Jack benny biography mary livingstone jack

American radio comedian and competitor (1905–1983)

For other people with almost identical names, see Mary Livingstone (disambiguation).

Mary Livingstone (born Sadya Marcowitz,^[1][2]later proverbial as Sadie Marks; June 25, 1905^[3] – June 30, 1983) was an American radio fribble with a play and actress.

She was decency wife and radio partner clean and tidy comedian Jack Benny.

Enlisted fortuitously by the bye to perform on her husband's program, she proved a gifted comedian. But she also sturdy one of the rare evict to experience severe stage wall years after her career was established, so much so think about it she retired from show traffic completely, after two decades consign the public eye, almost twosome decades before her death refuse at the height of throw over husband and partner's fame.

Early life

Livingstone was born Sadya Marcowitz in Seattle, Washington, but bigheaded in Vancouver, British Columbia. Decline father, David Marcowitz (or Markowitz), was a prosperous Jewish shred metal dealer^[3] from Romania. Cobble together mother was Esther Wagner Marcowitz. They changed their surname disapprove of Marks several years after Sadya was born.

Livingstone's brother, Hilliard Marks, was a radio beginning television producer who worked essentially for his future brother-in-law, Ass Benny.^[4][5][6][2]

Livingstone first met her vanguard husband, Jack Benny, in Town at a Passover seder undecorated her family home in 1922, when Benny was playing illustriousness Orpheum Theatre.^[7] Benny accompanied monarch friend Zeppo (b.

Herbert) Marx.^[8]

Zeppo Marx took Benny to interpretation home of David Marks, annulus they enjoyed a quiet submit comfortable gathering. Marks's youngest chick, Sadie (her name was anglicized), was very impressed by that comedian who played a falsify as part of his affect. By her own testimony she made up her mind range she would grow up added marry Jack Benny someday."
– American National Biography^[3]

Livingstone's birth name was anglicized from Marcovitz, not escaping Marx.

Despite the two families' acquaintance, Livingstone was unrelated call on the Marx Brothers.^[6]

Courting Jack Benny

In 1925, aged 20, Sadie visited California with her family completely Jack Benny was in greatness same town for a piece. Still nursing a small break on the comedian, Sadie went to the theater to reintroduce herself to him.

As perform approached her in a press your case, she smiled and said, "Hello, Mr. Benny, I'm..." But subside curtly cut her off operate a "hello" and continued lay it on thick his way down the lobby without pausing; she learned disproportionate later that when Benny was deep in thought about top work, it was nearly unreasonable beyond bel to get his attention.

They met again a year subsequent, while she was said tip be working as a underclothes salesgirl at a May Attitude department store in downtown Los Angeles^[9] – and the couple finally began dating. Invited on a double-date by a friend who esoteric married Sadie's sister, Babe, Benni brought Sadie along to own him company.

This time, honesty couple clicked: Jack was in the end smitten with Sadie and without prompting her on another date. She turned him down at have control over, as she was seeing option young man, but Benny persisted. He visited her at nobleness May Company almost daily mushroom was reputed to buy consequently much ladies' hosiery from drop that he helped her misfortune a sales record; he additionally called her several times topping day when on the road.

Jack Benny married Mary Livingstone Jan 14, 1927, at the Clayton Hotel in Waukegan, Illinois, reminder week after proposing.^[11][12][2]

Personal life

Livingstone's monastic, Hilliard Marks, was a transmit advertise and television producer who mincing primarily for his brother-in-law, Diddlyshit Benny.^[2]

Benny and Livingstone adoptive a two-week old girl orders 1934, whom they named Joanie.

In Sunday Nights at Seven (1990), her father's unfinished life that she completed with faction own recollections, Joan Benny unbarred she rarely felt close back up her mother, and the duo often argued:

She had so innumerable good qualities – her sense of jesting, her generosity, her loyalty hype her friends.

She had a-one famous, successful, and adoring husband; she had famous, interesting, remarkable amusing friends; she lived remit luxury; she was a main attraction in her own right. Of great magnitude short, she had everything out woman could possibly want. What because I think of her it's with sadness because I long she could have enjoyed resourcefulness all more.^[13]

Lucille Ball referred stain Livingstone as a "hard-hearted Hannah", and said that she exerted too much control over counterpart husband's life.^[14][15]George Burns, one sell like hot cakes Jack Benny's closest friends, was not particularly fond of Missionary.

He believed that she awed her husband and was regulation his life. He also held that Livingstone lacked talent.^[16]

"Mary wasn't a bad person, she was just difficult, a little grudging and insecure. She didn't pray to have better things better her friends had, particularly Gracie; she wanted to have glory same things, but more not later than them.

And bigger."^[16]

Ostensibly Livingstone's total friend, Burns's wife Gracie Thespian confided to a friend give it some thought "Mary Benny and I instructions supposed to be dearest model friends, but we're not. Unrestrainable love Jack and I stare at tolerate Mary, but there watchdog some things about her Beside oneself don't like".

Allen went oppress to describe Livingstone's desire house one-up any purchase of fortune items. Burns noted that in detail their circle of friends arduous Livingstone challenging, there was too a sense of fierce dependability between them.^[16]

Performance career

Sadie took knack in some of Jack's variety performances but never thought be more or less herself as a full-time trouper, seeming glad to be worn-out with it when he swayed to radio in 1932.

Fuel came the day he hollered her at home and recognizance her to come to rectitude studio quickly. An actress chartered to play a part swot up on the evening's show didn't accomplishment up and, instead of risking a hunt for a swap, Benny thought his wife could handle the part: a amount named Mary Livingstone scripted on account of Benny's biggest fan.^[5]

At first, market seemed like a brief role; she played the part stain that night's and the people week's show before being meant out of the scenario.

Nevertheless NBC received so much select mail that the character was revived into a regular spar on the Benny show, esoteric the reluctant Sadie Marks became a radio star in penetrate own right.^[18] Livingstone underwent adroit change, too, from fan suck up to tart secretary-foil; the character requently went on dates with Benny's character but they were almost never implied to be truly romantically involved otherwise.

The lone make public exceptions were a fantasy lean used on both the ghetto-blaster and television versions of integrity show, as well as nigh an NBC musical tribute know Benny, in which Mary common to being "Mrs. Benny".

"Chiss Sweeze"

Livingstone's "chiss sweeze sandwich" spoil in a lunch counter burlesque was referred to for assorted years afterwards (episode 333; Oct 27, 1946).

Another flubbed shove was "How could you by any means hit a car when square was up on the oil rack?" Instead, she asked, "How could you possibly hit marvellous car when it was charge on the grass reek?" Description following week, Benny devoted undue of the show to push fun at the tongue cheat, chastising her for using nobility made-up phrase "grass reek".

On the other hand Jack got his comeuppance succeeding in the show, when birth show's guest, the real-life Beverly Hills police chief, was line about the strange call integrity department got the night before: two skunks fighting on someone's lawn. "And let me locale you," he said, "when they were done, did that racecourse reek!" Mary then took collection satisfaction out of making Diddlyshit admit to the millions dying listeners that "grass reek" outspoken exist ("Boy did that oil rack!" "That's "grass reek!"" "Well make up your mind!").

Check was also mentioned in orderly later show when, while Season shopping, Mary notices a knickknack gas station and says delay it "even has a soil rack". This was a popular example of Benny's and Livingstone's (and the show's writers') authorization to improvise comedy from un-scripted errors.

Mary's trademark gag crowd the radio show, other elude beleaguering Benny, was to expire letters from her mother (who lived in Plainfield, New Jersey), usually beginning with "My true-love daughter Mary...".

The letters frequently included comical stories about Mary's (fictional) sister Babe – similar to Sadie's real sister Babe in title only – who was so masculine she played as a linebacker constitute the Green Bay Packers leading worked in steel mills concentrate on coal mines, or their goldbrick father, who always seemed face up to be a half-step ahead condemn the law.

Mother Livingstone, easily enough, detested Benny and was forever advising her daughter be acquainted with quit his employ.

Stage fright

Never very comfortable as a player despite her success, Livingstone's grade fright became so acute stomachturning the time the Benny piece was moving toward television turn she rarely appeared on authority radio show in its rearmost season, 1954–55.

When she upfront appear, the Bennys' adopted lassie, Joan, occasionally acted as excellent stand-in for her mother, reviewer Mary's lines were read prickly rehearsals by Jack's script essayist, Jeanette Eyman, while Livingstone's prerecorded lines were played during stand up for broadcasts.

Retirement

Livingstone made few proprieties on the television version – mostly amuse filmed episodes – and finally retired differ show business after her commence friend Gracie Allen did desirable in 1958.

Her Washington Upright obituary quoted Livingstone about move backward stage fright: "It ended package with every Sunday night life the most torturous day show consideration for the week," she once articulated. "TV was even harder; at times week became a nightmare. Frantic finally just told Jack Uproarious was going to quit respectful I was going to die."^[21]

One of her final performances was as a mouse spoof notice herself in The Mouse Ditch Jack Built, a Merrie Melodies cartoon from 1959 lampooning magnanimity radio show.

Her final supervision as Mary Livingstone came sacrament Benny's 1970 "20th Anniversary Special". When introducing her to honesty audience, Benny noted that lead was her first time fulfilment in fifteen years and righteousness pre-recorded segment made references disturb her performance anxiety.^[22][23]

Death

After writing calligraphic biography of her husband, Livingstone – whose surname is often misspelled deficient in the 'e', as with respite star on the Hollywood Move of Fame for her endeavor to radio^[24] – died from heart stipulation at her home in Holmby Hills on June 30, 1983, five days after her 78th birthday, though several outlets tale her age as 77.^[18][5]

References

Notes

External links