Laura Leibowitz5:07 PM
Garth – Pull it out! Pull it out!
kathy_fuller_seeley5:07 PM
section where we can identify Benny-esque aspects of humor or TV today?
garth_johnson5:07 PM
But my eyes lit up so beautifully ….
Rodrigo Araya5:08 PM
I was a bit busy last week hence my relative lack of participation, and didn’t get to the part about the portraits of Jack in time.5:08I have to agree very few have done anything resembling Jack, like the one made in 1923 with Jack and his fiddle…
Neil Ottenstein5:09 PM
running a little later tonight. hello
kathy_fuller_seeley5:09 PM
we could have a contest, vegetables that look like Jack and company….
Rodrigo Araya5:09 PM
On the other hand, my pic of Jack looked like Johnny Carson, as Garth told me a couple of weeks ago.
Laura Leibowitz5:09 PM
Or failed Jell-O flavors (ducking)
Rodrigo Araya5:09 PM
At least it wasn’t “Pin the Tobacco Leaf…”
Laura Leibowitz5:10 PM
Hi Neil!
garth_johnson5:10 PM
1940-12-14_-_fil_-_photoplayboy_catalog_-_love_thy_neightbor_-_artwork_-_4012-539-a.jpg
kathy_fuller_seeley5:10 PM
those DO look a little like potatoes
Rodrigo Araya5:11 PM
Gosh! Jack looks like Mortimer Snerd.
Laura Leibowitz5:11 PM
Definitely got Fred, not so sure about Jack5:11Is that a cigar or a fountain pen he’s holding?
Nancy A. Acosta5:11 PM
I love the style in that pic But it’s true, very rarely have I seen a good caricature of Jack 
kathy_fuller_seeley5:11 PM
its amusing to me how difficult it was to cartoon Jack….him as a mouse is just about as good as anything haha
Nancy A. Acosta5:12 PM
Laura — seems like a cigar, as it has the labeling around at the top that cigars do. (How can you tell I don’t smoke: what is the name for that LOL)
Laura Leibowitz5:12 PM
It’s called a cigar band5:12Not to be confused with Phil Harris’ band.
Neil Ottenstein5:12 PM
ba da dum
Rodrigo Araya5:12 PM
Actually, Nancy. The label is at the middle.
And that’s my “Don Wilson moment” of the week.1
kathy_fuller_seeley5:13 PM
haha or a ring that Mary would ask for
garth_johnson5:13 PM
For those of you just joining our chat sessions for the first time ….1948-00-00_-_art_-_booksteveslibrary_catalog_-_jack_benny_program_caricature_by_carl_rose.jpg
Rodrigo Araya5:14 PM
Phil looks like Red Skelton…5:14Or Spike Jones.
kathy_fuller_seeley5:14 PM
YES Garth that is one of the funniest cartoons I have seen, LOVE the pin the tobacco leaf on the star, but Jack does seem to have a little weariness on his face haha
Nancy A. Acosta5:14 PM
omg hahahahaha
garth_johnson5:14 PM
I like this caricature from 19551955-07-24_-_art_-_historicimages_mjx67944_-_jack_benny_caricature-a.jpg
Laura Leibowitz5:14 PM
Is that F.E. Boone, L.A. Speed Riggs, or Basil Ruysdale on Jack’s bum?
kathy_fuller_seeley5:15 PM
that’s a great fiddler, Garth!
Nancy A. Acosta5:15 PM
That is a much better looking one, especially the Greek bust!
kathy_fuller_seeley5:15 PM
So, we could post a gallery of cartoon/comic depictions of Jack and the gang during the Bennypalooza….5:16and we could have a popular vote for top 5 or something….
Laura Leibowitz5:16 PM
What would you consider the Bouche?
garth_johnson5:16 PM
Phil may be The Slowest Gun in the West, but that’s not Buck Benny1960-05-07_-_jb6_-_historicimages_tup18855_-_slowest_gun_in_the_west-a.jpg
Laura Leibowitz5:16 PM
Hi Ted!
Nancy A. Acosta5:16 PM
Hi, tkonek!
garth_johnson5:17 PM
More like Cactus Face Elmer
kathy_fuller_seeley5:17 PM
Hello Ted, and wow Garth I have not seen that one before!
Laura Leibowitz5:17 PM
Garth – Yeah, that’s a definite miss.5:17I think it’s because Jack doesn’t have a signature identifying characteristic5:18Like Grouicho. Glasses, moustache
garth_johnson5:18 PM
Where Is Carmichael?2004-01-14_-_art_-_ijbfc_catalog_-_jack_benny_caricature_by_manning.jpg
Laura Leibowitz5:18 PM
Hey Garth, do you have any George Wachstedter’s drawings of Jack? I have several and I think he was pretty good.
kathy_fuller_seeley5:18 PM
great point, Laura!
Nancy A. Acosta5:19 PM
His violin could be a characteristic, but that also could lend to him being confused for….other violinists instead 
Laura Leibowitz5:19 PM
That drawing seemed like something out of an acid dream until I saw the television episode that inspired it.5:19Nancy – Take my Maxwell, please.1
garth_johnson5:19 PM
Of course Laura
Nancy A. Acosta5:20 PM
I love the style for the last posted art, but I couldn’t tell it was Jack unless pointed. Once more, really making it hard to caricature him?
Laura Leibowitz5:20 PM
Bravo, good job Garth!
kathy_fuller_seeley5:20 PM
Garth, you never cease to amaze me with your collections!
Nancy A. Acosta5:20 PM
Hahaha, nice!
Laura Leibowitz5:21 PM
Funny on the second one…I have the originals of Pictorial covers with Jack (and Sam Levenson) and Miltie separately, but not seen that one of them together5:21My Miltie is Jackpot Bowling.
kathy_fuller_seeley5:21 PM
so we could have a gallery of “from the vaults” …of odd, strange, very rare and unusual photos and artifacts related to Jack (old ones, and more recently discovered ones)
Laura Leibowitz5:22 PM
I also have one that was likely done at the same time as the middle one. And finally I get to see his Danny Thomas!
garth_johnson5:22 PM
The Collection is too big – with all the newspaper clippings, etc the counter says 38,663 Images including a bunch of duplicates with and without watermarks
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Laura Leibowitz5:22 PM
Yowza!
Rodrigo Araya5:23 PM
Is everybody happy?!
garth_johnson5:23 PM
1962-03-04_-_jb6_-_historicimages_mjz05677_-_jack_with_guest_julie_london-a.jpg
Laura Leibowitz5:23 PM
Hey Garth – I can’t recall if you answered last time. Are you OK if I connect you with the person who took on doing the Jack Benny database?
garth_johnson5:23 PM
Yup — I’ll talk to anyone
Laura Leibowitz5:23 PM
Oh say, Noel Blanc is coming to the convention.5:23Garth – Great, thank you.
Rodrigo Araya5:24 PM
Laura. Are you serious? Or is it a practical joke?
Laura Leibowitz5:24 PM
So if anyone needs a Mel Blanc for their performance, I’ve got a good condidate.
Dale Bales5:24 PM
I was wondering if there was a database.
Laura Leibowitz5:24 PM
Rodrigo – I’m serious.
Laura Leibowitz5:24 PM
I also need to update the list of guests. We’ve got Phil Harris’ daughters, at least one of Dennis Day’s kids (I anticipate the word will spread among them)
kathy_fuller_seeley5:24 PM
which leads, Garth, to questions about how you sort them into files or folders, do you do it chronologically? or by subject and sub-subject? but that may be an off-chat question
Dale Bales5:24 PM
Noel Blanc… amazing.
Rodrigo Araya5:24 PM
Thufferin Thuccotash”! That’s some news!
Nancy A. Acosta5:24 PM
Convention? 
Laura Leibowitz5:25 PM
A big pile of Beverly Hills Beavers
Neil Ottenstein5:25 PM
Things are happening very quickly
Laura Leibowitz5:25 PM
Nancy – Yes, we’re doing a virtual con on February 13-14 next year.5:25I have to give tons of credit to Walden Hughes. He’s rustled up a lot of these folks.5:25Several people interested in doing recreations.5:26If anyone needs a Jack Benny for their recreation, I recommend Brad Zinn.
garth_johnson5:26 PM
Organization is by date — you can guess that from the filenames — I used to just dump them into a monthly folder, but with the accumulation of 4,000 newspaper clippings had to go to subfolder by date – year-month-day format
Laura Leibowitz5:26 PM
Doris Dodge
Nancy A. Acosta5:26 PM
That’s incredible, Garth 
5:26And yay, virtual con!!
Laura Leibowitz5:26 PM
I have a bunch of folks I need to reach out to.5:26You da MAN, Garth!
garth_johnson5:27 PM
Need to reach out to Shani Wallis and any other singers from the vegas days
Laura Leibowitz5:27 PM
Kathy – Have you had a chance to touch base with Darrell or John?5:27Garth – Oh, good thought!5:28Sadly we just lost Mac Davis.
Rodrigo Araya5:28 PM
Say, we’ll need music… But hiring a band would be impossible these days. (edited)
kathy_fuller_seeley5:28 PM
Not yet, Laura, but I did things with them on saturday, so will do the contacting on Monday!
Osa Buchner5:29 PM
Just thought I’d ask if anyone would have, or know where I could find, a photo of Elliot Lewis taken in the 70s or 80s?
kathy_fuller_seeley5:29 PM
where is the NBC orchestra when you need them…..
Laura Leibowitz5:29 PM
Kathy – That’s great. We’re likely going to have plenty of panels, so I want to make sure I have moderators.
Rodrigo Araya5:29 PM
Or at least somebody with a good keyboard and a big band emulation software.
Laura Leibowitz5:29 PM
Osa – Hmmm…sounds like one for you, Garth!5:30Rodrigo – But if you’d like to be a DJ, I’m open to it.5:30Kathy – In quarantine at 30 Rock.
Rodrigo Araya5:30 PM
Me an’ me big mouth!
Laura Leibowitz5:30 PM
Rodrigo – Har har
garth_johnson5:31 PM
The “newest” photo of Elliot I have is from the 50’s1953-11-11_-_cst_-_historicimages_catalog_-_elliott_and_cathy_lewis-a.jpg
Laura Leibowitz5:31 PM
When did Elliott pass away?
Osa Buchner5:32 PM
Nice photo, thanks, Garth. I think he died in the 80s or 90s
garth_johnson5:32 PM
lewis_-_elliott_-_nm0507163_-_1917-11-28–1990-05-235:32That the imdb nm number
Laura Leibowitz5:32 PM
Huh! I wonder if he was still active during the 70s-80s.
Osa Buchner5:32 PM
thank you
Laura Leibowitz5:32 PM
Or if he had kids.
Osa Buchner5:32 PM
no kids
garth_johnson5:33 PM
lewis_-_cathy_-_nm0507019_-_1916-12-27–1968-11-20
Laura Leibowitz5:33 PM
Nuts. I know how long I had to work to find anyone with information on Don Wilson, since he and Lois (nor any of his previous wives) had kids.
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kathy_fuller_seeley5:34 PM
I need to post to the IJBFC facebook page if anybody has any Jack Benny-related holiday ornaments for their tree or home, I made a Carmichael Bear wearing gas man’s hat last year, need to think of a new one
Laura Leibowitz5:34 PM
I bet you can find a Maxwell5:35Would folks like to see a show, or keep talking here? Either is fine with me.
garth_johnson5:35 PM
There’s a “light up” Maxwell going under somebody’s tree…
kathy_fuller_seeley5:35 PM
oh boy! light-up Maxwell. What he said….
Laura Leibowitz5:35 PM
Garth – Not mine…I’m Jewish.
Nancy A. Acosta5:36 PM
I’m okay with either 
garth_johnson5:36 PM
Ok Hanukkah Bush
Nancy A. Acosta5:36 PM
And I totally forgot it was Xmas time. Don’t even have a tree because have not gone out at all 
Laura Leibowitz5:37 PM
Nancy – In Ames, Iowa, that’s saying something!
Rodrigo Araya5:37 PM
Where’s an aluminum Christmas tree when you need it?
kathy_fuller_seeley5:37 PM
my two new, and very destructive, kittens, are preventing me from putting up any decorations. I will wait until next year
Nancy A. Acosta5:37 PM
I suppose! We don’t even have snow yet LOL!!
Laura Leibowitz5:37 PM
OK, let’s watch the show and then we’ll come back here for any discussion.
Nancy A. Acosta5:38 PM
What kitties you have, Kathy?
Laura Leibowitz5:38 PM
Inspired by the upcoming convention…
Dale Bales5:38 PM
I have to start listening to the Gilbert Gottfried podcast more. He interviews entertainers, producers, directors, writers, etc from the bygone days. He often talks to people who worked with Jack.
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Laura Leibowitz5:38 PM
Dale – Wow, I had no idea.
Dale Bales5:39 PM
A great resource for hold time Hollywood and radio, if you can put up with his language… 
5:40Old time…
Laura Leibowitz6:05 PM
You can understand why that’s one of my fave eps6:05Thoughts?
Neil Ottenstein6:05 PM
that was great. such delight on his face
Laura Leibowitz6:05 PM
That was recorded a year and a half before it aired!
garth_johnson6:05 PM
From top to bottom a top ten episode
Laura Leibowitz6:06 PM
And it aired almost exactly 61 years ago!
Neil Ottenstein6:06 PM
that was a long delay
Nancy A. Acosta6:06 PM
So a thing that I hadn’t noticed before and realized now (I’ve watched this on TV reruns before), is that if this were made now, they would have had Jack react with displeasure that the fan club was all old ladies. Heck, even in that time, some comedians probably would have written it as such. But instead, it’s played as YAY MY FANCLUB LOVES ME
Tom V.6:06 PM
Why was the broadcast delayed so long?
Nancy A. Acosta6:06 PM
And yes, a great ep, that last music scene is still amazing6:06I hadn’t noticed the cinematography aspect until pointed it out though, but it was great
Laura Leibowitz6:06 PM
When he was touring, they’d shoot a bunch of them at a time.6:07My apologies if I was a little film student nerdy about the cinematography!
garth_johnson6:07 PM
1959-12-13_-_jb5_-_historicimages_rsk13745_-_jack_with_pasadena_fan_club_connie_van-a.jpg
Neil Ottenstein6:07 PM
that makes sense
Laura Leibowitz6:08 PM
Get a bunch of them “in the can” as it were.
Nancy A. Acosta6:08 PM
Please be more nerdy about film stuff!!
Rodrigo Araya6:08 PM
M.O.S. — Mit Out Sound
Dale Bales6:09 PM
I grew up rolling my eyes whenever his show came on. Now I wish there were more shows like that.
Laura Leibowitz6:09 PM
What other thoughts on the show?
Tom V.6:09 PM
Yes, the behind the scenes technical stuff is facsinating!
garth_johnson6:09 PM
LL it is the technical stuff that makes the commentary track the first thing I listen to
16:09especially if I’ve seen the show more than twice
Laura Leibowitz6:09 PM
Garth – Got it. Some people just like to sit back and enjoy the show without the commentary.6:10Especially my ex-husband and former boyfriends.1
Dale Bales6:10 PM
The writing and direction was excellent. They didn’t linger too long on the special bits with Don and Dennis, but they still had a chance to shine.
Laura Leibowitz6:11 PM
One of the things I love in Weis shows is that you’re so much more intimate with the performers.
Dale Bales6:11 PM
But that was Jack’s M.O., let the others around him look good.1
Laura Leibowitz6:11 PM
The usual full shot from the back makes you feel like you’re in the audience, but it’s just not as fun.6:13So what else? Anything else Benny-wise on your minds tonigt?6:13tonight6:13OK, let’s call it good for this week. Thanks so much for stopping and welcome again to all the new folks!
Rodrigo Araya6:14 PM
Good night.
Osa Buchner6:14 PM
Just want to say thanks, Laura, for coordinating these chats
Nancy A. Acosta6:14 PM
Good night !
garth_johnson6:14 PM
screencap_-_the_johnny_carson_show_-_dillinger_the_mental_wizard.png
16:14Night all
Laura Leibowitz6:14 PM
Osa – My pleasure. Happy to help put more smiles in the world!
Doug Kiser6:14 PM
Good night all!
Tom V.6:14 PM
Good night, folks. I’ll be seeing you soon!
Dale Bales6:15 PM
Good night, and thanks for the great videos. Loved them.
Neil Ottenstein6:15 PM
Thanks for the delight