In Memorium: George Balzer

[ZEjackbennykid]

Fellow Jack Benny fans,

If theres one thing Jack appreciated highly it was his writers. During his reign in radio and TV, Benny treated his writers with the utmost respect, and they in return helped establish his and other cast member characters.

I have only just recently heard of the death of 1 of Jack's best writers. I speak of course of George Balzer.

I send my best regards to Balzers family. He will be missed. It's always sad when a member of Benny's staff and of course family.

Sincerly,
ZEjackbennykid

[Jhammes]

Agreed! Jack would always treat his performing (and real life) family very well, no wonder these relationships would last for decades (not the usual Hollywood story). Fortunately, the comedy of Jack Benny (the comedy of character) is timeless. Thank goodness for CDs and DVDs- the gang will always be around, and enjoyed, for generations to come.

Condolences and gratitude to the Balzer family.

[LLeff]

I was able to attend the funeral last Monday, and even helped carry the casket for a short while. It was mostly family, but a few friends and associates. The family is a wonderful group of folks, and were very welcoming. Many people commented that they thought few remembered Jack any more, but I was happy to tell them that we have plenty of members of all ages and an average of 40,000 visitors per month to the Web site.

In "carrying the torch" for Jack, one ends up carrying the torch for a lot of people: Mary, Rochester, the whole gang, Frank Nelson and other supporting players, and of course, the writers. Hooray for the whole Benny family.

[Roman]

Obituary and interview with George Balzer. Above all, he comes across as a real gentleman. And very proud of his work with Jack. http://www.emmys.org/news/2006/oct/balzer.php