A pair of Jacks

I was emailing with my pal Corey tonight about this article:

NBC's new chief Ben Silverman has indicated that his regime intends to be advertiser friendly and will be searching for ways to integrate ads

This led to a brief exchange about how they used to integrate commercials in the old days of radio and television. While looking for an example or two from Jack Benny, who was as good at that as he was at most things, I found a couple of clips.

These have nothing to do with advertising, but if they don't make you laugh, I'll buy a hatrack for a moose.

All you really need to know about this first one is that it's Johnny Carson and his idol in 1955.



I missed Carson after he was gone, but Benny was the greater clown, and a big influence on the younger man (something Carson always admitted--the two were good friends).

The second clip is of Jack teamed up with one of the few comedians who cut almost as great a figure as he did (IMO, and I don't want to fight about it) : Groucho Marx.



Benny was not as good friends with Groucho as he was with Carson. The fact is, people called Groucho that for a reason. But they're just as great together onscreen, if not better.