Jascha Heifetz and Jack Benny - USO Skit, WWII

"Violinist of the Centuries" Jascha Heifetz (1901-1987) and radio/TV comedian Jack Benny (Benjamin Kubelsky) (1894-1974) perform a hilarious skit during one of the hundreds of USO appearances and performances both men gave throughout World War II. Jack was, in reality, an exceptionally good violinist (he began playing at the age of 6 but preferred performing to practicing), but said that if he had focused on playing good on radio and TV that it wouldn't have been as funny. Jascha Heifetz began to play at the age of 3 and made his debut at 7. The spectators at an outdoor concert in 1912 in St. Petersburg were so wild that police had to escort the young virtuoso when he was not playing. Heifetz made his American debut in Carnegie Hall in 1917 and became the newest American music sensation overnight.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• jascha
• heifetz
• violin
• virtuoso
• classical
• jack
• benny
• program
• radio
• television
• comedian
• skit
• USO
• World
• War
• II
• CBS
• NBC
• Stradivarius
• united
• states
• army
• vaudeville

[jenny1340]

Hi guys - I made a mistake in the title, this isn't directly sponsored by the USO but was a Command Performance show. :)

[gregoriandale]

Great team of extremely talented artists. Humor and artistry.

[bunkydunks]

It is a truly funny skit, but the IDENTICAL script is also used in another radio show, with Jack Benny and Josef Szigeti. That's Hollywood for you!

[sharlesin]

I`ve read that Benny wanted to do a similar skit a few years later. Heifetz refused saying he only did it for the soldiers,and wouldn`t repeat it.

[maxreger100]

This is so pricelessly funny, and such a tribute to an era when America's most original comedian and America's most famous violinist teamed up to provide laughs for a grateful public and for the troops around the globe.

Hilarious, and yet very moving as well.

[TomBarrister]

@jenny1340 It was related to me by a man who was at a party in the mid 1950's, who asked Heifetz's longtime friend Samuel Goldwyn about a movie on Heifetz's life.

What you're referring to is a NY Times letter to the editor by Arlen Lessin, It was based on an article by David Schoenbaum that appeared in 2001. While this would place the audition in the early 1950s, Schoenbaum's article doesn't mention any such movie.

[jenny1340]

@TomBarrister I can understand why Heifetz wouldn't like that, and I can understand why Jack would have been busy. But wow - where did you find this out? I read somewhere that Heifetz was in NY looking for some young boys (10-14 with violin exp) to play his fictional son in a movie, but of course that movie doesn't exist. Is that the same movie you're talking about?

[TomBarrister]

@Flaminggential It's essentially the violins playing the piano's score with some improvisation and embellishments.

---

There was once talk about doing a movie of Jascha Heifetz's life. Jack was the one considered for the role because the two looked a bit alike, and because Jack had experience with the violin. The plans for the movie never really got off the ground; Jack was too busy, and Heifetz didn't want a movie of his life done.

[Flaminggential]

does anyone have the arrangement for the piece they played ?

[PrimroseCello]

Completely hilarious!