Jack Benny’s comedy career flourished in his long-running radio and TV show, but he also found time to be a movie star along the way. This new Blu-ray compiles two of his 1930s star turns in one package, providing a double feature of Benny hijinks.
Buy Jack Benny Comedy Classics: Artists and Models/Man About TownArtists and Models (1937) is unabashed studio product, with a disjointed, nearly nonexistent plot constantly sidetracked by musical bits having no relation to the film. It’s as if Paramount just called in whatever stars were on the lot each day and asked them to pitch in for a song, cobbling together a variety show of unrelated talent. The most egregious example of this is the flashy finale song starring Martha Raye and Louis Armstrong, who appear nowhere else in the film and have no reason to show up at the end. Also, the film weakly explains the “artists” part of its title during a throwaway sequence at a charity ball where notable contemporary artists are drawing live for auction, including appearances by Peter Arno and Rube Goldberg.
The story, such as it is, centers on Benny’s efforts to land a big advertising contract for his firm. His earthy girlfriend Paula (Ida Lupino) is an in-demand model, but the highbrow client is looking for a classy society dame, ruling her out as a candidate. Mac (Benny) lines up a great candidate while Paula independently utilizes subterfuge to put herself in the lead position for both the job and the client’s heart, resulting in a showdown with careers and romance on the line. Lupino’s quest seems to take up more screen time than Benny’s, and his lack of song and dance talents and scant comedic lines result in him becoming a peripheral character in his own top-billed film.
Man About Town (1939) benefits from a much more focused story and snappy dialogue for Benny, allowing him to shine. He plays Broadway producer Bob Temple on the road with his troupe in London, where he’s run into some girl trouble with his glamorous star, Diana (Dorothy Lamour). Since she doesn’t take his affections seriously, he sets out to make her jealous by cozying up to the fancy local Lady Arlington who is neglected by her banker husband. The romantic entanglements come to a head during a weekend in the country (just like the Sondheim song) at Arlington’s house, where Arlington’s friend also aims to use Bob to make her man jealous. It’s all charming fun with fewer song interruptions that are contributed by actual cast members, not pop-in cameos.
The sequencing for this package is a bit odd, with Man About Town listed first on the front cover but last on the spine and back cover description. Even more strangely, Artists and Models had a follow-up Benny film released in between these two films, Artists and Models Abroad (1938), making it a real head-scratcher why it wasn’t used for the obvious double bill.
No restoration information is provided, but the transfers are mostly clear of defects. Fine detail is a bit soft, with passable contrast levels that remain consistent. Bonus features consist of the theatrical trailers and commentary tracks by film historians for each film.
While Benny isn’t a particularly dynamic performer on his own in these films, largely serving as the straight man, he’s surrounded by plenty of variety act talent to make for a pleasant matinee double feature. The film plots don’t amount to much, but the performers put on fun shows.
