SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Inclubabu Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

classicsoncall On the occasion of my son's thirty ninth birthday earlier this week, I called and wished him a Happy Birthday, and in chatting I was reminded of television's perennial thirty nine year old - Jack Benny. I asked my son if he knew who Benny was and he replied that he didn't. Thinking about that, I found it a little sad that so many folks of the generations that grew up after the 1960's probably fall in the same boat, having missed out on some of the greatest comedians of all time. Not only Benny, but entertainers like Bob Hope, Milton Berle, Red Skelton, George Burns, Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett and so many, many others. Contrasted with modern day comics with their televised specials on venues like HBO and Netflix, one can only shudder at the offensive language and liberal use of the 'F' word that crops up in their stand-up routines; I've turned off more than one attempting to find some humor on a slow evening.Not so with the Golden Age entertainers like Jack Benny. Having over time recently watched approximately seventy five of his TV programs that ran from 1950 through 1965, it's amazing to see how the man could get laughs from an audience just by standing there on stage or during one of his sketches. Jack Benny was probably the best at non verbal humor in the way he mugged his way through a bit and allowed his body language to convey a funny response to whatever situation he found himself in. Some of my favorite bits occurred with good friends like Bob Hope and Red Skelton, when the humor of their sketch overwhelmed even them, and they would crack up over the silliest situations. Of course that made the audience response even greater, taking a while for the comedians to get their act under control. The Jack Benny Program featured a number of regular recurring characters, led by the show's announcer Don Wilson, who appeared in almost all of the series' episodes, closely followed by one of my all time favorites, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson as Benny's personal valet and housekeeper. Rochester gave as good as he got trading barbs with his boss, proving that Benny wasn't afraid to let his co-stars upstage him for a gag. All of his favorite players would get in on that band wagon, including singer Dennis Day, real life wife Mary Livingstone, voice artist Mel Blanc and hilarious 'yeeesss' man, Frank Nelson. To this day, I still delight in one of my favorite bits, with Mel Blanc doing a Mexican gag with the Si/Sy/Sue routine. Mel and Jack did it a number of times throughout the series, so if you've seen it, you know what I mean, and if you haven't, well, you haven't lived till you make it up to yourself. In the early days of Jack's show, Lucky Strike cigarettes was the prime sponsor, in fact, in some of those early shows, Benny himself referred to it as The Lucky Strike Program. In a separate review on this site, I've gone into detail about the show in which Humphrey Bogart appeared as the special guest. It was 1953, and Baby Face Bogart was brought into a police precinct for questioning about a murder by Detective Benny. During this time frame, it wasn't unusual for the show to incorporate their main sponsor directly into one of their sketches, and it's hilarious to watch Bogey bouncing his chair in rhythm while he sings the Lucky Strike jingle. Sounds corny I know, but you just have to admire how these celebrity greats got along and got together to give their fans a good time. I think that era ended when the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts came to a close some time in the Seventies. Man, those were the days.I guess I could go on and on about what you'd consider the 'old days', but for me they were a great time to grow up in, and sadly, those old time shows are missed, even if available in compilations and cable offerings like Antenna TV. Jack Benny was one of the all time greats, and if you have a few minutes, just take a look at the cast list on this site of everyone who's ever appeared on his TV program. It''s more than a 'Who's Who' of television stardom, as just about anyone you can think of from that era appeared at least once on his show. And to think, he remained thirty nine years old throughout the entire series run.

A_Different_Drummer Shocking as this may sound there was a time when TV was a brand new medium and the producers, mainly interested in selling soap and cigarettes (literally) did not know what to do with it. So they tried to re-cycle tried and true formulas for entertainment, which meant grabbing anything still twitching from vaudeville (and post-vaudeville, which included radio and the musical movies) putting it in front of camera and sound-stage, and then watching to see if the audience went for it. More often than not they did, and sometimes it worked so well that the audience got addicted (this show, the Gleason show, the Sullivan show). These were experiences today's generation will never know, especially since, with 500 channels, no one is really re-broadcasting these classics. The Benny show is as a good as it gets, better even than Burns, which is saying something. Jack Benny was not merely an actor, he was an entertainment machine, and each show plays to this. Astonishing example of the lost art of star-based comedy. With hindsight, each show was based on nothing -- which was precisely the formula that Seinfeld used a half-century later to entrance audiences all over again

dougdoepke I think one reason Benny is so beloved by fans is that he comes across as a genuinely likable guy beneath all the funnyman routines. Unlike many comedians, there's nothing of the "smart Alec" or "wise guy" about him. Not that these are disqualifying traits—Bob Hope, for one, made an immensely successful career as a wise guy. But the thing with Benny is that no matter how vain or cheap he appeared in his stage act, there was always an air of underlying likability. So when he tipped the sweating waiter a nickel or preened as the world's best comedian, fans laughed and forgave him.Consider that his show lasted an amazing 15 years on a medium with a reputation for devouring funnymen. Much of that success is due to a cast of well-honed regulars that the writers skillfully blended into the program whether live or on film. Basically, we knew what to expect from each—a wise-cracking Rochester, a jovial Don Wilson, a sensible Mary Livingstone, a dazed Dennis Day, and, of course, Jack's two perennial nemeses Mel Blanc and Frank Nelson. The latter two furnished many of the petty annoyances that were the basis of much of Jack's comedic schtick. Speaking of style, it also looks like Jack was mainly a "reactive" comedian— that is, his humor grew out of exasperated, low-key reactions to life's many petty annoyances, which were also ones the audience could relate to.My favorite routines were the spoofs of popular movies, like Gaslight or Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It was the latter, I believe, where dressed up as the fearsome Hyde, Benny attacks this feeble old lady who, nevertheless, proceeds to flip him in six different directions before he slinks away, a totally defeated Hyde. I don't know how they did it, but the contrasting appearances and unexpected outcome were hilarious.I doubt the show would succeed with today's hyper-energized audiences, where much of the humor is more obvious and more over-the-top. Jack's era was, of course, a period of tight restrictions on what could be said or shown. But his show under-played that tight framework like a virtuoso, week-in and week-out. I guess these few words amount to my little appreciation of a program that gave me so many pleasurable moments. So, the time spent trying to think this out is time well spent. Thanks, Mr. Benny. In my book, you are an enduring classic.

gazzo-2 He was one of a kind; a great performer, and you can also enjoy all the routines-the 'lousy' fiddle playing, his huge vault in the cellar, etc. The surrounding cast-Rochester Anderson, Frank Nelson(Yessss?!!!) and Mel Blanc were screams. Definately worth your time if you get a look-see on TV somewheres along the line....