Posted on 01/30/2018 5:49:44 PM PST by WilliamIII
One of Jack Benny’s most famous bits began with a mugger demanding of the notoriously tight-fisted comic, “Your money or your life.” After a laugh-filled pause, the thug repeated, “Look, bud, I said, ‘Your money or your life.’” Jack’s exquisitely timed reply: “I’m thinking it over!” Jack’s carefully cultivated persona portrayed him as a vainglorious cheapskate. In fact, the real Jack was a warmhearted, down-to-earth do-gooder, according to his daughter, Joan Benny. “He gave to a lot of charities, and he did it quietly,” she recently told Closer Weekly at a screening of her father’s classic 1942 film To Be or Not to Be at NYC’s Film Forum. “He was a man of great humility.”
While he was never a big spender, that wasn’t because he was a miser but rather a man of simple tastes. “He would be perfectly happy to drive an old car,” Joan recalled. “His favorite dining was at the local drugstore sitting at the counter, having a chicken-fried steak. He had no pretensions.”
(Excerpt) Read more at closerweekly.com ...
Don’t forget Frank Nelson:”Yesssss?”
Some others were:
His 1923 Maxwell which Rochester chauffeured him in. Dennis Day always irritating him. and the alligators he kept in his basement.
The alligators were to protect his vault.
Oh, and his blue eyes.
“Look, bud, I said, ‘Your money or your life.’”
I have always like Jack Benny. Followed him on radio and TV.
“He was only 39 when he died.”
If you are not over 60 years old, you probably will not get it. I loved his shows as a little kid in the 50s. He was a very funny man but more importantly a humble and generous patriot.
I remember Benny talking about his father who had a Yiddish accent “thick enough to cut with a knife”. He said his father always talked about everybody he ran into had heard of his son. One day his father said, “I finally ran into somebody that never heard of you....but he was just an old Jew”.
Lol.
I was too young to appreciate it.
I think I liked Rochester’s voice the best. I was a little kid and it was amusing.
I’m 67 so we must be close in age.
Neat story.
And Sapphire
I’m in my late 70’s......pushin’ 80...... but who’s counting....lol
There's no question he was one of the all time greats. Also, on his TV show, he surrounded himself with some very funny supporting players - Mel Blanc, Frank Nelson (Yeeeeeeeesss?), Benny Rubin, just to name a few.
I was off. lol
Best regards to you.
I know this is a Jack Benny thread, but another show came to mind that presaged some of the modern bar-scene sit-coms. Do you remember "Duffy's Tavern"? Opened with
"Hello, Duffy's Tavern--this is Archie--it's your nickel, start talkin' . . ."
Thank you.
A local radio station used to run a show late at night on the weekends called "When Radio Was." It played recordings of radio shows from the 40s and 50s, and some of my favorites were the old Jack Benny shows. I also used to love his all to infrequent guest spots on "The Lucy Show," with Lucille Ball.
He was one of the greats.
Mark
Actually, George Burns Social Security WAS 1.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0637413/characters/nm0330198?ref_=tt_cl_t2
[Jack Benny is opening a bank account]
Mr. Theodore J. Mooney : Your social security number?
Jack Benny : One.
However, in reality no one (no pun intented) can have that SSN per the SSA: “Previously unassigned area numbers were introduced for assignment excluding area numbers 000, 666 and 900-999. “
https://www.ssa.gov/employer/randomization.html
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