My
good friend, John F. Harnish, recently
reminded me that Jack Benny was the consummate 39-year-old. Mr. Benny was a
popular radio, TV, and movie comic actor from the 1930s through most of the
1960s. He perfected a droll, penny-pinching persona who refused to age past his
39th birthday.
Mr.
Benny reportedly began his running gag to celebrate his 39th year—again
… and again—because “40 isn’t funny.” And Jack Benny was all about
being funny. He demanded it—and he got it.
For
those of us who remember his television shticks (I do, barely, of course—being just
a kid myself—heehee), The Jack Benny Program
was a highlight of our evening entertainment on the tiny boob tube. Mr. Benny
and his cast of kookie characters and high-profile celebrities kept us laughing
throughout the show.
The
venerable comic was 39 years old 41 times before he passed into Comedian Heaven
(in 1974, at 80 years old), and gave more character and emphasis to “Well,” than anyone I have ever heard
utter the word.
