Hitting Dennis

[LLeff]

Looking for opinions here...

Every once in a great while, Jack will slap, hit, or otherwise impact Dennis on the show and he'll yell "OUCH!" Dennis generally does this "OUCH" with some real gusto that would be worthy of a dramatic program.

But I have a problem every time I hear these little bits. These are characters that you genuinely like (both Jack and Dennis), and to have Jack physically abusing Dennis seems way out of character. Apparently the writers weren't bothered by it, because they continued to have Jack do it. But it doesn't sit right with me.

It's different if Dennis is telling about his mother hitting his father with him, or pushing him down in the ocean, or dropping him on his head from a third-floor window. It's not in the immediate action, and the description is cartoonish. So that's OK.

Thoughts?

[Gerry O.]

I never really thought of it that way before, but there's another way to look at those "slapping and hitting" bits:

The bits are kind of funny because Jack is typically the LAST person that you would imagine would resort to physical violence. If someone like Phil was taking a swing at Dennis, it wouldn't be funny at all...and it COULD even be upsetting to listen to. However, for JACK (who usually avoided ANY kind of physical confrontation) to be driven to blows shows just how crazy Dennis was making him.

I agree that having Jack hitting or slapping Dennis is WAY out of character for Jack, and I understand and respect your uneasiness with it...but again, that "completely out of character" aspect is a large part of the humor in the whole thing.

[LLeff]

I agree that having Jack hitting or slapping Dennis is WAY out of character for Jack, and I understand and respect your uneasiness with it...but again, that "completely out of character" aspect is a large part of the humor in the whole thing.

I hear you. This may sound silly, but I think what really bothers me is Dennis' rather realistic and pained vocal reactions. When Jack, say, gets his hand caught by a mousetrap and says "OUCH!", you know that it's humor. Jack occasionally gets slapped or punched out (even by Mary) and a couple times thrown through the air, but it never actually *sounds* like he's been hurt. Dennis is just too good of an actor and his reactions strike some chord in me of someone actually being hurt.

[Gerry O.]

This may sound silly, but I think what really bothers me is Dennis' rather realistic and pained vocal reactions. When Jack, say, gets his hand caught by a mousetrap and says "OUCH!", you know that it's humor. Jack occasionally gets slapped or punched out (even by Mary) and a couple times thrown through the air, but it never actually *sounds* like he's been hurt. Dennis is just too good of an actor and his reactions strike some chord in me of someone actually being hurt.

That's a good point.....Dennis' reactions of pain aren't "cartoonish" enough to show that it's all in fun. Sometimes Dennis' pain sounds more like a character who is getting roughed up by a gangster on a dramatic program.

[Jack Benny]

Dennis is just too good of an actor and his reactions strike some chord in me of someone actually being hurt.

It still amazes me, how good Dennis is with his character, acting, and impersonations. Jack Benny managed to catch lightning in a bottle over and over again by casting, Mary Livingstone, Don Wilson, Kenny Baker, Phil Harris, Rochester, Dennis Day, Mel Blanc, and Frank Nelson! Sometimes it took a few attemps, but Jack always knew when he had the right person and that person would stay on for years and years!

[Brad from Georgia]

I think it's the surprise factor that makes the slapping funny. You just don't expect Jack's frustration to boil over physically. At the same time, I see what Laura's saying in that Dennis's reactions are more realistic than, oh, say Curly's or Larry's from the Three Stooges. Maybe Dennis was too good an actor!

[WaltP]

In addition, Dennis is a kid and therefore is the only one that Jack can "get away with" hitting -- the others would hit back!