The Mouse That Jack Built

I learned about Jack Benny through his bit part in "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World". Later on, I learned about his overall career. And now, here's another addition to his career: "The Mouse That Jack Built" is a cartoon version of Benny's TV show (which I've never seen). In this case, Jack Benny, Mary Livingstone, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson (also an "IAMMMMW" cast member) and Don Wilson provide the voices of mice with their respective names and personalities; Mel Blanc voices vault watcher Maxwell...and he's been watching the vault for a VERY long time! Anyway, after Jack has played the violin - though not equaling Isaac Stern - he makes Rochester return a white vest, as he's about to take Mary out for her birthday. The only thing is, the Kit Kat Klub is in fact a real cat! I've always liked how the Termite Terrace crowd kept finding new things to do in cartoons. The obvious problem with a cartoon like this one is that people in the 21st century might not know who Jack Benny was and the whole premise will go over everyone's heads. But if we just watch what happens, we can surely get a kick out of the cartoon. I certainly recommend it.

I'll be honest. If you aren't familiar with The Jack Benny Program, your eyes will probably glaze over when you see this cartoon. I strongly urge you to ignore those feelings. Jack Benny and his cast were responsible for some of the finest comedy of the 1930's to the 1960's. This cartoon is a loving tribute to the most famous running gags of Benny's jokes. Benny's supporting cast was key to his success, and every one of them but Dennis Day and Phil Harris made it into this cartoon. My advice is to find some of the free Jack Benny shows that are available on the internet and listen to them. Once you are familiar with Benny's comedy, this cartoon makes a lot more sense. One final note: In the cartoon, the voice of Ed the guard was provided by Mel Blanc, instead of his regular voice, Joseph Kearns.

Jack Benny plays a mouse in a mouse version of The Jack Benny Program (1950). He has a date with Mary Livingstone. Rochester (Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson) is his manservant. With the excitement of the upcoming date, he insists on checking on his cheese vault.

I remember this cartoon from my childhood and I love going down to his cheese vault. Of course, I had no idea about Jack Benny or his show. So, there is a whole side of this cartoon that I didn't get. I still haven't seen this show, but I get it. I can see the sitcom in this. It is a pretty simple cartoon and it works. I like all these cartoon versions.

As a British viewer, Robert Mckimson's 'The Mouse That Jack Built' goes completely over my head. Jack Benny was never a big celebrity in the UK and I have never been exposed to any of his work. Unlike McKimson's earlier TV parody 'The Honey Mousers', 'The Mouse That Jack Built' relies heavily on the audience being familiar with the source material. Since I am not even slightly aware of Benny's work, 'The Mouse That Jack Built' is completely bewildering to me. I have to say that even without any knowledge of what is being parodied, 'The Mouse That Jack Built' seems significantly weaker that 'The Honey Mousers', relying on constant references and celebrity voiceovers rather than any real plot. The ending, in which Benny makes a live action cameo, looks especially unfunny. But I hold my hands up and admit I could be wrong. There's simply no way to tell and, from my standpoint of total ignorance, I don't think I should even really rate this cartoon that was intended for a different audience entirely.

Maybe it shows how old I am but I remember watching the great Jack Benny as a kid. He was a comic genius who get laughs by not saying anything at all. This cartoon is really a animated version of his television show. It features his valet Eddie "Rochester" Anderson his girlfriend (and Benny's real life wife) Mary Livingston and his announcer friend Don Wilson all doing voices as cartoon mice. We even have Mel Blanc as the voice of his sputtering car. The cartoon features all the hallmarks of Benny's show especially the jokes about his stinginess as he tries to take Mary out to dinner and they are pursued by a hungry cat. The only sad part is that people watching this cartoon today won't get all of the jokes. There will never be another comic giant like Jack Benny!