3 Comments

1. 

   Robert Matthew-Walker on February 1, 2022 at 3:09 pm

   I never met Jack Benny, but I knew Arthur Rubinstein very well in his later years. One day at his house in Paris, Rubinstein told me that Jack Warner (of Warner Brothers) wanted him to appear in a film with Jack Benny (who had just died), in which Rubinstein would begin playing Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, when Jack Benny would appear from behind a curtain, joining in with the melody.
   Rubinstein said ‘I told Jack Warner I wouldn’t do it, whereupon he said ‘That’s the trouble with you classical musicians, you have no sense of humour.’ That made me very angry, and I said ‘Now look here; classical musicians are the funniest people on earth – you get two or three together and a few minutes later they are laughing and joking. You get a comic by himself and they are always miserable off stage. Anyway, I’m not belittling Beethoven.’
   ‘But what about Benny as a violinist?’ I said. ‘He should have stuck to telling jokes.’

   Reply
2. 

   Peter Jenkins on February 1, 2022 at 5:21 pm

   Talk about brightening up our days!

   Little Toni’s violin duet with Jack Benny and the delightful documentary on that wonderful and much-missed entertainer achieve that in spades.

   Your ongoing mission to lift our spirits during these drab times is hugely appreciated.

   You’re a one-off, mate!

   Reply
3. 

   canderson on February 1, 2022 at 5:24 pm

   From Leonard Slatkin:

   “I had the great pleasure of working with him for a pension benefit concert here in St. Louis. It was memorable, but more for what occurred prior to the rehearsal. The night before, myself and four orchestra members went to his hotel room. We began at 7, working on the various sketches and routines that we were supposed to perform. It was a master class in timing. Jack took his time with us, really teaching us how to react when the jokes come and the audience is laughing.

   “My parents were part of the live orchestra for a few of his tv shows.”

   Reply

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