Good Night Al Gordon, passing of Jack Benny Skit Writer

Al Gordon and Hal Goldman joined Jack Benny's writing team in 1950. Jack Benny''s radio show was famously dependent upon his writers, and was quick to give them credit for making him look good. Despite Jack's supposed reputation as a cheap skate, his writers were also some of the best paid in Hollywood.

It wasn't that Jack Benny couldn't be funny without a script, but he was much more comfortable performing with one. One well reported incident occurred when Jack stopped a rehearsal to call his writers around him. "Look," Jack told the writers, "I want to give Mel Blanc credit. I want a line for the tag of the show that says the part of the violin teacher was played by Mel Blanc." One of the four writers took Jack's script from him and wrote "The part of the violin teacher was played by Mel Blanc." Reading the new writing in the script, Jack said "This is great. This is exactly what I wanted to say. Gees, thanks guys." As the rehearsal resumed one of the writing staff quipped, "You know, Jack, I think two of us could have handled that."

Benny referred to the "new writers", Gordon and Goldman, even after working together for more than twenty years. Jack brought in the "new writers" while the Program was making the transition to television, but as part of the writing staff, they were involved in the last five years of the radio show.

Gordon was a bombastic and fast thinking writer from the Bronx who never finished high school (joining the Army Air Corp before graduating). Goldman was a more reserved and urbane writer from Minnesota. They teamed with established Benny writers Sam Perrin and George Balzer. The four were nominated for six Emmys with the Jack Benny Program, winning two. Gordon and Goldman earned a reputation for fast and witty writing, sometimes developing skits tailored for guest stars over night.

Hal Goldman passed away at the age of 81 in July of 2001. We lost Al Gordon on Wed, May 23, 2012.

We can't help but think that Heaven is a funnier place now that Jack Benny has his writers together again.

Comments

Old Time Radio: Spies and Espionage

Old time radio featured many spy-themed shows , which were popular during the Cold War era . These shows often depicted heroic spies and agents who worked to protect their countries from enemy spies and espionage, adding to the cultural fascination with the world of espionage and intrigue during this time. Spy shows were popular in the 1950s for several reasons. Firstly, the Cold War was in full swing , and the fear of Soviet espionage and infiltration was widespread. As a result, there was a heightened interest in stories and characters that dealt with the world of espionage and intrigue. Spy shows offered a way for listeners to vicariously experience the world of espionage and feel a sense of excitement and danger. Additionally, radio was one of the primary sources of entertainment during this time, and spy shows offered a way for audiences to escape the anxieties of everyday life and engage with exciting stories and characters. Many of these shows also featured strong, heroic prot...

Donating Old Time Radio Cassette Tapes

Many listeners may have accumulated or inherited large collections of Old Radio Shows on cassette with episodes of Suspense , Fibber McGee & Molly , Tarzan , Richard Diamond , Archie Andrews & and more . Old time radio on cassette became popular and replaced 8-tracks in the mid-1980s. The cassettes may have been enjoyed by previous generations or just enjoyed decades ago who loved collecting & listening to everything old time radio . Sadly, cassette tapes, open reel-to-reel tapes, 8-track tapes, DAT, and VHS can "go bad" (degrade) because they are magnetic tape mediums. Old Time Radio cassettes were slowly replaced by audio CDs , MP3 CD in the 1990's and 2000's. Today streamable/downloaded old time radio shows are the the most popular choice. Unsure what to do with your collection of cassette tapes? You could donate them to Goodwill or non-profit thrift store, but many listeners have found great satisfaction in donating ...

Dr John Brickley Medical Quack

John Brinkley was an American physician who practiced medicine in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is often referred to as a " medical quack " because of his unorthodox medical practices and his claims to have found a cure for impotence, which Brinkley achieved by transplanting goat testicles into men . Brinkley established a large medical practice in Kansas, and his reputation as a "miracle doctor" grew as more and more people sought treatment from him. However, despite his claims of success, there is little scientific evidence to support the effectiveness of his treatments, and many of his patients experienced serious health problems as a result of his surgeries. Many of these patients were attracted to Brinkley's bold claims of success and his reputation as a "miracle doctor." However, many of them experienced serious health problems and complications as a result of his procedures, and some of them even died as a result of his treatments...

Old Time Radio Shows

Search This Blog