Jack at the Orpheum Farewell

[Yhtapmys]

The Orpheum circuit must have been rebuilding a bunch of theatres in the late 20s (such misplaced optimism). The Orpheum here in Vancouver is actually the "new" Orpheum (I think Jack played in both), which opened in 1927. In Los Angeles, the "new" Orpheum opened in February 1926.

In checking the L.A Times of Feb. 9, 1926, Jack was on the final bill of the old house. I'm not going to post the full story because it's taking forever for me to decipher it but included on the bill were Adele Rowland (opening act "Story Songs" with her hit "Shanghai Vamp"; she dances as well), Gordon Bostock (in the closing spot; burlesque of amateur nights), Tommy Havel, Ben Meroff and his (comedy) jazz band, Stanley and Birnes (dancers) and Charles Harrison, Sylvia Dakin and Benny Oakland in "The Three of Us." There's also Doc Baker and His Protean Revue (he sings and there are girls) which gets panned in the Times review. And we can't forget Reynolds, Donegan and Company (skaters).

The Times has a squib about Jack; I can find reviews of his shows in Los Angeles going back to 1925. This gives you an idea of Jack's material:

I suppose every critic in the world has alluded to Jack Benny as "nonchalant." You can't duck the word [when] you see him. He is handsome and he hands the customers a new line of chatter since he was here last, with one of his niftiest ones this: "My girl's mother is dieting; she has been dieting four weeks, and her husband has lost fourteen pounds," with a lot of others to match.
One of the boys from Stanley and Birnes act walks into Benny's show and the two are a scream.

This story doesn't mention the violin, but it is in the preview story of Feb. 7.

Rowland, you all know, was the wife of Conway Tearle. "Who?" you say.

In reading the reviews, it's sad these vaudevilleans have been forgotten. I don't think all of "Amateur Night In London" would fly today; the review says:

Its burlesque of amateur night types includes the Hebrew comic, the oriental dancer, the acrobat, and others, but just every few minutes an artist will give a really good bit, adding im[?] to the piquancy of the act.

Nonetheless, it was playing The Palace that September.

Yhtapmys

[scottp]

Yes, a lot of forgotten people, but nothing even close to "Fink's Mules" or the other bizarre-joke-acts of vaudeville lore.

I know of Conway Tearle... last week I watched a $1.00 DVD of "The Lost Zeppelin" in which he was the commander of a South Pole expediton.

[Roman]

I don't know when Jack's romance with Mary began but this could be his first joke about Mary's mother!

[LLeff]

I don't know when Jack's romance with Mary began but this could be his first joke about Mary's mother!

Well, she was playing the dizzy dame thing when she stood in for Jack's ill costar, but I don't think that routine was about romance. Then she resurfaced again in "Bright Moments" in 1928.

It's sometimes said that Jack's first "cheap joke" was, "I took my girl out to dinner the other night. I told her a joke and she laughed so hard, she almost dropped her tray." So I think he was doing a few "my girl" jokes...or maybe in this case, it's a "my girl's mama" joke.