"A Love Letter To Jack Benny"

[TimL2005]

Hello (And Happy New Year!)
Just a heads-up..A guy from Ohio has been uploading TV shows dating back to the mid-1970's and his Beta Tape Collection in the last couple years...Those that have not seen it, he has just recently uploaded The NBC Special, "A Love Letter To Jack Benny" with Bob Hope, George Burns and Johnny Carson from 1980..Watched the entire special, which utilizes Benny's NBC specials as examples of his later work..Fantastic Stuff..Including possibly the only color footage of The Gang (Rochester, Dennis Day, Don Wilson, Etc..)..I need to check and see if Laura has this in her collection..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgzb4VwCAQs

[Maxwell]

Just watched all nine parts and really enjoyed it.

[Yhtapmys]

Thanks, Tim. That was great. It's odd seeing them all in colour.

I lost track of all the rugs.

Btw, the announcer at the beginning sounds like none other than John Harlan.

Yhtapmys

[mackdaddyg]

Thanks for the heads up. I've watched the first six parts, and it's very enjoyable. I could do without the fake laughter when George, Bob, and Johnny are talking, but overall it's a great show.

I've watched way too little of Jack's tv stuff. After seeing these clips, I realize that his timing is just as excellent to see as it is to hear.

[Brad from Georgia]

Watched all nine parts...sort of a touching story about Jack's loyalty to Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, whose timing was messed up by a stroke from which he recovered--but Jack worked with him and employed him regardless.

[Jhammes]

>> I need to check and see if Laura has this in her collection...


Yep!
Click on the "Buy Benny" link, and check out "Video Library":
ALL the NBC Color specials (1965-1974), plus "Love Letter" are available. These are from the NBC master videotapes so the picture/color quality is amazing. The original commercials are also included.

[Chasitykins]

That was absolutely wonderful to watch. I am so interested now in reading more about Rochester. ): Any word yet if we will be receiving a biography about him from his family or someone close?

[speedy]

Thanks for posting. It was fun to watch the clips. I cracked up seeing Jack in his brown Nehru jacket. He always kept up with the styles. Even with scripted lines, Johnny Carson's deep affection for Jack comes through. Since someone brought up Jack's loyalty to Rochester, I thought I would share another story about Jack that speaks volumes not only about how he felt about Rochester, but also about what kind of man Jack was. This was in the radio days. The Benny troupe had gone east to do the show from New York for a week or two, and they had checked into one of the city's better hotels. After a day or two, the manager approached Jack and said that some of their "southern guests" were complaining about Rochester staying at the hotel. Jack told the manager not to worry about it, he would see to it that Rochester checked out the next morning. The next morning, all of Jack's cast and crew showed up at the front desk to check out en masse. There were about 45 people as I recall. I thought that this was such a great story. It was in one of the bios that I read in the past year. Can't recall which one. Speaking of biographies, I agree with the previous poster that would like to see a bio of Rochester, but this brings me to mention something that has bugged me for years. The only books on Jack that I have seen have been written by members of his circle (Mary, Irving Fein, Milt Josefberg, Joan B.). Every week I see another bio of a Hollywood or music legend. There are half a dozen each on Bette Davis, Fonda, Stewart, Cary Grant, Sinatra, Bing Crosby, etc. These are for the most part written by professional writers, and are often intensively sourced and researched. There are serious bios, authorized bios, unauthorized bios, and tell all bios. Who would dispute that Jack is one of the most dominant entertainment figures of the 20th century? Yet 35 years after his death, there still has not been a definitive, professional biography of this man. I just don't get it.

[Gerry O.]

I agree with the previous poster that would like to see a bio of Rochester, but this brings me to mention something that has bugged me for years. The only books on Jack that I have seen have been written by members of his circle (Mary, Irving Fein, Milt Josefberg, Joan B.). Every week I see another bio of a Hollywood or music legend. There are half a dozen each on Bette Davis, Fonda, Stewart, Cary Grant, Sinatra, Bing Crosby, etc. These are for the most part written by professional writers, and are often intensively sourced and researched. There are serious bios, authorized bios, unauthorized bios, and tell all bios. Who would dispute that Jack is one of the most dominant entertainment figures of the 20th century? Yet 35 years after his death, there still has not been a definitive, professional biography of this man. I just don't get it.

I agree about the "definitive, professional" part, but maybe it's just as well that there aren't as MANY books written about Jack as there are books about other show business legends. Many of these recent bios (not ALL of them, but many of them) have turned out to be rather sleazy gossip-volumes, filled with questionable stories and theories which cannot be realistically proven now, being that almost all of the people involved are deceased.

The last thing that I would want to see is a sensationalized "bio" that spreads rumors as fact and paints Jack to be something he really wasn't.

[mackdaddyg]

I gotta admit I do enjoy the bios written about Jack quite a bit. I wouldn't mind seeing bios about the other members, particularly Phil Harris and Rochester.

It's a shame that people like Mary Livingstone and Portland Hoffa didn't give many interviews talking about their husbands. It seems like they could've offered up a lot of interesting stories as well. I know Mary wrote a book, and I enjoyed reading it, but I felt like there was still more to tell.

[Yhtapmys]

The last thing that I would want to see is a sensationalized "bio" that spreads rumors as fact and paints Jack to be something he really wasn't.

He had a comfortable upbringing, worked hard at his job, lived a quiet life and was a nice guy. There aren't too many more ways of putting it.

Yhtapmys