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Jack Benny Through the Eyes of a MillennialBY: Josef Silvia | Category: Entertainment | Submitted: 2010-03-31 08:02:57
His hair was always gray and he never spent more than $10 in a given week. Forever 39, his violin playing made Isaac Stern scream with disgust. And yet, people loved Jack Benny. On radio, he had a warm, crisp voice that made you feel at home in spite of his miserly character. When his program transferred to TV, his expressions and style would be imitated for generations to come. Unfortunately, I was not one of the lucky few to see his show air regularly or hear his radio program when it aired. After all, I'm 24--a millennial. I'm often asked why I enjoy listening or watching Jack's shows, after all, they were aired years before my own parents were even born. Maybe it's because my dad, being a baby boomer, enjoyed watching Laurel & Hardy movies, TV Land, or TCM while I grew up. That explains my fascination with The Dick Van Dyke Show, Hogan's Heroes, Laurel & Hardy, and The Waltons. But why Jack Benny? Perhaps it was fate. My dad owned a VHS copy of "It's in the Bag," (a Fred Allen movie) and I would watch it as a kid. Or maybe it was simply because I loved listening to stories when I was younger. I loved closing my eyes, and hearing a children's radio broadcast called Adventures in Odyssey made by Focus on the Family. I even went out of my way to order cassette albums of the show. As I grew older, I wanted to listen to something more adult-ish. We were in Target one day, and they were selling an album of 60 old radio shows back in late 2001 for $20. I bought it, and started listening to them. Of all the shows, Fibber McGee & Molly were funny, but Jack Benny and Amos 'n' Andy were funnier to me. My family was doing a road trip, I flipped a coin to buy a cassette album of Jack or Amos 'n' Andy....and the rest is history. The funny thing about all this, was that I was basing a decision to buy something on one episode of Jack Benny and Amos 'n' Andy. What if I had received a smaller album of Jack Benny radio shows in the mail and didn't like them? What would I do then? Honestly, those two thoughts never occurred to me. I knew I would like Jack Benny's program for a few simple reasons: 1. The self-deprecation of the show--In the one episode I had heard of Jack, (from the 1st episode of the final season), Jack is made fun of in Don's introduction, "Many sad things happen in September, the leaves start to fall, children go back to school, and Jack Benny goes back on the air.". Don is also upset because everyone gets applause except him, so Jack coerces the audience to applaud him, saying "Never has so little made so much so happy....so there!" The fact that Jack and everyone else didn't take themselves too seriously while on a radio show broadcast was, to me something you don't even see today. Maybe you get it from a Conan or Leno joke, but not from a major star, and on their show. 2. Focus on characterization over current events--I had listened to many old radio shows by the time I came to Benny's. Many of the comedies were based on current events, of which completely alluded me. Even Fibber McGee & Molly seemed dated. Who has the mayor drop by for a visit after all? And what the heck does "Heavenly Days" mean? The remarkable difference to Benny's show as opposed to the others, is that it was simpler. He seemed to use sound effects when he needed them, and most of the comedy was built around the characters. Characters I could relate to. I've known stingy people, been the naïve kid (Dennis), and Mary was a lot like my own sister. As I began to listen to more of Benny, I've added two more reasons why I'll always enjoy him: 3. The ease of listening--In an old radio show, you don't see the old cars, you hear them. You hear a phone ring. And unless someone makes a crack about an old car, you could swear that some of these shows were made today. Jack epitomized that. As I listened to more of his shows, I've concluded that I'd rather listen to Benny as opposed to watching NCIS. Why? Because NCIS will be dated one day, but they'll always be Benny. His radio show. Some episodes can, but the majority of them will never be dated. 4. The writing--Many older adults complain that TV is junk because it has a lot of terrible writing. I disagree. TV has a great deal of good writers today, the problem is the smut. Jack Benny, as opposed to many other shows I've heard from old radio, was well-written. The show wasn't about one or two jokes. Sometimes there was the occasional "running gag," and they'd extend it for weeks. Which is a bit more believable than a running gag in a half hour show. That's over-done. When Jack wrote his song, or created the "I can't stand Jack Benny contest," those are some of his funniest episodes. Jack's writers were obviously well-paid and many stayed with him for years. They wrote characters, not situations, and developed those characters over time. The reason Jack's character could plausibly write "When You say I beg your pardon then I'll come back to You," is because by this time his vain behavior was well-known! They don't write smart, witty, and sassy characters like you heard on Jack's program anymore. If they're witty, it's because of sex. If they're sassy, it's an attitude instead of character development. For instance, Jill's friends on "Home Improvement" are sassy, but none of them were written with any depth. Jill didn't have any depth till much later! On Benny's program, that would've been unacceptable. I guess you could say I'm the 24 year old who fell in love with the so-called "timeless-ness" of Jack Benny's radio show. Or that maybe because my dad likes old stuff, I'd wind up going further than him. Maybe you think I'm just an admirer of good writing and good comedy, regardless of the generation that created it. Honestly, I believe I'm all of the above. Yes, I like good shows that are well-written. NCIS, Everyone Loves Raymond, The Mentalist, JAG are well-written and among my favorites. Yes, I like old shows/movies, but how can you beat Depp's performance as Jack Sparrow? And did I go further than my dad? In a way. You could say that I turned him on to old radio shows; namely Jack Benny's. As one millennial out of thousands, I am a huge fan of Jack Benny. While there is the occasional culture-based and time-based joke that I don't get, for the most part, his program is still very fresh and vibrant today. Do I believe that all millennials should go out of their way to listen to Jack Benny? My answer: Only if you like dry humor. He isn't for everybody. Some of my friends like his work, but they'd rather watch The Office. And that's okay. But, as for this millennial, I'd rather listen to Jack Benny any day of the week over any TV show; past or present. 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