2007 FOTR Con Pics; The Jack Benny Program
Finally, some photos from the 2007 Friends of Old-Time Radio Convention held better than a week ago…and of course, instead of starting at the beginning, I’m starting at the end - the re-creation of The Jack Benny Program, starring Eddie Carroll as Jack Benny.
Carroll’s Benny is so dead-on it’s a little intimidating close-up…you actually forget he’s an actor portraying Benny, and fall right into the magic of the performance. I can’t imagine how eerie it must be for those who knew Jack; even the photos here will show he has mastered the mannerisms creating a seemingly-effortless illusion. Like I said, it’s so powerful it’s a little intimidating when you’re within a few feet of his performance.
The rest of the cast shined, but with the power of Carroll’s impersonation, it’s unfortunate that everyone else got a little lost…I want to mention Stuffy Singer’s “Dennis Day” in particular, as I thought he achieved the innocence of Dennis’ persona without pushing it, something not so easy to accomplish. Underneath the photos you’ll find a short video clip from the production, posted with kind permission of Jay “Throws-one-helluva-party” Hickerson in his role as Chairman of FOTR.
More photos to follow over the next few days; now that I have the gallery programming set up, it should be easier to get photos posted as I get the time to go through them all (I took one hundred and four photographs during the Benny production alone, and a handful came out what with shooting without flash and all, so imagine how many there are from the weekend)…just click on the thumbnail for a larger version.
 | Shirley Mitchell and Gloria McMillan The telephone operators Mabel and Gertrude; I know it isn't a great pic, but unfortunately it's the best one I managed of the two ladies. |
 | Chuck McCann Director Anthony Tollin cues Chuck McCann portraying Don Wilson. |
 | Bill Dana "My name...Jose Jimenez." |
 | Eddie Carroll, Bill Dana Or Jack Benny and Jose Jimenez |
 | Paul Becton, Eddie Caroll, Bill Dana Paul is a long-time member of the Gotham Radio Players. |
 | Eddie Carroll, Stuffy Singer I was impressed with Singer's Dennis Day. |
 | Eddie Carroll "Well..." Seriously...if you didn't know better, you'd swear Jack was in the room. |
 | Chuck McCann, Eddie Carroll, Stuffy Singer Don Wilson, Jack Benny, and Dennis Day at the microphones |
 | Eddie Carroll The cast behind the star of the recreation, a reincarnate of Jack Benny |
 | Joe Franklin New York's long-running talk show host, Joe Franklin finally appeared in a performance after attending the convention for years. |
 | Will Jordan, Eddie Carroll, and Don Buka During Jack's dream, Winston Churchill and Ronald Coleman roast him. |
 | Will Jordan, Joe Franklin Will Jordan was the first impressionist to perform an impression of Ed Sullivan on The Ed Sullivan Show. |
 | Will Jordan, Eddie Carroll Will does a pretty good impression of Jack Benny himself...I would have loved to see them do a "Benny-off." |
November 1st, 2007 at 12:10 am
What a nice video and terrific photos! It’s good to be able to share a moment of this Jack Benny re-created performance with my friends and family who didn’t attend. Eventually my DVD’s from Satellite will arrive in the mail, but in the meantime, this is a nice sample.
November 14th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
My God, he is scarily-similar to the man himself.