In 1945, that star of stage, screen, and radio, Jack Benny, hit on one of the strangest publicity campaigns of all time. After spending seven episodes building context and suspense, his listeners were presented with a contest. They had up to fifty words to finish a sentence. At that time, such contests were common. Both regional and national products would give prizes for the best answers to "I like Product X because…" Why shouldn't Jack Benny sponsor such a contest? Only his contest was different. Instead of giving answers for why they liked Jack Benny, from December 2nd to 24th of 1945, his audience had to complete:
I Cant's Stand Jack Benny Because …
It turned out that an astonishingly large portion of his audience couldn't stand him. Several hundred thousand letters were received, and the panel of judges, which included Goodman Ace, Peter Lorre, and Fred Allen, needed over a month to select the best answer. Finally, on February 4, 1946, America learned what made Jack Benny so obnoxious:
He fills the air with boasts and brags,
And obsolete obnoxious gags.
The way he plays his violin
is music's most obnoxious sin.
His cowardice alone, indeed,
Is matched by his obnoxious greed.
And all the things that he portrays
Show up my own obnoxious ways.
Carroll P. Craig, Sr.(1945)
Winning entry in the 1945 "I Can't Stand Jack Benny Because. . ." Contest.
Odd, isn't it, that the best reason why we can't stand him is the same reason we love him?
On February 14, Happy Birthday, Jack Benny!
No comments:
Post a Comment