Jack Benny-Mel Blanc

[decoycarver17]

Ole Benny could saw a fiddle.

[sirstrongbad]

I always love a good wordplay, and Jack Benny's bits with Mel were and are still some of my favourites.

[CarGuyZM10]

What are the names of the songs played?

[bailinnumberguy]

Even all these years later you just watch Benny and marvel at his timing and pitch perfect dead pan reactions. The master.

[wilfredius1304]

Fantastic funny - GREAT!

[RawChristianSuperman]

Man this would be so politically incorrect these days.

[dharmaseed]

Part of the reason for Jack's deadpan expression in this sketch was to prevent him from laughing uncontrollably. You could see it on his face every time he and Mel did this routine, or a variation.

[keysersoze78]

What are the name of the song that mel played? its quite catchy i must say

[JakeOfAllTrades17]

@keysersoze78 Actually come to think of it, I think it is the Spanish flea which makes sense

[fanofclassics]

jack benny was a true genious and mel blanc was hilarious

[REVW196]

Ci Sy ,,

[yryriza]

I love the look on Jack's face when he plays a good part of the violin.  Like yeah, I know it was good.

[MTPippin]

I think it is sad how forgotten Jack Benny is now a days.....

[bryondeeon]

Classic humor not to be seen like this today. A comedian who was comfortable enough in himself to allow other people to get the laughs as well. But also humor with absolutely no cursing or anything off color. I dare 90% of the comedians today to even attempt to make anyone laugh in the way Benny or Hope or Abbott and Costello or the other greats did. Don't think they have the talent to do it. My humble opinion...you rock Jack Benny

[K33p3r99]

@bryondeeon After seeing this I completely agree with you.

[GreshProject]

tijuana strings ftw!

[fromthesidelines]

This originally appeared on "THE JACK BENNY HOUR" [December 1, 1966], and was indeed reworked from the "Tijuana Troubadours" sketch Jack and Mel did on film a few years earlier {Benny often updated and repeated his best radio/TV sketches over the years- including, as an example, four versions of "The Lunch Counter Murder" between 1946 and '60}.

[flojogrande]

Blanc was interested in music at an early age and became proficient on bass, violin, and sousaphone. He began his professional life as a radio musician in the late 1920s, and in 1933 he and his wife cohosted a daily radio program from Portland, Oregon. As the low-budgeted show did not allow for the hiring of supporting actors on a daily basis, Blanc was compelled to provide a variety of voices himself and thus began honing the skills that brought him success

[67nairb]

@flojogrande A sousaphone is the same as a tuba, right?

[flojogrande]

@67nairb - "Si!"

[flojogrande]

@flojogrande as an additional note the Sousaphone is the type used in Marching bands and supported by the left shoulder. I believed it was named after the Marching band composer John Phillips Sousa.

[67nairb]

@flojogrande "LOL!"

[tasracho]

Jack Benny!.......What a joy it was to see him on TV often in the 1950's.....I Loved Him......

[flojogrande]

Largo is (Long) , so he said ( very long ) improperly cause it wouldn't have been (muy largo- properly) but it wasn't what he wanted to say in the first place. What he meant to say...since he said "I want to play this real fast" is (muy pronto).. for (very fast). It was a kick in the pants anyway cause it was classic Benny and that's his stick! Great clip!! We need Television like this badly!!

[ledfrog]

@flojogrande This was classic Benny and it was funny as hell! By the way, it's shtick, not stick. :)

[flojogrande]

@ledfrog - So what is the name of the piece at 3.32? I was also curious(!!) I've seen this clip before on television on re-runs but had not seen it in a long time. Another amazement is the talent of Mel Blanc, all those voices but I didn't know he could thump on the dog house too! "El Double bass" "Upright" what have you... It's like I didn't know Mel Torme was a mean drummer before he became "The Velvet Fog". I was aware of it being Shtick...just an oversight. I asked Lenny Bruce.

[ledfrog]

@flojogrande Haha...Lenny Bruce is funny. And I actually don't know what the piece is called. I thought it was pretty cool though. As for Mel being able to play the bass...I wonder if he really is or if he's just pretending to.

[flojogrande]

@ledfrog-Check out another clip with Mel Blanc, they are the Tijuanna Troubadors and it's black and white: The clip is titled: Mel Blanc with Jack Benny - Classic Sy - Not as funny as this one but still worth the visit! It seems like there are additional professional musicians playing in the background, I hear a walking bass line on the flea but it looks like Mel is playing half notes through-out most of it. It really appears as if he's thumping away. I use to play upright and electric bass.

[CarGuyZM10]

What is the song Benny jumps in to play?

[ottoelperro]

Oh, Jack. What a great mind for comedy!

[iancorporated]

HAHA "Yes Sir."

[logancody05]

Jack Benny's not saying anything and just giving that deadpan expression is funnier that a thousand Eddie Murphy's and his filthy mouth.

[67nairb]

@logancody05 You betcha! Jack Benny didn't have to curse just to get laughs.

[67nairb]

@logancody05 Jack Benny was a legend. It's sad how we have gone to go from such comedians as Charlie Chaplin Buster Keaton, Laurel and Hardy to such filthy humor as Eddie Murphy and Chris Rock. For all his dirty stand-up comedy, Murphy I must admit is a very talented comedian and his skits on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE in the 80s were often hilarious. Now he's been reduced to doing cartoon voices.

[amimizunofan22]

"Real fast, you know, mucho largo." LOL "mucho largo" translation: a lot of slow

[CAPD44]

@amimizunofan22 Actually it means A lot Long XD

[amimizunofan22]

@CAPD44 True story. I was thinking of "lento". Thanks for the catch! :)

[beasst94]

whoever disliked this was in the tijuana brass

[yryriza]

@beasst94 It was Sy's sister Sue because she didn't get to be part of the act.

[dcspaced]

His facial reactions are just priceless. The sequence makes a theme and variations. It's like listening to a great Eric Clapton solo, if you'll forgive the oddball comparison.

[Chaos2ThaWorld1]

lol classic mel

[GeneralBronson]

What's the song called they play at the end?

[WALRU11]

Blanc & Benny were the ideal comedy duo, each one possessed of the greatest deadpan delivery in the business. This classic "Si, Sy, Sue, Sew," etc., routine always killed. Another great bit was Mel playing Jack's violin coach, the terribly frustrated & depressed "Professor LeBlanc." Unmatched entertainment.

[loupi4bama]

Never be another Mel Blanc....ever! Love it!

[vince065us]

This may have been originally broadcast between 1966-68.

[DanielSimpsonDayye]

@vince065us Yes,this was a special aired in 1980 after Jack had passed away,showing high lights of his past shows.

[67nairb]

@DanielSimpsonDayye I saw that too and it was from 1981 and hosted George Burns, Bob Hope and Johnny Carson.

[JakeOfAllTrades17]

@DanielSimpsonDayye Actually, Mel Bland died in 1989 not 1979 just to let you know.

[67nairb]

@vince065us By this time comedy and satire were dramatically changing.The clean gentle comedy of Jack Benny, Bob Hope, George Burns, Milton Berle and others were being eclipsed by dirty humor of Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor and others. The former though had died in 1966.

[vince065us]

What year was this recorded?

[DanielSimpsonDayye]

@vince065us 1980

[SHICOFF1]

TERRIFIC FROM BOTH!

[bharatkumargupta]

mel blanc

[jettyman54]

Classic. Thanks for sharing.