Half-Stafford but Fully Staffed
Continuing with our tales about Jo Stafford and her husband Paul Weston that I’ve posted the past two days, this goes off in another direction and is a real treat – for a couple of reasons.
At the heart of it is that is a segment of The Jack Benny Program in 1958 when Stafford and Weston come over to Jack’s house, and he tries to get them to record a song he wrote. And it’s so terrible that the only way they can think of getting out of it is by channeling their 'Jonathan and Darlene Edwards' alter egos, and audition another song for him (the Jimmy Van Heusen-Sammy Cahn classic, "All the Way") as horribly off-key as 'Jonathan and Darlene' would.
A little background about the song will add to the scene. This is a running gag in the series. Jack is convinced it’s the greatest song ever written and can’t understand why it hasn’t yet become a huge hit. And he’s always trying to get guests to record it. But no one ever will. No one even wants to merely consider being remotely associated with it, trying to avoid hurting his feelings, but usually -- after he doesn't take the hint -- having to eventually explain how terrible it is. The song is “When I Say ‘I Beg Your Pardon,’ That’s When I’ll Come Back to You.” And it’s pretty bad, most especially as big hit songs go. It also helps to know that there’s one specific word in the song where everyone always stops and almost shouts it out again to Jack in bewilderment – and in exasperation he always explains why he properly used it.
But there are two other treats in the sketch.
The first is that the main guest in the sketch is the great Ed Wynn, who is thoroughly joyful here. (He does miss a cue at one point, but Paul Weston covers for him.) And the other treat is that near the end, another big name, surprise guest comes along. And what adds to the fun is twist on the whole, ongoing effort.
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