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Archive 1

Meyer Kubelsky

Meyer Kubelski's occupation immediately after immigrating to the United States was that of a street peddler[1]. Then, at the time Benjamin was born, Meyer was operating a saloon [2]. His ultimate occupation was that of a haberdasher[3]. Since this article is about his son, Benjamin, the more appropriate choice of the three occupations is the one that Meyer was working at when Benjamin (later Jack Benny) was born. That would be saloonkeeper.

Regarding Meyer's national origin, the references cited, as well as others, state that he was Polish. However, some sources list him as coming from Lithuania. These are all secondary sources of the type recommended by Wikipedia. However, the lack of agreement between these secondary sources can be resolved by a primary source - the 1900 Twelfth Census of The United States wherein is contained the information that Meyer and both of his parents were born in Poland.[4] For further discussion on this subject see The Jack Benny Times, September - December 2008, Volume XXIII Numbers 5-6.[5]

[1] Tune in yesterday: the ultimate encyclopedia of old-time radio, 1925-1976 by John Dunning - Performing Arts - 1976, Pg 315: "His father, Meyer Kubelsky, was a Jewish immigrant from Poland, who became a backpacking Chicago peddler and later owned a haberdashery store in nearby Waukegan."

[2] "Jack Benny" by Mary Livingstone Benny, and Hilliard Marks with Marcia Borie. Doubleday & Company, New York, 1978, Page 8: "Emma Sachs and Meyer Kubelsky were married early in 1893 and settled down in a two-room apartment on Sheridan Road. A couple of blocks away was Meyer's saloon, on the corner of Genessee and Washington Streets." Page 10: "Although he was a baby in diapers during his father's saloon-keeping days, in later years Jack Benny would relate stories of the period based on what his mother had told him concerning their family life in the late 1890's."

[3] http://movies.nytimes.com/person/5438/Jack-Benny: "Though born in a Chicago hospital, entertainer Jack Benny was a Waukegan boy through and through. The son of a Polish immigrant haberdasher..."

[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bennie_Kubelsky_1900_Census.jpg: Twelfth Census Of The United States; State: Illinois; County: Lake; Waukegan Township; Supervisor's District No. 2; Enumeration District No. 142; Sheet No. 10; Line No. 94.

[5] The Jack Benny Times, September - December 2008, Volume XXIII Numbers 5-6, Page 9., The International Jack Benny Fan Club, P.O.Box 11288, Piedmont, CA 94611.

Gjm5025 (talk) 22:27, 2 February 2009 (UTC)

Dennis Day

I removed the reference Dennis Day's "double-entendres" which supposedly "coyly suggest homosexuality." I've listened to a great many of Benny's radio programs, and have seen a number of the television episodes, and I don't recall anything that could be interpreted as vaguely homosexual. Day was depicted as naive and a little dim, but there was a running gag where Day offered a wolf whistle to pretty actresses or singers who appeared as guest stars; this seems an overt indication of heterosexuality. IMDB.com reports that the real Day was married for forty years. I may be mistaken, so please correct me if anyone has examples of Day's coy suggestions of homosexuality, or evidence to the contrary. Anon, 17 Nov 2004.

Dennis Day wasn't gay if you had bothered to do the research; he was the brother-in-law of actress Ann Blyth and was married for many years.--Susan Nunes

FWIW, Jack describes Dennis in his autobiography (Sunday nights at Seven) as a heterosexual. The line stuck with me. - Ipstenu 15:49, 22 December 2005 (UTC)

Interestingly, the use of the word "gay" is very frequent in the program, as it meant something different than it does now. In one exchange Phil Harris is referred to as "The Gay Illiterate", and protests, and Dennis says "There's nothing wrong with being gay". His innocence, naiveté and (supposed) dominance by his mother may have made him look effeminate, however there are many skits where he stands up to Jack, or shows great interest in women. There were many character actors in the show who were far more effiminate than Dennis, and gags were written to emphasize their delivery of lines in a lisping type of speech, such as a floorwalker who occurred many times. Pitt Cairn 8-30-06

I assume the floorwalker in question is Frank Nelson, who garnered fame through the Jack Benny program. I don't know if I would call him effeminate, though one fellow who did come off as kind of as less than masculine was the bodyguard Benny hired to ward off Fred Allen, who had a high pitched nasal voice and was obviously weaker than even Mary.--The Saxon 07:17, 2 November 2006 (UTC)

"Gay" was already in popular usage by then, although it meant more along the lines of "effeminate" than overtly "homosexual". Frank Nelson didn't lisp, that I recall. Benny himself was sometimes said to have "effiminate" mannerisms, in the way he walked, posed, etc., but he was straight as an arrow. He did bring this up from time to time for comedic effect. I recall on the Carson show, where he feigned hurt feelings and said, "I am not effeminate!" He then turned toward the studio band and asked, "Have I ever 'bothered' any of you fellows?" and got a good laugh from the band and the audience. Wahkeenah 01:31, 3 November 2006 (UTC)

Dennis was married and had 10 children. He was most certainly not gay. His portrayal at the time might seem to be gay but he was supposed to be the dumb kid on the show. The brunt of the joke. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.123.16.134 (talk) 22:07, 20 December 2015 (UTC)

Films

Benny was also in some films, including "To Be or Not to Be," directed by the legendary Ernst Lubitsch. Anon, 08 Aug 2005.

Jack Benny regarded "To Be or Not To Be" as his best film, followed by "George Washington Slept Here." He also starred in numerous others such as "Buck Benny Rides Again" and "The Meanest Man in the World." He considered "The Horn Blows at Midnight" his worst film, and often joked about it on his radio and television programs. I've seen that movie and I didn't think it was that bad.97.73.64.169 (talk) 13:50, 3 September 2011 (UTC)
I've seen it, too. It's not that great, but it wasn't as horrible as he and his writers made it out to be.--Mr Fink (talk) 16:05, 3 September 2011 (UTC)

Thirty-nine

It seems to me that there ought to be a mention of the decades-running joke that Mr. Benny was going to turn thirty-nine this year, but I don't know enough about it to add it. Zack

I agree with this point. In current events, there is a movement to put JB on the recently announced 39c stamp, for this very reason. By all counts, Jack Benny was 39 for about 40 years. Anon. Wednesday, December 14, 2005

I second the motion! I added in a 'running gags' section which I think could be better, but Jack really was known for a handful of things, including how crappy a violinist he was. Hopefully folks can improve on this! - Ipstenu 15:49, 22 December 2005 (UTC)


Frankly I think the begining of this should read "Jack Benny (February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974, age at death, 39), born Benjamin Kubelsky, was an..."

Oddly enough, he actually didn't get to 39 until about 1947. Beginning in the late-1930s, he would claim to be 37, then 38. Once he hit 39, he never went past it. It was very clever.--The Saxon 04:16, 22 October 2006 (UTC)

Indeed. My dad has a taped interview / biography of his, and Jack himself says on there (approximately) "I was 36 for years. Then I turned 37, and then 38, and then we got to 39. We stopped at 39, because 39's a funny number, 40 isn't." --Mr z 02:14, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

When my sister and I were teenagers, she commented "Why would anyone claim to be 39?". That was about 50 years ago; now, of course, it's obvious. BMJ-pdx (talk) 08:35, 27 May 2018 (UTC)

Actually, until Jack Benny turned 52, he was always TWELVE years younger than his actual age. On the radio show where he turned 52 (that is to say "40"), he actually DID turn "40". However, he said on a Johnny Carson interview that "39 is a funny number, 40 isn't". Consequently, he turned 40 and didn't get as many laughs...however a back-up script had been prepared. This script was then used, and the premise was that perhaps he'd made a mistake regarding his birth year. A phone call to Rochester asking what his birth certificate had under "date of birth" resulted in Rochester's replying "a hole". When Benny incredulously repeated "a hole"?, Rochester replied with, "we must have erased it one too many times". Benny then became 39 again and remained so for the rest of the radio program and consequently was ALWAYS 39 for the television program. The radio program where he turned 40 and then went back to 39 aired in February 1946. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.44.200.78 (talk) 02:55, 4 April 2020 (UTC) While I remember the 12 year difference (I've listened to a LOT of Jack Benny Radio episodes), the episode I alluded to earlier aired in 1949. 95357B "JACK'S BIRTHDAY IS TOMORROW" 20 02-13-49 :30:00* Jack thinks he's 40 (http://otrsite.com/logs/logj1007.htm) As my earlier notation of the telephone conversation was from memory, it was not verbatim (Benny ACTUALLY says "a hole in the paper?", not simply "a hole?" The episode itself can be heard here: https://archive.org/details/OTRR_Jack_Benny_Singles_1948-1949/JB+1949-02-13+Jack's+Birthday+Is+Tomorrow.mp3 I've SEEN the Johnny Carson clip where Benny says "39's a funny number, 40 isn't". As for the part about 2 scripts for the show (so Jack Benny could either turn 40 years of age OR go BACK to being 39) I read that somewhere, possibly in the book "Sunday Nights at Seven". Addition: For Benny to "turn 40" in 1949, that is a difference of 15 years (he was 40 but ACTUALLY 55) it's possible that upon hearing an earlier episode where Benny is (supposedly) below the age of 39, I did the math and saw the 12 year difference on a SINGLE episode...and never noticed that he might be the same age for more than a single year. Possibly a birthday is not necessarily mentioned (and consequently a 1 year increase in age) in episodes where his birthday was, say, on a Wednesday or Thursday as it wouldn't be "close enough" to the program that aired to warrant mentioning as a "Jack's Birthday" episode.

Page split

What does anyone think about splitting the Jack Benny Program into an article separate from Jack Benn's article? -Tim Rhymeless (Er...let's shimmy) 09:23, 6 February 2006 (UTC)

May not be a bad idea. Maybe it'd be better to split 'Jack Benny the man' from 'Jack Benny the character'? Even with the program page, you'd have a hella long 'Jack is cheap, etc' section. A show page AND a character page, since Jack's got so much? (notice how I'm not offereing to start it ;) ) -- Ipstenu 17:54, 3 March 2006 (UTC)
The character should definitely be broken out, as Benny's character was an cultural innovation that strongly influenced future theater/TV. See also the discussion regarding the proposed merge (obviously I am against it) brain 04:26, 19 April 2007 (UTC)

Missing word?

In the section on "I'm thinking it over", the paragraph discussing another longer laugh says:

at the close of the program broadcast on December 13, 1936 and sponsored by Jell-O, guest Andy Devine says that it is "last number of the eleventh program in the new Jelly series."

Is there supposed to be a word, probably "the", at the beginning of the quote (or just before the initial quotation mark)?

(I don't really get the joke, either. The best I can guess is that it's a pun on eleven and the "ll" in jell-o) - Dharris 20:51, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

There's nothing to get! The show was famous for dwelling on flubs, and that one was just a beauty. Another session of explosive laughter occurs when Mary says "Chiss Wheeze" instead of "Swiss Cheese," again by accident, and JB ends up repeating it several times. In the early days the show was entirely live, so flubs like Devine's made it onto air. Wichitalineman

The preceding is correct, in my view. I have well over 300 of the shows, and mistakes were very common, and often generated better laughs. Another is when Mary calls a "grease rack" (for cars), "grass reek", and the ensuing laughter seems to acknowledge the potential reference to pot. The "Chiss Wheese" appears again when her sister (Babe) asks for a "Chiss Wheeze sandwich". Pitt Cairn 8-30-06

Don't forget they made an ongoing gag about how there was no such phrase as 'grass reek', up until someone said 'And the sunk sprayed the lawn! Boy did that grass reek!' ... I think I have that one on tape still. *sigh* Classic. I don't know if it was a pot reference, given the Benny's prediclictions, but it was damn funny. -- Ipstenu (talk|contribs) 20:27, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

There were lots of flubs and the audience just waited for there to be a flub. Many, many, many are listed on websites with the air date. You can purchase all of the Jack Benny shows now on CD. Another big one was Don Wilson saying, "Dreer Pouson" instead of "Drew Pearson." That one slid by after a couple of ribs by Jack until about the middle of the show when Frank Nelson said in his usual way, "Well who do you think I am? Dreer Pouson?" The show stopped for about a minute as it caught the entire cast off guard. It was a very long laugh. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.123.16.134 (talk) 22:11, 20 December 2015 (UTC)

Jack Benny wasn't born in Waukegan, Illinois

According to the International Jack Benny Fan Club at http://www.jackbenny.org/ he was really born at Chicago's Mercy Hospital. I heard another account how he was born in Chicago, but the family doctor put Waukegan down as the place of birth on his birth certificate. —Preceding unsigned comment added by James C. Orvis (talk • contribs)

Good point. Checked with both my books too (Sunday Nights at Seven, and Jack Benny (written by Mary). Fixed. -- Ipstenu (talk|contribs) 17:02, 26 June 2006 (UTC)

Jack's mother wanted him to be born in Chicago so later in life when people asked him where he was born he could say it was a big city. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.123.16.134 (talk) 02:52, 21 December 2015 (UTC)

Separate article for The Jack Benny Program

Why does every link to the Jack Benny Program lead to an article about Jack Benny? I want The Jack Benny Program to have its own article! Jim856796 05:50, 2 July 2006 (UTC)

It has its own article: The Jack Benny Program. However, I just put a merge tag on it, since it's far less informative than the stuff in this article (and wrong in important aspects, like when the show started). If someone wants to refactor the two, feel free - but currently, it would be much more useful for the reader to redirect all show links here. --Alvestrand 04:44, 12 February 2007 (UTC)
It should be merged, also for this reason: it takes the stance that it is only about Benny's television show, yet The Jack Benny Program was also the title of his radio show. Pepso 19:46, 12 February 2007 (UTC)
I vote it not be merged- Jack Benny's character was a distinct entity from Jack Benny the man. While I agree the articles are a bit sparse, this is more a temporary condition that will be remedied by future development of the article. I would even argue for splitting the radio show article from the television show... perhaps a bit premature at present, but they were definitely distinct (the TV show was more of a variety show than the radio show). brain 04:26, 19 April 2007 (UTC)
This seems to have been decided some time ago, but I would once more vote to un-merge The Jack Benny Program as a separate article, for whatever it's worth. Mdumas43073 (talk) 02:07, 1 January 2009 (UTC)
Considering there is an article at the link would mean no un-merge is needed. Wildhartlivie (talk) 03:21, 1 January 2009 (UTC)

Audience on tv show?

I see reruns of the 1950's tv show on cable (from about 1955)and wonder if it was filmed in front of a live audience in whole or in part, or if it was all done on film with laughtrack. The audience reactions to the opening and closing routines on stage in front of a curtain seem realistic, but the audience is never shown, and at least some bits seem to be pre-filmed. I believe the radio show had a live audience, and it seems like it would be difficult for a comedian to work with no audience feedback. Yet there were supposedly early tv shows with no audience or audience shots spliced into a show filmed with no audience, like Andy Devine's kid show. Any sources for answers one way or the other? Filmed before audience, filmed with no audience, some combination?Edison 04:04, 10 July 2006 (UTC)

I know the radio was always done with a live audience (even in the days when Mary would record her performance, they'd have a stand in 'reading' the lines). I think that the TV show was always done before a live audience, as it started with Jack giving a bit of a monologue in front of the curtain, and the shows were broadcast live, so where would they put the audience? -- Ipstenu (talk|contribs) 13:14, 10 July 2006 (UTC)

I doubt the shows were live, since there are frequent filmed parts, and what we see now on reruns looks like film rather than kinescope. They had one where Tennessee Ernie Ford was the guest, and the gimmick was the transmission got jumbled, so Jack and Tennessee were suddenly appearing in each others' costumes, and in each others' sets, upside dpwn, etc. It is wierd to do the opening and closing live and never show the audience. I know comedians in VERY early tv (1939-1941) sometimes had to perform with no audience due to the small studio, and they found it difficult.Edison 23:30, 16 July 2006 (UTC)

The JACK BENNY SHOWs of the early 1950s were done live. By 1955 or 1956 he began to alternate live and filmed shows, eventually doing only filmed shows in the 1960s. Of the 343 episodes, 104 were filmed. Pepso 01:48, 17 July 2006 (UTC)
Found several reference to his consistently using a live audience for the standup portions and for the non-filmed portions. The audience soundtrack would be augmented for bits where, for instance, the camera and soundman prevented the audience seeing the facial expression or payoff of a gag, so the home audience would not be puzzled by the lack of response. Filmed shows might be shown to an audience to obtain a laugh track. Still doesn't answer why the camera never panned around to show the audience having a good time, or why there was never interaction with the audience, even on a show when the guest was Mickey Rooney, who was supposedly tricked into being on the show free via the ruse of free tickets, then called up on stage. Added 2 New York Times references relative to these issues. Edison 21:26, 17 July 2006 (UTC)
An eight-month old question, but deserves an answer: That sort of thing wasn't typically done in those days. Ask yourself how often other classic shows that were filmed before a live audience, such as I Love Lucy or The Honeymooners showed the audience. The answer is never. That was considered to be "breaking the fourth wall". Even when Benny or Gleason addressed the audience, they didn't show the audience. That barrier was slowly broken down over time, but even now they often want to preserve the illusion that the actors are unaware of the audience. Wahkeenah 07:39, 4 March 2007 (UTC)

Neutrality

This article sounds like it was written only from a fan's point of view. Describing things he has done as "brilliant" is not neutral, and if people are going to make claims like "...is often considered his best/funniest work" they better have a source. Speaking of sources, this article is really lacking them, and that "sources" section (which should be renamed references) does not do justice as it does not specify which statement it is sourcing. 199.126.137.209 02:19, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Along these same lines, this sentence from the intro paragraph has no discernible meaning: "Benny helped establish a basic palette from which comedy since has rarely deviated, no matter how extreme or experimental it has become in their wake." Gilesdudgeon 20:58, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Trivia section

There's a statue of Jack Benny at the Epicenter, the stadium of the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes minor league baseball team in Rancho Cucamonga, California. The stadium is on Jack Benny Way at the intersection of Rochester Avenue, named for the city in New York, not for Eddie Anderson's character on Jack's show. Jack is credited with making Cucamonga famous through Mel Blanc's train announcer bit on the radio and tv shows. Halfelven 02:42, 16 April 2007 (UTC)

Ah, it all makes sense. Now I know why Drew Carey says "Rancho Cucamonga, slowly I turn, step by step". Whenever a contestant is from there(which has happened alot recently), he says this very line on The Price Is Right. Dennyg2007 (talk) 18:22, 27 April 2008 (UTC)

"I'm thinking it over"

With apologies, I've trimmed the George Balzar anecdote a bit. I appreciate the attribution to my book, but I felt the lengthy quote infringed on my copyright. Though Wiklipedia encouraged me to remove it, I've left much of it in. I've added a reference to the Milt Josefsberg book--one of the best, I feel, though Balzar had some issues with it.

It might be noted that Benny is wearing a hairpiece in the 1942 photo shown here, probably a movie studio portrait; he had no problem being photographed with his thinning and greying hair while performing on radio. Jordan R. Young 08:06, 22 August 2007 (UTC)

Yes. Though there are mutltiple references in the radio show to Benny wearing a toupee, part of his persona of vanity. -- Infrogmation (talk) 11:16, 16 June 2009 (UTC)

While well-written in some parts, the article suffers from an informal and unencyclopedic tone. There's also a grand total of one inline citation for the plethora of quotations that are sprinkled throughout the text. Finally, on a more trivial note, I'm surprised Benny's performance with Isaac Stern at Carnegie Hall isn't mentioned at all, considering that the text devotes some space to his violin playing. 69.202.63.165 01:51, 30 August 2007 (UTC) Also, some parts of the text are identical to http://www.whereoldtimeradiolives.com/otr_shows/jack_benny.htm. I'm not sure if this is a case of Wikipedia violating copyright or the other way around, but it should probably be looked into. 69.202.63.165 01:53, 30 August 2007 (UTC)


Death announcement

I recall that when Benny died the day after Christmas, network TV (probably CBS) broke in with a brief news bulletin during prime time. I cannot add this to the Final Years section because it is only my personal recollection, but it's the only time I can remember that people cared enough about the death of an octogenarian entertainer for network TV to go so far as to interrupt regular programming. The time of year may have had something to do with it, but it says something about the affection America still felt for the man. I can't imagine such an interruption happening on traditional network TV today for an aged entertainer, no matter how famous. Richard K. Carson (talk) 07:35, 8 December 2007 (UTC)

Citations & References

See Wikipedia:Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the <ref(erences/)> tags Nhl4hamilton (talk) 04:53, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

The 39ers

I remember hearing somewhere that a high school in California had given themselves the nickname the '39ers in honor of Jack Benny. Could somone find a source for this, or am i just remembering wrong. - -[The Spooky One] | [t c r] 15:17, 2 July 2008 (UTC)

Bot report : Found duplicate references !

In the last revision I edited, I found duplicate named references, i.e. references sharing the same name, but not having the same content. Please check them, as I am not able to fix them automatically :)

  • "JJ1990" :
    • Jack Benny and Joan Benny, ''Sunday Nights At Seven: The Jack Benny Story'', Warner Books, ISBN 0-446-51546-9, 1990, p.11
    • Jack Benny and Joan Benny, ''Sunday Nights At Seven: The Jack Benny Story'', Warner Books, ISBN 0-446-51546-9, 1990, p.17
    • Jack Benny and Joan Benny, ''Sunday Nights At Seven: The Jack Benny Story'', Warner Books, ISBN 0-446-51546-9, 1990, p.32
    • Jack Benny and Joan Benny, ''Sunday Nights At Seven: The Jack Benny Story'', Warner Books, ISBN 0-446-51546-9, 1990, p.40
    • Jack Benny and Joan Benny, ''Sunday Nights At Seven'', Warner Books, ISBN 0-446-51546-9, 1990, p.279
    • Jack Benny and Joan Benny, Sunday Nights At Seven, Warner Books, ISBN 0-446-51546-9, 1990, p.301

DumZiBoT (talk) 13:19, 8 August 2008 (UTC)


Dating His Relationship With His Future Wife

"In 1922, Jack accompanied Zeppo Marx to a Passover seder where he met Sadye (Sadie) Marks"

According to the page detailing Sadye/Mary's life, they first met when she was 14 - which would have been 1920. The added detail there makes clear that the romance did not commence for several years thereafter, as he was barely aware of her at the time. The text here leaves the impression that the period 1922-1927 was somewhat one of courtship.Irish Melkite (talk) 13:20, 7 February 2009 (UTC)

Sy

In describing some of characterizations on the show, I think mention ought to be made of Mel Blanc's recurring character, Sy. The typical routine went like this ... (Benny) "What's your name?" (Blanc) "Sy" (Benny) "Sy?" (Blanc) "Si" (Benny) "What do you do?" (Blanc) "Sew" (Benny) "Sew?" (Blanc) "Si" and on it went, until Benny would do his classic "Now cut that out!" Irish Melkite (talk) 13:20, 7 February 2009 (UTC)

There is a separate article for The Jack Benny Show that might better be served with this sort of information. Wildhartlivie (talk) 15:06, 7 February 2009 (UTC)

On Carson Show

YouTube and other sites cite Benny appearance on Tonight Show with Mel Blanc in 1974. The Wiki article says he last appeared there in 1972. Are the other sites incorrect?

72.222.139.18 (talk) 07:18, 7 March 2009 (UTC)

Actually, this article talks about one of his final appearances in relationship to the Tonight Show's 10th anniversary, which I believe was on 30 September 1972, and also included George Burns and Dinah Shore. Wildhartlivie (talk) 07:40, 7 March 2009 (UTC)


This is a response to the item at the top: whether Jack's father, Meyer, was born in Poland or Lithuania. Strange as it sounds it could be both.

From 1783 to the Versailles Peace Conf. of 1919, the borders of Eastern Europe were vague--and usually wrong. Much territory went back and forth frequently. (Many people said that they did not know whether they were born in country A or B because they do not know in what time of day they were born.) Part of what was then Lithuania, is now part of Poland. Therefore, Meyer Kubelski could be said to have been born in either--or both. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.65.29.190 (talk) 16:09, 12 April 2009 (UTC)

The above is so true that "Pan Tadeusz" by Adam Mickiewicz, which is generally considered to be the national epic poem of Poland and is obligatory reading in Polish schools, never speaks of Poland but instead of "Lithuania". The country which is recognized today as Lithuania does not correspond to the geographical area known as "Lithuania" in earlier times.--Partnerfrance (talk) 20:54, 13 December 2018 (UTC)

There's currently mention of Benny's last appearance having to do with his "10th anniversary" but doesn't say 10th anniversary of what. Jtyroler (talk) 19:58, 16 July 2011 (UTC)

Transcript

In the section, "Your money or your life", in the dialog between Don Wilson and Dorothy Kirsten, the words "sustenudo" and "tessitura" are misspelled. Is this because they were intentionally mispronounced, or should they be corrected? Some of the other terms might be wrong as well: it's not a good sign that Google seems to find the term "cumulto passione" only in anecdotes about this exchange (Bel canto and allegro vivacissimo, however, are correct).- Nunh-huh 04:23, 13 April 2009 (UTC)

1943 photo

I uploaded a nice 1943 photo of Jack Benny and "troupe" touring to entertain the troops via the Library of Congress. File:JackBennyTroupeAhvaz1943.jpg. Unfortunately the individuals aren't identified by name. Anyone recognize anyone? Please add identifications. -- Infrogmation (talk) 21:18, 27 May 2009 (UTC)

The CBS talent raid - first paragraph

The taxation issues aren't explained clearly. As is, they contribute nothing to understanding why Benny moved to CBS, so should be deleted if they can't be clarified. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.127.106.208 (talk) 21:24, 29 May 2009 (UTC)

Photo

I have proposed the deletion of File:Jack Benny Portrait.jpg. It's a nice publicity photo, but not free licensed, and isn't serving any particular purpose other than to show what Jack Benny looks like. Fortunately we now have a number of good free images that can serve the same function. -- Infrogmation (talk) 11:12, 16 June 2009 (UTC)


Stradivarius

I believe Jack Benny had a Stradivarius violin which he bequeathed to the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Perhaps this should be mentioned in the article. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.100.108.140 (talk) 16:09, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

This is slightly off topic but is puzzling to me. I recall clearly that on the televised Jack Benny Show Benny would ask for his violin with the tag "Maurice bring me my violin". At that point a small statured dignified man would appear to reluctantly hand Benny his violin often wincing at Benny's atrociously faked attempts to play. In the 1970's I met that man named Maurice Borg,(Borge') He stated that he left the Benny orchestra after a catastrophic car accident out side of Las Vegas. Maurice's wife was named Julia(?) an opera singer. Both said they had played with the New York Philharmonic prior to working for Benny. I post this because both Maurice and Julia were two of the finest most gracious persons I have ever met. Maurice had remarkable insight into character and the compassion to share his wisdom and experience in service to others. I recall he was looked after by a nephew named Jeff after Maurice had retired to Ashland Oregon. Any one with info to fill in Maurice's biography may contact me at abdullatif@wildblue.net as I believe this remarkable man and his remarkable life should be remembered.75.107.0.39 (talk) 22:32, 20 December 2014 (UTC)

Running Gags Omission

This section fails to mention The Horn Blows at Midnight, the mention of which was a running gag for decades after anyone even remembered that film.--208.127.100.147 (talk) 09:58, 14 March 2010 (UTC)--208.127.100.147 (talk) 09:59, 14 March 2010 (UTC)

Yep. It was a very well known fact that "The Horn Blows At Midnight" was a total flop. Jack was very well aware of it and publicized it as so. He made fun of himself and was used as another insult to his character. Kind of like the saying that if you laugh first then nobody else can laugh at you. He got plenty of mileage out of it. And most everybody knew about that movie. People listened to Jack's show for decades. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.123.16.134 (talk) 03:06, 21 December 2015 (UTC)

Gosh there's a LOT that is left out on the recurring things. Jack and Fred Allen's "feud" that went on for years. They hated each other over the air and in personal appearances but it was actually a well thought out process and written so. Jack and Fred were actually very good friends.

All of the sound effects like the vault with the footsteps and clanking chains for the drawbridge and finally the sirens and horns. You could just picture it all in your head. Then the voice of Jack's long faithful guard, Ed, "Halt! Who goes there? Friend or Foe?" Friend. "What's the password?" Foe. "Oh it's YOU Mr. Benny!" And then a conversation would result in showing how many years Ed had been locked down in the vault.

The train station with Mel Blanc announcing "Train leaving on track 5 for Anaheim, Azusa and Cuc.............amonga!"

Frank Nelson always jumping in there with his trademark, "Yesssssssss?" Or sarcastically retorting to questions asked by Jack, "Well who do you think I am with this red jacket on? Santa Claus?" Frank Nelson was always a clerk of some kind and couldn't stand Jack and they bickered back and forth.

The stranger on the street saying, "Pssssst! Hey Bud!" and going into this ridiculous routine.

Ronnie And Benita Coleman living next door and always dreading Jack getting involved in their personal life.

The play on words like the "Cimmaron" rolls. "No he's right Jack! Look here at this label. These Cimmaron rolls are not made like traditional cinnamon roles which are made of entirely different ingrediments."

The "Oh Shut Up" phrase being used all the time. Phil Harris and his drunken band. Don Wilson's weight. Dennis Day's "dumb Dora" type character with his mother always getting involved trying to get Dennis a raise and arguing with Jack.

Polly the parrot. When Polly had a cold Mary asked, "Polly want a cracker?" "Polly want a Kleenex - AHHH CHOO!" Then the next week Polly still had a cold and Mary asked, "Polly want a cracker?" "Polly wanna die!"

Jack's violin teacher Professor LeBlanc who tortured himself given Jack lessons and making him play scales to which he would sing along, "Play it softly, play it tender. Where can I go to surrender?"

The "I Can't Stand Jack Benny Because" contest.

The operators Gertrude Gearshift and Mable Flapsaddle. They threw insults back and forth at each other. After waiting on Gertrude to dial a number he would yell at her and she would say something like, "Okay! Okay! I'm ringing it! You know Rome wasn't built in a day!" Well you oughta know! You helped build it! "Well Thank you Julius Caesar!"

The laundry business Jack had on the side. Little old ladies loved him, "When I think of him ironing my petticoats with his own little hands....I get GOOSE PIMPLES!" "I sent him a Valentine's card in my laundry bundle. It went, Dear Jack - when I think of you this Valentine's Day I can throw my vitamin pills away." I bet he didn't answer it. "He certainly did! He said - Your lovely poem made me shake and shiver. And starting May first, we pick up and deliver." — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.123.16.134 (talk) 03:30, 21 December 2015 (UTC)

Copyedit

I have copyedited this article as a part of the Backlog Elimination Drive at WP:GOCE. I did what I could to fix the spelling, syntax, grammar, and diction, but I could not do anything about the fact that this reads more like original research than a true WP article. The citations that do exist are good, but it needs a lot more for an article of its size. Any help would be appreciated. NielsenGW (talk) 17:07, 1 May 2010 (UTC)

Reference in "Back to to the Future"

In "Back to the Future", 1955's actor Reagan being 1985's President is as impossible as Jack Benny being the Secretary of the Treasury. That is funny because everyone knows Benny's skinflint persona. Reasons for/against adding it back to the article? Javaweb (talk) 16:13, 31 January 2011 (UTC)Javaweb

Inpact / influence

Long time listener, first time caller.

Jack has to be one of the most influential comedians of the 20th century. Why not a section on how he changed comedy. Johnny Carson modeled his delivery on Jack. or "the kids in the hall's," name is based on a statement of his. I just don't know that much about it, but someone must! — Preceding unsigned comment added by Lazymycroft (talk • contribs) 16:23, 23 April 2011 (UTC)

Theme music

I've removed a section with pure speculation about the reason for a snippet of "Yankee Doodle Dandy" being used in theme song from the mid 40s on. No idea where this canard came from about it being used because Jack Benny was once promised the role of George M. Cohan. It doesn't make much sense. More likely (but still speculation, so it shouldn't be in the article) is simply that the "Yankee Doodle Dandy" bit was added because it was a patriotic song, and WWII was on, a highly patriotic time when the Benny show was frequently being performed at army and navy venues. Possibly it was simply kept in for the remainder of the radio series after the war because the audience was used to it, or the sponsor liked it. WGaryW (talk) 22:11, 29 April 2011 (UTC)


First appearance on televison: KTTV Los Angeles 1949

Reference: "The Jack Benny Show: The Life And Times of America's Best Loved Entertainer" by Milt Josefsberg (Arlington House 1977). — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.228.187.185 (talk) 12:01, 30 September 2011 (UTC)

Word Censoring

Should words be censored here? - Zhou Yu (talk) 03:33, 2 May 2012 (UTC)

Absolutely not, especially if the words to be censored are in a direct quote.--Mr Fink (talk) 04:30, 2 May 2012 (UTC)
[1]--Mr Fink (talk) 04:44, 2 May 2012 (UTC)

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Jack Benny look-alike in Harry James Orchestra

Harry James' band often included a small string section. One of the violinists was a dead ringer for Jack Benny. It couldn't have actually been Jack; that would be well known, and I have yet to turn up any other mention of it.

I've seen him in about three or four movies that feature the Harry James Orchestra. The best shot (complete with supercilious grin) is in Springtime in the Rockies (1942), at 16:39 into the film. And it isn't just me hallucinating; when I showed this to my family, they all gasped.

Can anyone verify this? I don't mean the resemblance (that's beyond doubt), I mean Harry James being known at the time to have done it.

BMJ-pdx (talk) 09:15, 27 May 2018 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion:

Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 08:06, 13 December 2018 (UTC)

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