Speaking of Jack Benny. George Washington Slept Here.

[the ringo kid]

Yesterday,TCM played a movie I had never seen before but heard of. It was: George Washington Slept Here. Im already a big fan of Jack Benny but--had I seen this as my first exposure to him? id probably would have started out liking him way more than the Three Stooges.

Last night was the first time ive ever seen that movie.That thing had me in stitches from the time it started till its end. If you havent seen this movie yet? all I can say--is you have missed one of the best comedies ive ever seen.

 

[UncleEd]

I've seen it several times but every time it's on TCM I end watching at least part of it again.

From his TV show, one time he was being robbed and the baddie says, "Your money or your life."

A long long pause.

The baddie again says, "Your money or your life."

And Jack snaps angrily, "I'm thinking!"

(One of his comedy writers was lying on a couch and another writer asked what would happen if Jack was being robbed in a skit.
The writer paused for a moment and said to the others "I'm thinking." Everyone started guffawing.)

My memory of Rochester was that here was a minority man played as smarter than his boss at a time when that just wasn't done.

Johnny Carson admitted often he "stole" some of Jack's style.

And Jack actually could play the violin----sort of.

 

[the ringo kid]

Heh heh,that must have been a great skit to watch.The movie above had many and some id love to use.I need to order a copy of it since its a Warner Bros MoD title. Hattie McDaniel as always--is a hoot.

 

[yashua-p]

Always a fan of Jack Benny. I never saw him in anything that wasn't good.

regards

yashua

 

[Alpo]

https://archive.org/details/GeorgeWashingtonSleptHereTrailer_337

Three minute trailer for the movie.

 

[Gardner11]

I watched his show when it was on and saw some of his old movies I thought his timing as a comic was great and his interaction with Rochester was priceless . Nothing like it around today .

 

[sheepdawg]

The absolute master of timing and comedy. I wonder how many people know that unlike his stage character, Jack was a pretty darn good violinist and that violin he playing is a Stradivarius.

This is a classic, his violin duet with Gisele McKenzie. It's darn funny too, Benny was a comedian first. Every sketch Jack was in is going to have some humor in it.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2ry1xIITJc[/ame]

 

[Alpo]

Thank you. That was wonderful.

 

[model70hunter]

I watched his western comedy last week. He was funny.

I'll have to find this movie.

I also watched Bob Hope in Son of Paleface recently. I've stood next to Mr. Hope, His head hit me at my shoulder. Roy Rogers was also in this movie. Unless they put a box under Bob's feet, he and Roy appeared to be the same height. When I did the Saturday afternoon dime movies he looked so huge on the big screen.

 

[HOUSTON RICK]

"George Washington Slept here" is a masterpiece compared to "The Horn Blows at Midnight". Jack Benny used to threaten to make a sequel to "The Horn blows at Midnight".

 

[walnutred]

In George Burns autobiography he talks a lot about Jack Benny. One comment was that when radio started to replace the stage he though Benny would not make the transition. Bennys routine was he would ask Mary a question, she would reply and Benny would give the audience "the look", at which point the audience would crack up. Burns could not see how Benny could make that work on radio, but he did.

 

[FPrice]

One of Benny's best movies was "To Be or Not To Be" a dark comedy about the Nazi invasion and subsequent occupation of Poland.

To Be or Not to Be (1942) - IMDb

Mel Brooks did an absolutely brilliant version of it some 40 years later but Benny was first.

 

[the ringo kid]

I watched his show when it was on and saw some of his old movies I thought his timing as a comic was great and his interaction with Rochester was priceless . Nothing like it around today .

One of the early on scenes that had me in stitches, showed him standing near a woman and two men. He was carrying a rake or something--turned in a direction, and the handle hit the ladies rear. Of course,he turned again in time,so he wasnt suspected. Then turned again--same result--hitting the lady. The lady turned around and slapped the man behind her.

 

[the ringo kid]

One of Benny's best movies was "To Be or Not To Be" a dark comedy about the Nazi invasion and subsequent occupation of Poland.

To Be or Not to Be (1942) - IMDb

Mel Brooks did an absolutely brilliant version of it some 40 years later but Benny was first.

I missed most of it when TCM showed it recently. That is another on my to get list.