Jack Benny Part 2

the last line you said made me think of society today. today, sadly, those who want to entertain the troops are vilified and labeled "hawks", "war mongers", "jingoistic", or GASP... "patriotic". Bob Hope is a perfect example...much loved by the vast military audiences of the '30s, '40s, and '50s and into the '60s but then something weird happened...

The generational shift happened...those who protested the war and almost everything else their "parent's generation" appreciated. Bob was routinely dismissed by the youth and his efforts were never really appreciated, I think, by those caught up in war protesting. I think they viewed him wrongfully and ever since the Vietnam era onward he always had this polarizing effect on people...war protesters vilified him while those who supported the military praised his USO shows.

Anyway...Bob continued on with the USO shows and other patriotic programs into the 1980's and early 1990's but there was always a large group of people who didn't appreciate the programs...and that's why I think there's hardly any pro-military entertainment on mainstream TV or any other programming in that same vein because everyone in television is too worried about offending the anti-war people. Anti-war people it's been said looked at Bob Hope with contempt!?!?! How insane is that!

That sometihng weird was a generational shift. Bob Hope got older, the troops got younger.

which is true...but soldiers of any age should at least show support of those entertaining in the USO programs.

I, too, long for the day when people will in fact cut comedians and others from this era some slack instead of foisting 2009 opinions onto comical masterpieces not intended to be harmless.

This is why I prefer those with some sort of knowledge of the time period or some kind of appreciation for Jack Benny to be the judge/critic of his material...not someone who has no knowledge of him or what his show and others on the air at the same time were like.

My favorite Jack Benny skit was when he was walking through Central Park, and a mugger jumped out and said, "You're money or you're life!" I won't go into it any more, because I don't want to spoil it for anyone that hasn't ever heard it. One of the best ever, Jack Benny!

I noticed that, too. He sure did appreciate the applause, which was well deserved. Rochester was wonderful!

To all comedians, remember the challenge Groucho told on the Dick Cavett Show in the early 1970s, "Be clean and be funny, that's hard to do."

It's a challenge because anyone can tell dirty jokes.

sayward12 , you are 100% right. I saw that interview Groucho did on the Dick Cavett show on youtube and he was correct. when he said that about it being a challenge for a comedian to be "Clean and funny" and hard to do.. it's to easy to tell dirty jokes.....I like all the comedians like Jack Benny, Bob Hope and many others. They were the best in the business. I'm all so a fan of Bill Cosby.