Seeing Eddie Carroll

[Gerry O.]

Last night I had the pleasure (actually, it was more of an HONOR) of seeing Eddie Carroll perform his one-man "Jack Benny: Laughter In Bloom" show at the Wellwood Auditorium in Fayetteville, NY.

What a GREAT show, and what a superb performer Eddie is! While many performers imitate Jack as sort of an over-the-top caricature, Eddie gives us the "real" Jack, the way we used to see him on talk shows, etc....but with plenty of the funny Benny "schtick" mixed in.

What I really liked about the show what that it wasn't just Jack standing up there telling jokes....Jack also talked to the audience about real-life instances in his life....his romance (and eventual heartache) with Mary Kelly, his friendship with George Burns, his ups and downs in his career, etc.

After the show Eddie and his wife Carolyn stood in the lobby and talked with audience members....and the Carrolls are two of the nicest, friendliest people you'd ever want to meet!

It was a memorable evening with a memorable performer....Thanks for a great show, Eddie!

[Brad from Georgia]

That's the way all my friends felt after seeing Eddie in the show on our campus last spring. One of my Atlanta Radio Theatre Company friends later said to me, "It was amazing! I was sitting there thinking, 'Wow, it's so great to have Jack telling us these unknown stories about his career'--when suddenly I had to remind myself 'It isn't really Jack!'"

We had an incredible range of ages in the audience, from one 90-year-old down to an 8-year-old, and everyone loved the show.