The Wilmington morning star., 1940-05-04
Man bout
Manhattan
-By George Tucker

NEW YORK, May 3-Sometimes
Jack Benny's broadcasts are even
funnier to look at than they are
to hear. The reason for this is a
half hour of unprogrammed fool
ishness that takes place just be-
fore the show goes on the air. This
is the conditioning period, during
which the principals run up and
down the sidelines warming up"
and getting the 'feel" of the
house. They have to do this for
the same reason that a pugilist
shadow boxes and flexes his mus
cles before climbing into a ring.
If they didn't they would 60 in
"cold," and perhaps off balance.
Benny is a study in well-prac-
ticed nonchalance during this pc
riod. He strolls about, wisecrack-
ing with people in the audience,
pausing occasionally to render a
Sonata OIL his fiddle. Showers of
coins fell at his feet when these
impromptu renditions yer given
in New York. Benny calmly peck
eted the change and said,
Thanks, pals"
There is at all times just the
right amount of happy confusion
to be observed-Phill Harris ar
ranging or passing out music, Don
Wilson seeing that everyone has
a script, Dennis Day sitting down
and then getting up and crossing
the stage to try a more comfort
able chair. Rochester, the gravel
voiced guardian of Carmichael"
remains out of sight. This is smart
showmanship, because tn audi
ence is wondering where he is, and
what he looks like. It is a slick
build-up for an important charac-
ter. Finally, when he is called
forth to take a bow, the audience
fairly screams. Rochester has a
good comedy bit for this introduce
ton. He sweeps into view and
bows very low, almost to the floor,
to Benny, who in turn bows just
as solemnly to Rochester. Don Will
son also bows to Rochester, but
Rochester snubs him, sweeping
off-stage with his head in the raf-
tiers. This is good for a tremen-
dous exhibition of feet-stomping by
the audience.
Frequently, as you listen by the
radio, the cast itself appears to
be engulfed with laughter at its
own miscues or shortcomings.
These sessions are not faxed. Don
| Wilson may read a line backward.
Jack may muff a gag. hill Har-
ris may confuse Mary Livingston
with Dennis Day. When this hap
pens everyone on stage breaks
down. 1t is a situation conducive
to Mysteries, and the audience can
no more escape the general hilar-
ity than the actors themselves.
Seeing Dennis Day, the embar-
raised young tenor who always
says eyes, p~lease?" when mis-
ter" Benny speaks to him, makes
you realize what a mighty big diff
ference just a few breaks and a
little time can make. Agar or so
ago he was singing on a minor
local radio station, and absolutely
nobody seemed to care. I'll bet
most of you have pictured Dennis
as a blond. You're wrong. He is
slight and thin, and black-haired,
and not too tall.
Rochester's amazing popularity
focuses attention on that small but
growing company of Negro enter
tainers on the stage, and in radio
and the films who are proving
their worth and establishing them
selves as credits to their profess
| sions as we'll as their ace There
are quite a number of them OF
late. Watch for a boy named Nico-
demus in Louisiana Purchase
There is Maxine Sullivan. who isn't
new but she is certainly young,
and she has been riding high since
she first took the low road to Loeb
Lomond. You could name any
number of youngsters like these
who are following the trail so care
fully blazed by Bill Robinson,
Ethel Waters and others who have
done more to help their kind than
the announcements from a thou
c,pd nr1nitS.