Paul Henning

[shimp scrampi]

Though never wrote for Jack (as far as I know), just a quick word of remembrance here for Paul Henning, longtime writer for Burns and Allen, and who also was instrumental in the career of many Benny alumni, including producing Dennis Day's TV show, and giving Bea Benaderet her long-deserved lead role in the TV series "Petticoat Junction". Henning died on Friday at the age of 93, and is of course best known for creating "The Beverly Hillbillies". I see a lot of echoes of both B&A and Jack Benny in my favorite of his big three TV series, "Green Acres" (which he had the least direct involvement in, strangely).

LA Times has a better obituary than the AP one which is in most other papers:

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/ ... &cset=true

[Maxwell]

Though never wrote for Jack (as far as I know), just a quick word of remembrance here for Paul Henning, longtime writer for Burns and Allen, and who also was instrumental in the career of many Benny alumni, including producing Dennis Day's TV show, and giving Bea Benaderet her long-deserved lead role in the TV series "Petticoat Junction". Henning died on Friday at the age of 93, and is of course best known for creating "The Beverly Hillbillies". I see a lot of echoes of both B&A and Jack Benny in my favorite of his big three TV series, "Green Acres" (which he had the least direct involvement in, strangely).

LA Times has a better obituary than the AP one which is in most other papers:

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/ ... &cset=true

I agree with the connection between B&A, Benny, and Green Acres. All three shows had a distinctly surrealistic quality about them. (George first commenting on the goings on between "acts" and then watching the action on a TV from his study; any number of characters and events from the Benny show, such as meeting Sy the Mexican in any number of odd places; ditto Green Acres: Lisa's hot cakes, the opening credits turning up in the kitchen, any story involving Arnold Ziffel....)

[shimp scrampi]

I agree with the connection between B&A, Benny, and Green Acres. All three shows had a distinctly surrealistic quality about them.

Which is one of my favorite aspects of all three... "Green Acres" is a little bit like a Jack Benny (though Eddie Albert's Oliver inspires less empathy than Jack) being lost in a world that totally operates on Gracie Allen logic (Jack's world is only partially surreal!). Delightful stuff.

Incidentally, Dick Chevillat, who co-wrote almost every episode of GA with creator Jay Sommers, was a writer for Phil Harris' radio program, more Benny connections![/quote]

[Maxwell]

I agree with the connection between B&A, Benny, and Green Acres. All three shows had a distinctly surrealistic quality about them.

Which is one of my favorite aspects of all three... "Green Acres" is a little bit like a Jack Benny (though Eddie Albert's Oliver inspires less empathy than Jack) being lost in a world that totally operates on Gracie Allen logic (Jack's world is only partially surreal!). Delightful stuff.

Incidentally, Dick Chevillat, who co-wrote almost every episode of GA with creator Jay Sommers, was a writer for Phil Harris' radio program, more Benny connections!

[/quote]

Benny's world may be only partly surreal, but those parts are worthy of being in a Salvador Dali paining:

*Frank Nelson turning up anyplace that Jack requires some kind of service ("You again!")

*The vault (need I say more?)

*An episode I heard just recently from Jack's last season on radio contained a gag which iirc starts with someone (Mary?) wondering whatever happened to Kenny Baker who just suddenly dissappeared "fifteen years ago." A plumber is working in Jack's house and reports that there is someone in an unused room or attic (I wish I could remember the exact sequence) but I think it turns out whoever is in the attic is heard singing.

*An episode also from that final season (Thank you, Chuck Schaden!) in which the writers haven't come up with a script, so the show is punctuated with Jack's visits to the writers to pick up bits of the story (a mystery) while the show is in progress.

As I said, not completely surreal, but definitely not the world the rest of us live in.

[shimp scrampi]

Oh, definitely, there is plenty of surreal to go around on the Jack Benny Show, I love that Kenny Baker gag too, Rochester even brings up the missing gas man in that same skit!

The distinction I was drawing is that in Green Acres - Eddie Albert is never the surreal one - he's always the rational man in the lunatic asylum. The brilliance of Jack's character is usually he is the "normal" voice in the surreal world - but often - think the Colemans episodes - JACK is surreal in comparison to the "normal world" with his implausible cheapness extremes, money-making schemes (vending machines in the house, etc.) - I love that he was able to play both sides of the crazy fence!

[Maxwell]

Oh, definitely, there is plenty of surreal to go around on the Jack Benny Show, I love that Kenny Baker gag too, Rochester even brings up the missing gas man in that same skit!

The distinction I was drawing is that in Green Acres - Eddie Albert is never the surreal one - he's always the rational man in the lunatic asylum. The brilliance of Jack's character is usually he is the "normal" voice in the surreal world - but often - think the Colemans episodes - JACK is surreal in comparison to the "normal world" with his implausible cheapness extremes, money-making schemes (vending machines in the house, etc.) - I love that he was able to play both sides of the crazy fence!

I think you're right about Eddie Albert's character at MOST of the time. There are times though, iirc (and it's been quite a while since I've seen a Green Acres episode), that Oliver starts in with some idealistic speech and patriotic-sounding music starts welling up in the background and Lisa or somebody says, "Where is that music coming from?" Just a wee bit on the surreal side. (Boy, am I glad I found this site!!!!)

[shimp scrampi]

Oliver starts in with some idealistic speech and patriotic-sounding music starts welling up in the background and Lisa or somebody says, "Where is that music coming from?"

Oh, right. But then, Oliver could never hear the fife music! And whenever he started the speech about the dignity of the American Farmer, everyone else would expect the fifes to start. Nor could Oliver ever see the opening credits, whereas all of the other Hootervillians could - but to them, such things were minor points of interest or annoyance, Oliver would probably flip his lid if he could actually observe these things. It's all so interesting, 'who was truly the crazy one?' but kind of like trying to analyze a sunbeam.

The GA fife music thing reminds me of a Jack Benny gag that I don't ever remember hearing the payoff to. In the Halloween 1948 episode, Jack chastises one of the Beavers when he uses the expression "that's what I told me old lady". Jack says, "Butch! What kind of language is that, 'told me old lady'!" and a yodeling voice (Dennis?) comes out of the distance "Told-me-old-lady-hoooo!" It was hilarious but what the heck was that all about?

[Maxwell]

Oliver starts in with some idealistic speech and patriotic-sounding music starts welling up in the background and Lisa or somebody says, "Where is that music coming from?"

Oh, right. But then, Oliver could never hear the fife music! And whenever he started the speech about the dignity of the American Farmer, everyone else would expect the fifes to start. Nor could Oliver ever see the opening credits, whereas all of the other Hootervillians could - but to them, such things were minor points of interest or annoyance, Oliver would probably flip his lid if he could actually observe these things. It's all so interesting, 'who was truly the crazy one?' but kind of like trying to analyze a sunbeam.

The GA fife music thing reminds me of a Jack Benny gag that I don't ever remember hearing the payoff to. In the Halloween 1948 episode, Jack chastises one of the Beavers when he uses the expression "that's what I told me old lady". Jack says, "Butch! What kind of language is that, 'told me old lady'!" and a yodeling voice (Dennis?) comes out of the distance "Told-me-old-lady-hoooo!" It was hilarious but what the heck was that all about?

Who knows where comedy writers get their ideas? Heck, I write a weekly "column" of about 1000 words or so on a baseball-related web site and sometimes I'll sit down not knowing what I'm going to write, but I end up with a column that isn't too bad in 15-20 minutes.

I can just picture the writers coming up with the dialogue for the scene and somebody off the top of his head yodels back the line. ("Told me ol' lady who" does kind of sound like "Yodel-o-lay-hee-hoo.") I remember somebody telling me this knock-knock joke probably within ten years or so of that episode:

"Knock knock."
"Who's there?"
"Little old lady."
"Little old lady who?"
"I didn't know you could yodel."

If that joke was as old as most knock-knock jokes, maybe one of the writers heard it and the dialogue in the sketch reminded him of it. The situation in which the gag is used certainly is in keeping with the surrealistic nature of the Benny show.

[LLeff]

Oh, definitely, there is plenty of surreal to go around on the Jack Benny Show

I have often said that the Thanksgiving 1943 show is Jack meets Salvador Dali, as he goes into a dream sequence where he becomes the turkey. Talk about surreal! And I won't even mention the closing of the 1963 television show with guest Johnny Carson...

[shimp scrampi]

I have often said that the Thanksgiving 1943 show is Jack meets Salvador Dali, as he goes into a dream sequence where he becomes the turkey.

Or Jack meets Kafka! Doesn't he go on trial, too, or is that a different weird turkey episode?

As for "told-me-old-lady-hooo" - I just for some reason had the sense that this was some kind of running gag that maybe played out over a couple of episodes, based on how it was structured in the one show - no real "payoff".

And, yes, LL, Jack is a robot. The Carson episode proves it. Had us all fooled, didn't he?

[bboswell]

In the Halloween 1948 episode, Jack chastises one of the Beavers when he uses the expression "that's what I told me old lady". Jack says, "Butch! What kind of language is that, 'told me old lady'!" and a yodeling voice (Dennis?) comes out of the distance "Told-me-old-lady-hoooo!" It was hilarious but what the heck was that all about?

That was a recurring gag over several weeks (or even months.) It started with the first show of the season after Jack came back from a tour of Europe Oct 3, 1948. He talks about yodelers in Switzerland and an "echo" has followed him back! (There's your surrealism!) the first time the echo happens was when, at the railroad station back in the States, the track announcer says "Train leaving on track 5 for Kansas City and Chicago." The echo repeated "Kansas City and Chicago." and Jack said:
"Did you hear that"
Mary: "Yes, there's a train leaving for Kansas City and Chicago."

No one hears the echoes except for Jack.

Later in the show and over the next few weeks it repeats on things that sound something like "O Lee O Lay Hee Hoo"

I think eventually Jack goes to the psychologist to get the echo checked out, and the echo stays with the shrink instead of going with Jack!

Listen to the Oct 3, 1948 episode if you want to hear the origins of this great running gag!

[shimp scrampi]

Thank you for that info! Going to check that out ASAP, it's a great gag.

[Maxwell]

In the Halloween 1948 episode, Jack chastises one of the Beavers when he uses the expression "that's what I told me old lady". Jack says, "Butch! What kind of language is that, 'told me old lady'!" and a yodeling voice (Dennis?) comes out of the distance "Told-me-old-lady-hoooo!" It was hilarious but what the heck was that all about?

That was a recurring gag over several weeks (or even months.) It started with the first show of the season after Jack came back from a tour of Europe Oct 3, 1948. He talks about yodelers in Switzerland and an "echo" has followed him back! (There's your surrealism!) the first time the echo happens was when, at the railroad station back in the States, the track announcer says "Train leaving on track 5 for Kansas City and Chicago." The echo repeated "Kansas City and Chicago." and Jack said:
"Did you hear that"
Mary: "Yes, there's a train leaving for Kansas City and Chicago."

No one hears the echoes except for Jack.

Later in the show and over the next few weeks it repeats on things that sound something like "O Lee O Lay Hee Hoo"

I think eventually Jack goes to the psychologist to get the echo checked out, and the echo stays with the shrink instead of going with Jack!

Listen to the Oct 3, 1948 episode if you want to hear the origins of this great running gag!

Sure sounds a lot better than my theory. Thanks for the info.

[Alan]

This comments in this thread have made me think of yet another reason why i particularly like this show;

Many ( if not most all ) comedy series have specific characters that are either mostly/completely in or out of relative "reality."

Not only is JB a part of both worlds, i think ALL of the primary characters are....maybe DD to the least extent (?), but even he is often just thinking about his contract, how funny JB is acting, his song,etc...

[shimp scrampi]

Many ( if not most all ) comedy series have specific characters that are either mostly/completely in or out of relative "reality."

Not only is JB a part of both worlds, i think ALL of the primary characters are....maybe DD to the least extent (?), but even he is often just thinking about his contract, how funny JB is acting, his song,etc...

Interesting point. Mary seems to be the least surreal or prone to "way out" behavior though. The thing about Dennis is that his nutso behavior is totally directed at Jack and Jack alone. It's a great comic premise, but it also has the effect (just speaking for myself here, imho) of making Dennis somewhat less believable - compare Dennis with Gracie Allen - she's totally, utterly convincing and sincere in her screwy world view - with Dennis you get the underlying sense that he might not be so stupid, he's just doing stuff to bother Jack.