The Meanest Man in the World

I was amazed when I saw this picture. After having seen The Horn Blows at Midnight, I had assumed that all of Jack Benny's pictures were pretty stupid and that his talent only extended to television and radio. Boy was I wrong.

This very short movie (57 minutes) is outstanding and I have nothing negative to say about it. Benny is actually NOT the Meanest Man in the world but perhaps one of the nicest in the film. This is a real surprise because he is a lawyer (sorry to all you lawyers reading this). However, he finds that if people THINK he is mean and heartless his business will pick up considerably! If it comes on TCM or you can find it on video, give it a try. You're bound to love it (unless YOU are the meanest man in the world).

YouTube has this old chestnut. 'Meanest Man in the World'is a few minutes under an hour, and a good thing it is. The story is silly, yet Jack Benny, albeit wooden, remains the Jack Benny we know. And that isn't bad. And it's good to see Priscilla Lane as the love interest. She does a good turn when she's tipsy at a bar towards the end of the film. Then, there's Edmund Gwenn plays gleefully plays a meanie. And for once Anne Revere playing a secretary and not someone's suffering mother. But Rochester has star billing and the best quips. At a time when Blacks had walk on roles or a dance or song number as relief in a film, he plays the 'wise' Benny side kick who puts his finger in the eye of silliness, and manages to get Benny out of hot water of his own heat. An obvious boy gets girl film. And a pleasant hour of viewing, during the dark moments of the war against Nazi Germany and militaristic Imperial Japan.

"The Meanest Man in the World" has a misleading title ... at least for audiences here in Britain where, if a person is called "mean", it means that he's a cheapskate. When I saw that this film starred Jack Benny (who usually played cheapskates), I assumed that the title referred to his legendary tightwad antics. I was wrong. In "The Meanest Man in the World" (based on a play by George M. Cohan), Jack Benny plays a nice-guy lawyer who's broke all the time because he hasn't any clients. When he picks up the phone in his law office to make a call, the Accounts department of the phone company is on the other end to turn off his service for non-payment.

This movie raises an interesting point: namely, that nice people are often much less successful than S.O.B. types. When nice-guy Benny decides to pretend to be a meanie, his law practice starts getting more clients. But in order to become a real success, Benny will have to become a real meanie. Is it worth it?

This movie is basically a character study. It isn't a flat-out comedy like most of Benny's starring films, so don't expect too many laughs. Eddie Anderson ("Rochester") plays Benny's factotum assistant here, but their relationship here isn't quite like Rochester's relationship with "Mister Benny" in their radio show.

There's one funny gag. Benny's one-man legal practice is in an office building full of law firms. When an ambulance drives past the building with its siren blaring, Benny hands his business card to Rochester and orders him to follow that ambulance. As Rochester rushes out into the hallway, all the doors of all the law offices open, and all the lawyers come running out with their own business cards!

Anne Revere (a talented actress whom I never liked, somehow) is wasted here in a poor role. The romance between Jack Benny and Priscilla Lane isn't believable, especially as Lane is far too young for him. "The Meanest Man in the World" was a popular stage play, but this film version has very little to recommend it. I'll rate this movie 3 points out of 10, only because I'm a Jack Benny fan.

Jack Banney and Rochester (Eddie Anderson) really go to it in this comedy romance. The two toss barbs back and forth with ease that even outdid their frequent banter on Benny's radio show at the time. "The Meanest Man in Town" is a light comedy with a simple plot and not much of one. Benny's small-town lawyer can't make it as a lawyer at home, nor as an ambulance chaser in the Big Apple. The reason is because of his big heart. But, when circumstances happen that make him appear mean in the press, much changes.

And, from that point on, the film turns into screwball comedy. The ending is a real hoot. Edmund Gwenn has a small role, but it's one of the few in which he played the meany, or a villain or bad guy. But, because of the nature of this film, even Gwenn's nasty appearance is occasion for a chuckle.

Jack Benny was highly popular with his unique laid back humor, using long pauses with a sometimes dour and sometimes cynical persona. A Jack Benny program ran weekly on the radio from 1932 through 1948. Then he had a long-running TV series, "The Jack Benny Show," that ran from 1950 thru 1965. His movie making was sparse during the latter, but he had many appearances on other TV series and shows. Most of his two dozen films before that were box office hits.

And, from his first appearance in 1937, Eddie Anderson became a major part of Jack Benny's radio and then television shows. In the 1950s, Eddie was the highest paid African-American in radio and television. The two men were great entertainers, loved by audiences in the mid-20th century. They remained close friends until Benny's death in 1974.

The film may be far too slow for modern audiences, but those who like good old fun and comedy in films, should get a kick out of this movie.

This is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen -- not surprising, since it stars Jack Benny, one of the funniest stars ever. Jack is believable both as a nice guy and as a meanie. You might think his mean acts wouldn't be as funny, but the way he does them is the funniest part of the movie. And there is always a newspaper photographer to record it. The movie's only drawback is that it is so short, less than an hour. Usually, especially today, movies drag on too long and wear out their welcome. Jack Benny has never worn out his welcome. This movie should be on DVD. Perhaps a box DVD set with other under-appreciated Jack Benny movies.