Talk:Eddie "Rochester" Anderson

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Questions and Come-backs[edit]

I changed the content of the wordplay between Benny and Anderson, mostly because the previous version incorrectly had the "Oh, RO-chester!" play.

This was a common theme throughout the show, and occurred specifically when Rochester was doing something which was against Benny's stated wishes, and would always follow this patter?

Benny: Oh, RO-chester!
Anderson: Yes, Boss
Benny: (lead-in question, obviously accusing Anderson of going against Benny's wishes)
Anderson: (Snappy Comeback, usu. admitting to the accusation)

At this point Benny would lose his temper and demand Anderson put the situation back to its previous state, with Anderson often responding, sadly, "OK" or "yes, boss."—Preceding unsigned comment added by Saxonjf (talk) • contribs) 07:40, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Racial Humor[edit]

"Even though some of the humour was stereotypical, it was always done so that the racial element of the joke came from Anderson and no one else."

This is not entirely true. In the days when they did racial humor, it was occasionally instigated by others. For example, this exchange from a 1942 episode in which Jack and Groucho Marx were playing checkers. The dialogue may not be exact, but it went something like:

JACK: Do you want the red checkers or the black?

GROUCHO: It doesn't make any difference to me, Jack. I'm color blind.

JACK: Color blind?

GROUCHO: Yeah, when I came in here, I gave my coat to you, and shook hands with Rochester.

Pretty harmless stuff. —Preceding unsigned comment added by BurkeDevlin (talk • contribs) 17:48, 14 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

"A similar letter came from a correspondent in the South who was angered that on an episode of the radio show where Benny was sparring with Anderson, that Benny allowed himself to be struck by Anderson. Benny retorted in a letter that it would not have been humorous the other way around."

Actually, each of them hit the other in that scene. Rochester was sparring with Jack to help him train for a fight with Fred Allen. Rochester accidentally hit Jack too hard and gave him a black eye. As they continued sparring, Jack landed a blow, and said "Now, I gave you a black eye!", to which Rochester defiantly answered "You'll have to touch me to prove it!" But Benny definitely came out worse in the confrontation. In the end, Rochester accidentally knocked his bridgework loose. It certainly would not have been funny had Rochester come out worse, not only because of racial sensitivities, but because Jack was the show's designated fall guy.

If the correspondent in the South hated that episode, he must have really hated their discussion on the Joe Louis-Jack Roper fight. Jack wanted to bet on Roper, but Rochester told him that the fight was at 10, and Louis was scheduled to speak at their club at 10:15. In full dress! BurkeDevlin (talk) 17:26, 22 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

"According to Jack Benny's posthumous autobiography, Sunday Nights at Seven, the tone of racial humor surrounding Rochester declined as a conscious decision between Benny and the writing staff during World War II, once the enormity of The Holocaust was revealed." Surely the tone of racial humor improved and/or its racist stereotyping declined. Does the author/citer want to fix this? I'm not sure when I'll next be in a library, or have the time to check the source. Great work, by the way, on the article's development! — Preceding unsigned comment added by Douglas Michael Massing (talk • contribs) 18:45, 22 September 2012 (UTC)[reply]

How Rochester became Jack Benny's Valet[edit]

"According to one [Benny] show guest-starring Amos and Andy, Rochester was employed at The Sunshine Taxi Company. In the skit, Benny, in his Maxwell, runs into Rochester's taxi -- while it's up on a grease rack! Amos and Andy want to settle but have no money, so they offer Rochester as a valet. This plotline is referenced in the 1992 Seinfeld episode The Virgin."

While conversely, in an Amos & Andy episode from the 50's, Rochester tries to get a loan from Amos & Andy, and they don't know each other! —Preceding unsigned comment added by BurkeDevlin (talk • contribs) 19:20, 14 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Benny later had an interaction with a different actor on the train, who laughed when Jack asked about when they would arrive in Albuquerque (indicating he had never heard of the place). In later years, Benny and Anderson referenced this conversation as having been between the two of them, and Anderson quipped, "Now if you'll give me my tip, I'll go home to my family."

The above doesn't make sense to me. Can someone clarify?

Besides, I heard on the radio years ago that Anderson was actually serving as a porter on a train in upper New York (?) where Benny and the troupe were riding, and that when Benny heard the voice-- which resembled a train whistle as befits the ultimate porter-- he hired the guy on the spot.Tokerdesigner (talk) 23:21, 14 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I had read (I believe in Jack's autobiography) that the actor playing the porter in rehearsals was a white guy speaking in black dialect. Jack found the contrast between the voice and the actor so funny that he couldn't make it through the scene. He asked for a black actor to play the part, and that's when Anderson entered the picture. Is this story true, and should it be included in the article? 70.41.43.216 (talk) 23:43, 27 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Photo query[edit]

If someone knows the story behind "Jack Benny, camel, and Eddie Anderson disembarking train in Los Angeles, 1943", I'd appreciate them posting it. Is the camel's hat from the old Camel cigarette ads? TIA, Pete Tillman (talk) 00:41, 2 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

House Location[edit]

The original content said the house was on 3553 S Western Ave but it is in fact at 1932 Rochester Circle. Google street view confirms that a lrge mansion is at that address, somewhat out of place with the other houses on the street and in the neighborhood. I think the address of the Foundation itself is the Western Ave location. Alanz01 (talk) 16:29, 9 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The house currently (in late 2014) appears to be rentable and is marketed as "the famed Rochester Mansion", managed by his son Eddie Jr. --Justin Longo, pdf in open governance, Center for Policy Informatics, Arizona State University 17:58, 14 December 2014 (UTC)

Resemblance[edit]

I noticed that Eddie Anderson bears a resemblance to Mantan Moreland, the actor who played Birmingham Brown in the Charlie Chan films.

Anonymous173.74.57.205 (talk) 23:08, 3 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Watermelon Man[edit]

I don't think he was in this movie. I think IMDB has made an error. The drug store soda jerk is Mantan Moreland and Anderson is credited. I tried to find another counter man in the movie and I'm stumped. Does anyone know what's what. Thanks.Longinus876 (talk) 05:32, 2 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

External links modified[edit]

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