Jack Benny Show, Volume 4
by Various
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DVD details
Actor: Bob Crosby, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, Gisele MacKenzie, Jack Benny, Mary LivingstonDirector: Various
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 113 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-11-23
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Alpha Video
DVD Reviews of Jack Benny Show, Volume 4
DVD Review: The comedy team of Benny and Anderson is underappreciated
Summary: 4 Stars
To me, the most interesting aspect of "The Jack Benny Show" is the relationship that Benny has with his black butler Eddie "Rochester" Anderson. Anderson has a gravelly voice that makes it one of the most distinctive that you will ever hear. Although Rochester is in the traditional black role of butler, his character is often portrayed on a par with Benny and that is unusual for any show with a major star, much less in the early days of television. Rochester is portrayed as an intelligent and capable man, treated with respect by the Benny character.
In the first episode, "Reminiscing About New Year's Eve", Jack plans on going out on a date with a woman after turning down an invitation to attend a party with the cast members of his show. When the woman stands him up, Benny ends up spending New Year's Eve with Rochester. The scene closes with Rochester and Benny sitting hip-to-hip on the couch sipping champagne. In the 1950's the idea that a major star would sit that close to a black co-star was most unusual and it is a tribute to Benny that he allowed it.
Rochester also appears in "Jack Dreams He's Married to Mary" and in "Beverly Hills Police Station" and in both cases he has a major role. He delivers many comedy lines and there is a strong onscreen chemistry between Benny and Anderson. The friendship exhibited by the two of them on camera also extended into their personal lives. Once, when Benny and Anderson were touring in Missouri, Anderson was denied a room at the hotel where the cast was staying. Benny simply said, "If he doesn't stay here, then neither do I." Anderson spent the night in the hotel.
While the Rochester character did retain some of the stereotypes of blacks, it also worked to debunk them as well. It is a rare occasion when the star deliberately allows their sidekick to upstage them, but Benny did it and went the extra mile when he needed to for his friend and colleague. If you watch these shows with that thought in mind, then you will understand how groundbreaking Benny was as an entertainer and person. His forte was timing, facial expressions and self-deprecating humor and no one did that better than Jack Benny. Anderson and Benny alternated in the role of the straight man, and they are a comedy team that doesn't get the credit that they deserve.
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