- published: 27 Jun 2013
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Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky, February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American comedian, vaudevillian, radio, television, and film actor, and also a notable violinist. Widely recognized as one of the leading American entertainers of the 20th century, Benny played the role of the comic penny-pinching miser, insisting on remaining 39 years old on stage despite his actual age, and often playing the violin badly.
Benny was known for his comic timing and his ability to get laughs with either a pregnant pause or a single expression, such as his signature exasperated "Well!" His radio and television programs, tremendously popular from the 1930s to the 1960s, were a foundational influence on the situation comedy genre. Dean Martin, on the celebrity roast for Johnny Carson in November 1973, introduced Benny as "the Satchel Paige of the world of comedy".
Benny was born Benjamin Kubelsky on February 14, 1894, in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in neighboring Waukegan, Illinois. He was the son of Meyer Kubelsky and Emma Sachs Kubelsky. Meyer was a Jewish saloon owner, later to become a haberdasher, who had emigrated to America from Poland. Emma had emigrated from Lithuania. Benny began studying the violin, an instrument that would become his trademark, when he was just six, with his parents' hopes that he would be a great classical violinist. He loved the violin, but hated practice. By age 14, he was playing in local dance bands as well as in his high school orchestra. Benny was a dreamer and a poor student and he was expelled from high school. He did equally badly in business school and at his father's trade. At age 17, he began playing the instrument in local vaudeville theaters for $7.50 a week. He was joined by Ned Miller, a young composer and singer, on the vaudeville circuit. They became life-long friends and Miller eventually joined the cast of The Jack Benny Program in the 1960s.
George Burns (January 20, 1896 – March 9, 1996), born Naftaly Birnbaum, was an American comedian, actor, and writer.
He was one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, film, radio, and television. His arched eyebrow and cigar smoke punctuation became familiar trademarks for over three quarters of a century. Beginning at the age of 79, Burns' career was resurrected as an amiable, beloved and unusually active old comedian, continuing to work until shortly before his death, in 1996, at the age of 100.
Naftaly (late called Nathan) Birnbaum was the ninth of 12 children born to Louis and Dorah (nèe Bluth) Birnbaum, Jewish immigrants who had come to the United States from Romania. Burns was an active member of the First Roumanian-American congregation. His father was a substitute cantor at the local synagogue but usually worked as a coat presser. During the influenza epidemic of 1903, Lippe Birnbaum contracted the flu and died at the age of 47. Nattie (as he was then called) went to work to help support the family, shining shoes, running errands, and selling newspapers.
Actors: Rusty Wescoatt (actor), Herb Vigran (actor), Frank Sully (actor), Harry Shannon (actor), Jack Benny (actor), William Fawcett (actor), Harvey Korman (actor), Eddie Foster (actor), Ben Frommer (actor), Karl Malden (actor), Marcel De la Brosse (actor), Parley Baer (actor), Thomas E. Jackson (actor), Gail Bonney (actress), Dick Winslow (actor),
Plot: Mama Rose lives to see her daughter June succeed on Broadway by way of vaudeville. When June marries and leaves, Rose turns her hope and attention to her elder, less obviously talented, daughter Louise. However, having her headlining as a stripper at Minsky's Burlesque is not what she initially has in mind.
Keywords: 1920s, 1930s, ambition, audition, backstage, based-on-book, based-on-stage-musical, based-on-stage-musical-based-on-book, boy, burlesqueActors: William Forrest (actor), Jimmy Durante (actor), Leonard Bremen (actor), James Flavin (actor), Larry J. Blake (actor), Paul Douglas (actor), Jack Benny (actor), Don Brodie (actor), Ralph Brooks (actor), Eric Alden (actor), Walter Catlett (actor), G. Pat Collins (actor), Willis Bouchey (actor), Russ Bender (actor), Sam Harris (actor),
Plot: The story of Jimmy Walker who became mayor of New York in the '20s. Used by professional politicians and money-grabbers, Walker himself was "stupid but clean", although his open affair with Betty Compton cost him dear.
Keywords: 1920s, 1930s, actress, albany-new-york, audition, banquet, baseball, based-on-book, break-up, broadway-manhattan-new-york-cityActors: Carole Landis (actress), Ralph Staub (producer), Ralph Staub (writer), Edgar Bergen (actor), Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson (actor), James Gleason (actor), Phil Harris (actor), Jack Benny (actor), Groucho Marx (actor), Alice Faye (actress), Ken Murray (actor), Roy Rogers (actor), Jerome Thoms (editor), Ralph Staub (actor), James Stewart (actor),
Plot: James Gleason drops by to visit Ralph Staub at the Columbia lot and Staub, as he was inclined to do, pulls out a few reels of World War II "Screen Snapshots", and he and Gleason reminisce about the footage, while the camera turns and, presto, yet another Screen Snapshots entry comprised of about 90% stock footage. This one shows movie-and-radio stars and names around Hollywood entertaining the troops at various California Army/Navy/Marine camps. Faces seen and voices heard (again) include Carole Landis, Groucho Marx and Jack Benny.
Keywords: 1940s, 1950s, actor, actress, american-flag, archive-footage, army-air-corps, army-base, broadcast, cigar-smokingActors: Kernan Cripps (actor), Jerry Colonna (actor), Jack Benny (actor), Don Ameche (actor), Johnny Arthur (actor), Brooks Benedict (actor), Jack Baxley (actor), Don Brodie (actor), Steve Brodie (actor), Robert Benchley (actor), William Bendix (actor), John Carradine (actor), George Chandler (actor), George Cleveland (actor), Jay Eaton (actor),
Plot: Wealthy Frederick Trumble makes an eccentric new will, secretes much of his wealth in a chair, then, within seconds, is murdered. The new heir, Fred Floogle, runs a flea circus. Of course, the reputed $12 million inheritance goes to his family's heads...then proves to consist of five chairs, which the disgusted Floogle sells just before discovering their secret. Packed with wisecracks, strange cameos, and nothing-sacred, anything-goes digressions.
Keywords: 1940s, accent, antique-dealer, balcony, based-on-novel, bookie, brother-sister-relationship, butler, cameo-appearance, cigarette-smokingActors: Jonathan Hale (actor), Paul Henreid (actor), Jack Carson (actor), Richard Erdman (actor), Alan Hale (actor), Victor Francen (actor), John Garfield (actor), James Flavin (actor), Dane Clark (actor), Joe E. Brown (actor), Jack Benny (actor), John Dehner (actor), Eddie Cantor (actor), Ralph Dunn (actor), Robert Hutton (actor),
Plot: Two soldiers on sick leave spend three nights at the Hollywood Canteen before going back to active duty. With a little friendly help from John Garfield, Slim gets to kiss Joan Leslie, who he has been dreaming about while in the Pacific. He meets her later at the Farmer's Market. On the third night, Slim is the millionth man into the Canteen, earning him a date with Joan. Slim thinks he's been duped when she doesn't show up at his train. Slim's buddy Sergant dances with Joan Crawford. Canteen President Bette Davis praises the canteen and the war effort. Virtually everyone Warners could spare entertains.
Keywords: dancing-horse, hollywood, hollywood-sign, hollywoodland, horse, kiss, obsessed-fan, purple-heart, shore-leave, soldierActors: Edgar Dearing (actor), Sayre Dearing (actor), Jean De Briac (actor), Eddie Acuff (actor), Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson (actor), Billy Bletcher (actor), Morris Ankrum (actor), Ward Bond (actor), George Bruggeman (actor), James Burke (actor), George Barrows (actor), Eddy Chandler (actor), Jack Benny (actor), Monte Collins (actor), Andy Devine (actor),
Plot: Radio star Jack Benny, intending to stay in New York for the summer, is forced by the needling of rival Fred Allen to prove his boasts about roughing it on his (fictitious) Nevada ranch. Meanwhile, singer Joan Cameron, whom Jack's fallen for and offended, is maneuvered by her sisters to the same Nevada town. Jack's losing battle to prove his manhood to Joan means broad slapstick burlesque of Western cliches.
Keywords: actor-shares-first-name-with-character, boast, bound-and-gagged, character-name-in-title, dude-ranch, nevada, new-york-city, rival, singer, sister-sister-relationshipActors: Russell Hicks (actor), Walter Fenner (actor), Eddie Hall (actor), Fred Aldrich (actor), Eric Alden (actor), Jack Benny (actor), Wade Boteler (actor), Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson (actor), Jack Carson (actor), Chester Clute (actor), Frank Coghlan Jr. (actor), Richard Denning (actor), Dudley Dickerson (actor), Eddie Dunn (actor), Robert Homans (actor),
Plot: Jack Benny is preparing his New Year's Eve radio broadcast but takes time out to take his valet Rochester to meet his girlfriend Josephine arriving on a steamer. Fred Allen and his sister Barbara are also en route to the dock to meet Barbara's daughter Mary, returning from a personal appearance tour in South America. Josephine is her maid. Their cars get involved in an accident and, in a bumping contest, Fred reduces Jack's old Maxwell to junk, and is taken to jail. Mary loses her dress in an accident and Jack offers to get her another one, but winds up being arrested for stealing. Barbara tells Mary that Fred is a nervous wreck because of Jack's continual slander of him on Jack's radio program. Jack hires the Merry Macs away from Fred and Fred decides to go to Miami for a rest. Jack decides to open his radio program from Miami. They meet, have another brawl, and end up in jail again. The two are in a motorboat accident where both are knocked unconscious and Mary, in an effort to end the feud, tells Fred that Jack saved his life. They have dinner together at Fred's apartment and Rochester, whom Fred has hired away from Jack, appears and the feud is on again.
Keywords: title-from-bibleActors: Bert Lahr (actor), Johnnie Walker (actor), Ed Sullivan (writer), Ernst Lubitsch (actor), Ed Sullivan (actor), Max 'Slapsie Maxie' Rosenbloom (actor), Lupe Velez (actress), Jack Benny (actor), William Desmond (actor), Jack Dempsey (actor), Jack Haley (actor), Ted Husing (actor), Tom Moore (actor), Edgar G. Ulmer (director), Ed Sullivan (writer),
Genres: Comedy,Actors: Paul Girard Smith (writer), Jack Benny (actor), Tammany Young (actor), Mort Blumenstock (director), Estelle Brody (actress), Max E. Hayes (miscellaneous crew), Walter Wilson (actor), E.K. Nadel (writer),
Plot: While watching a friend's news stand, Jack meets and woos a lonely out-of-towner. When they read that his girl and her fiance are getting married, they decide to pair up.
Genres: Comedy, Short,Actors: Norman Taurog (director), Jack Benny (actor), Paul Girard Smith (writer), Max E. Hayes (miscellaneous crew), Walter Wilson (actor), E.K. Nadel (writer), June O'Dea (actress),
Genres: Comedy, Short,Love come back my way again.
Love, come back and stay again.
Cause without you there's no dream
And my life is like a stream that won't run free.
Love, come back to me again.
And love, make my soul free again.
Cause without you I'll grow old, living out there in the cold.
And people will pass me by look at me see through me
Verse 2
Love, come back my way again
Love, brighten my day again
Cause without you I'm alone, and my heart ain't got a home.
And I feed on self pity; I live in a city of fear.
Love, come back to me again.
Love, let my eyes see again,
All the joy that I once knew, being with you close to you.
Being as free as the wind never feared what tomorrow would bring
Love, come back my way
Oh, Love