"Missing Gang "show

[BobR]

In one of the early'42 shows (after the Marsh airfield show,?January) the very next show was minus the cast and consisted of just music.What was behind the absence of the gang? The following show did not seem to be energenic with the cast but rather sounded somber. Did these shows happen around certain bad events, ie the tragic death of Carole Lombard?

[BobR]

I finally discovered that Jack decided not to do the Sunday show as he went along with Clark Gable in search for Carole Lombard after her plane crash. This,in itself, demonstrates the humanitarian in Jack.

[LLeff]

I finally discovered that Jack decided not to do the Sunday show as he went along with Clark Gable in search for Carole Lombard after her plane crash. This,in itself, demonstrates the humanitarian in Jack.

That's not quite true. It is said that Jack considered going to the crash site, but knew there was nothing he could do nor anything that could accomplish. The news came so suddenly before the Sunday show and Jack was so overwrought by the news that they did the all-music program. Interesting to note that Mahlon Merrick is given as the orchestra leader, and he had taken over the task from Phil Harris some time before that.

[Jack Benny]

Interesting to note that Mahlon Merrick is given as the orchestra leader, and he had taken over the task from Phil Harris some time before that.

I was always wondering when Phil stopped leading the orchestra. Did this happen before he went into the merchent marines? I think it's kind of strange that in interviews with Phil, he always seems to complain about having too little to do on the program. Why didn't he ask to have the orchestra job again, that would have given him more to do. He always sounds like he felt that Jack's solution to everything was to give him another raise, but he really just wanted to be more involved. I bet Phil would have loved to be invited to the writing sessions, but I think Jack was very protective of these sessions.

Anyone have any thoughts on any of this?

[Roman]

I assume that Mahlon Merrick led the orchestra because Phil needed to focus on his speaking part in the show. From what I've read, Phil led his orchestra the other nights of the week, at least until the early 1940s, in venues like the Wilshire Bowl. On I Love Lucy, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra was led by Wilbur Hatch but it was still very much Desi's band. It wasn't quite the same with Phil because Phil wasn't the star or executive producer of the show but I don't think Mahlon Merrick's involvement was a demotion for Phil.

It's not surprising that Phil would have become dissatisfied with his role as the years passed. With the addition of Dennis (who was a more gifted comic than Kenny Baker), Mel Blanc, and, especially, Eddie Anderson, it was inevitable that Phil's role would shrink. And, the great performer that he was, it was only human of Phil to resent the downsizing of his part.

If there's justice in all this, I suppose it's in the fact that, next to Mel Blanc, Phil had the greatest post-Jack success of the entire gang with his voice work at Disney in the 60s and 70s.

[Gerry O.]

It's not surprising that Phil would have become dissatisfied with his role as the years passed. With the addition of Dennis (who was a more gifted comic than Kenny Baker), Mel Blanc, and, especially, Eddie Anderson, it was inevitable that Phil's role would shrink. And, the great performer that he was, it was only human of Phil to resent the downsizing of his part.

I think that a big factor (and problem) in later years was Phil's personal life. In the earlier Benny shows Phil was portrayed as a hard-drinking womanizer, but once he married Alice Faye and they had children, things changed. Alice and the two daughters were very "high profile" to the public. (Even though professional actresses played Phil and Alice's daughters on their radio program, everyone knew that little Alice and Phyllis really existed).

Now that he had a family, Phil had to tone down his wild, rowdy ways and completely eliminate his romantic adventures.....He could LOOK, but not TOUCH!

I think that this taming of Phil's character severely limited the type of comedy material that Jack's writers could give him.