Lunedi Lunacy

There was a day when television comedy had an innocence about it - no f-bombs, sexual innuendo was subtle and stereotypes were played out for their comedic value. Strange how today it is the stereotypes that are considered verboten and anything else goes.

Here's a truly - in my not so humble opinion - funny routine by one of the greats with another of the greats. 

Mel Blanc was the man who put much of the Looney in Looney Tunes and Jack Benny was the everyone's skinflint uncle burden with the fear of growing old.   He was always 39 years old and a penny saved was a penny in that vault under his house protected by alligators and Ed the Guard who had been on duty since Jack turned 38.

As a sidebar we use to kid my father, who made no bones of being in his late 50s, about being a "Jack Benny 39" which led to an unfortunate misunderstanding the night he had his second stroke.  It was 2:30 am when my mother woke me to say my father was ill and she had called the local ambulance.  Though not quite the country we lived far enough away that the fire trucks arrived first.  As they applied oxygen one of the fireman started taking down information.   He asked my mother how old my father was.  Without missing a beat she answered, "Thirty-nine".  He looked at my father and then back at my mother, no doubt thoroughly confused.  "Thirty-nine, ma'm?"  My mother simply nodded numbly.  It wasn't until we got to the hospital that we assured them it was a "Jack Benny 39".

September 15 - 1616: The first non-aristocratic, free public school in Europe is opened in Frascati, Italy.