fred allen is way underrated in comedy. of course his comedy was his wit, not something you can measure, he had the unique quality to be very humorous in any situation, to improv with the best of them, ahead of his time.
Feuders onscreen but the best of friends offscreen. Jack was crushed when Fred died suddenly in 1956. This is real comedy. It will never be duplicated again.
It was beautiful to see how completely Jack would crack up when one of his friends made him laugh. I can picture how he cracked up when Frank Nelson hit him with the, "Well who do you think I am, Drear Pooson?" ad lib (actually secretly passed to Nelson by the writers after Don Wilson flubbed Drew Pearson's name at the top of the show).
Fred Allen was great from his radio work, his TV appearances, his guest roles like this one and on What's My Line? It saddens me that he died when he did at a time when television was just getting its footing, and is mostly forgotten by people today, even though Foglorn Leghorn of Looney Tunes can trace its toots back to the Fred Allen Show. RIP to both Jack Benny and Fred Allen.
It was Fred Allen who once said, “Television is called a ‘Medium’ because it’s neither rare nor well done!”. His autobiography was entitled “Treadmill To Oblivion”. On Fred Allen’s own show, Allen once pointed out that Jack Benny’s home town, Waukegan, Illinois, had planted a tree in Benny’s honor - and after only a few months, THE TREE DIED! When this happened, Allen said on the air, “How can you expect a tree to live in Waukegan when the sap’s in Hollywood?”
Fortunately Jack Benny was a bad violinist according to his daughter, otherwise he would have been playing with the New York Philharmonic not a great comedian..
He was a smart violinist.. the same way considered to be a cheapskate... extremely generous man.. Jack Benny was an Entertainer and that was his routine.. by the way I was very lucky to see his show live at CBS Studios... Check out the book that was written by his daughter..
manofmanyinterests Exactly my point. :) It takes a great musician to intentionally play lousy the same way it takes a great comedian to play the straight man (as Benny, George Burns, and Desi Arnaz Sr. all did).
![What's My Line? - Jack Benny; Steve Allen [panel]; Jayne Meadows [panel] (Jun 21, 1959)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ARmzMXQ93Bo/mqdefault.jpg)
![Stromae, Pomme - “Ma Meilleure Ennemie” (from Arcane Season 2) [Official Visualizer]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/1F3OGIFnW1k/mqdefault.jpg)
Click here for the complete "The Great Radio Comedians" documentary (in very good video quality!): ruclips.net/video/mF2X67F02BE/видео.html
The doors
Thx for this
Any idea if Jack's whole show was filmed?
I love how Jack Benny cracks up ... he was so great all his career, apreciating other comedians & laughing, truly laughing.
WOW! Fred really put Jack in stitches. Great stuff. Thanks for posting.
Jack Benny was just lucky that George Burns didn't also show up...
That's when comedy was comedy. Two of the best right there.
fred allen is way underrated in comedy. of course his comedy was his wit, not something you can measure, he had the unique quality to be very humorous in any situation, to improv with the best of them, ahead of his time.
Agreed. He was absolutely brilliant.
😂
😂
Jack Benny---Greatest American comedian ever.
Feuders onscreen but the best of friends offscreen. Jack was crushed when Fred died suddenly in 1956. This is real comedy. It will never be duplicated again.
Jack was not alone in his pain. Mr. Allen was a rare wit and able to ad lib topically yet in his own distinctive voice.
You are still loved, Fred!
The comedians never broke character . So for Jack Benny to break up is so rare
Well, Fred was going off script several times, and what could Jack do but laugh?
It was beautiful to see how completely Jack would crack up when one of his friends made him laugh. I can picture how he cracked up when Frank Nelson hit him with the, "Well who do you think I am, Drear Pooson?" ad lib (actually secretly passed to Nelson by the writers after Don Wilson flubbed Drew Pearson's name at the top of the show).
Yes, by his own account, he had to crawl to the end of the stage and pull himself up on the curtain!
Jack had the best comedy show on radio!
Fred Allen was great from his radio work, his TV appearances, his guest roles like this one and on What's My Line? It saddens me that he died when he did at a time when television was just getting its footing, and is mostly forgotten by people today, even though Foglorn Leghorn of Looney Tunes can trace its toots back to the Fred Allen Show. RIP to both Jack Benny and Fred Allen.
"You drive a hard bargain"- so damn funny.
Fred was a terrific ad libber, and it shows here. He loved breaking Jack up.
I have ALWAYS wanted to see this!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You were posting terrific WML videos long before I ever even got started-- love your channel, NellsStuff. :)
It was Fred Allen who once said, “Television is called a ‘Medium’ because it’s neither rare nor well done!”. His autobiography was entitled “Treadmill To Oblivion”. On Fred Allen’s own show, Allen once pointed out that Jack Benny’s home town, Waukegan, Illinois, had planted a tree in Benny’s honor - and after only a few months, THE TREE DIED! When this happened, Allen said on the air, “How can you expect a tree to live in Waukegan when the sap’s in Hollywood?”
This happened during Jack's first show at the Roxy on May 21, 1947.
Is the full show available or existing anywhere, Barry?
Not the documentary, but Jack's stage show?
Yes, stage show.
Unfortunately, newsreel cameras did *not* capture the entire stage show- just Jack and Fred's segment.
Just found this clip - I love both of these guys so much - and thus show was sometime in the year I was born!!!
Anyone who was able to crack up Jack Benny must have been great. I only know about Fred Allen from his time on "What's My Line."
Jack Bennie the BEST
Rochester 20 cents. That's a great deal. I'd pay a dollar.
Good clean comedy
That’s “Benny”, not “Bennie”. Jack Benny was his show biz “stage name”, based partially on his actual birth name, Benny Kubelski.
I love Phil Harris !
Me too both his music and as an actor.
That was fun!
This is gr8 - so fun!
One of the hooks of Jack Benny's routine was he was a bad violinist. (Not true. :) )
ZoneFighter1 I think you mean Mary Livingston (Jack's wife), since George is nowhere in this clip. :)
Fortunately Jack Benny was a bad violinist according to his daughter, otherwise he would have been playing with the New York Philharmonic not a great comedian..
No, Benny was a fantastic violinist and a great comedian. In order to play in a lousy way, you need to be a great musician.
He was a smart violinist.. the same way considered to be a cheapskate... extremely generous man..
Jack Benny was an Entertainer and that was his routine.. by the way I was very lucky to see his show live at CBS Studios...
Check out the book that was written by his daughter..
manofmanyinterests Exactly my point. :) It takes a great musician to intentionally play lousy the same way it takes a great comedian to play the straight man (as Benny, George Burns, and Desi Arnaz Sr. all did).
this is great…
What *tremendous* ad-libbers they were!