For the second year we’re posting the famous — and way ahead of its time — Jack Benny Christmas program aired in 1960 on CBS. It contains two LEGENDS: Jack Benny, whose comedy timing, glances at the audience (which prolonged the laughs by the way) and cheapskate character helped create the situation comedy on radio and successfully dominated TV ratings for more than a decade. And the famous, legenday MEL BLANC — the man who did the voices of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Barney Rubble, Dino the Dino, Porky Pig, Tweety Bird, and many many others.
This 28 episode is MUST viewing for TMVers of all ages.
Not to give the ending away, but it was WAY ahead of its time. Watch Benny and his cheapskate character — a comedian named Jack Benny who has a servant, a fat announcer who did commercials integrated into the show (he’s the one sitting on Santa’s lap). Also watch Mel Blanc, the balding mustachioed clerk. Benny is the clerk’s worst nightmare as a customer but is oblivious of it — and the clerk steadily unravels.
Benny let his supporting characters (such as his “servant” Rochester) have the laugh lines. You’ll also note how the humor is VERY similar to Warner Brothers classic cartoons….even some of the supporting voices.
My advice? No matter what your age watch it from beginning to end. The Dennis Day song slows it down a bit but it’s just as fresh as when it was done — and watch Benny and Blanc closely, two good friends who were pros at the top of their business. Blanc cracked Benny up (look closely and you’ll Benny almost lose it in one of the final scenes). NOTE that You Tube has inserted ads at VERY BAD parts particularly the end. Stay with this until the final credits. (VERY POOR ad placement)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWwR1GjTMyA
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.