Buck Benny Rides Again

Mr. Benny is fabulous, as are Rochester, Phil Harris, Dennis Day, Andy Devine and the rest of this wonderful cast. My favorite scene: Jack recites a poem around the campfire at Andy's ranch. I won't spoil it; you've got to hear it for yourself, and the last line is possibly the best in any movie comedy EVER.

I really wanted to like "Buck Benny Rides Again" but found that it was a seriously flawed film. After all, fans of Jack Benny listened to his radio show and saw him on TV and movies because they liked him and his humor....and the film, instead, is filled with singing and production numbers...too many. It seems that the studio didn't trust Benny and saddled him with singing and dancing. Now I do understand on his radio show there was some singing (with Phil Harris and Dennis Day doing the duties)....but not this much. And, of course, there was no dancing!!

When the story begins, Jack is a big of a jerk...and he ends up getting on the wrong side of a pretty lady named Joan. After hearing her and her sisters sing, he's smitten and wants to have them on his radio show...and go smooching with Joan. But she'll have none of it. So, after learning that she is impressed by he-men, he decides to take them out west and prove to them he is a rootin' tootin' cowboy! But, of course, he knows NOTHING about this and is about as macho as a Hostess Twinkie! What's next? See the film....or not.

As I mentioned above, there was a LOT of singing and dancing in the film. Some of the production numbers were just silly and oddly, they had Rochester sing one number and dance another...and not all that well. He really was wonderful with comedy....period. Overall, a film that sacrifices a lot of comedy for dancing...yes, dancing! What a waste.

By the way, early in the film Rochester says "we have a non-aggression pact". This is an odd reference to a peace pact between Germany and the USSR that had recently been signed...and was promptly ignored in 1941 when the non-aggressive Germans invaded the Soviet Union!

Also, if you are looking for a really good Jack Benny film, try "The Meanest Man in the World" or "To Be or Not to Be".

As much as I like Jack Benny and Rochester and Fred Allen and all the banter that goes on between them, I love this movie because it is maybe the best, though not nearly prominent enough, appearance by Phil Harris. Not only was Harris a great singer with a wonderful baritone voice. (Harris gave voice to "Baloo" the Bear in Disney's Jungle Book.)

But most of all, I love Harris as a bandleader. I think this was the source of his popularity with the generation who could see him first hand. It's not just that he had a great dance band, it was watching him in action: this man had the greatest moves of any bandleader/singer in history. Kay Kaiser was another practitioner of "bandleader as performer". But Harris was able to meld his singing with his bandleading in a physical manner that must be seen to be appreciated. So if you get the chance, watch this silly, funny romp with Jack Benny and the gang, and especially Phil Harris.

This is one of the best of the Jack Benny vehicles, based on his very popular radio character Buck Benny, itself a fond satire of the Lone Ranger. No pretensions here, no classy "schtick," just good escapist box office gold. The pace seems slow by modern standards, and I missed Cactus Face too. (OTR fans will know who Cactus Face is!). Enjoy.

Audiences today are subjected to types of humor quite different from that of the mid-20th century. So, younger movie buffs may not enjoy this film that much. But, for anyone who heard or watched the Jack Benny show on radio/TV, "Buck Benny Rides Again" will bring back fond memories.

This isn't a great comedy, but it is a good one. Mostly it's a showcase for Benny and many of the characters who peopled his radio and TV shows. And that makes it nostalgic and special in an historical sense. The story is so-so, and the scripting and plot tend to bounce around. But the characters are mostly here with their oft hilarious interplay.

An extra bonus is a very well choreographed musical dance with performers dressed in Indian costumes. There are a few songs as well. Some humor of course, is ageless. Such a line that I enjoyed here is uttered by Benny as himself. "Rochester, there's an old Chinese proverb that says, 'When butler butt in on boss, better have other job up sleeve.' Jack walks away and then says, "Catch on?"