SHAKESPEARE

Alternative title

Doc Benny’s Minstrels - Romeo and Juliet

Synopsis

Radio variety show. This episode parodies Cukor’s feature film ROMEO AND JULIET (1936) using the balcony scene with verbal gags and slapstick business to parody and comment on the high-minded tone of the film. The sponsor (Jell-O) comments that the audience may not be familiar with the film so Benny decides to present a minstrel show. Much of the racist jokes which ensue spring from the assumption that Shakespeare is ‘highbrow’ with lofty language and black dialect lacks this sophistication. Macbeth, Antony and Othello Jell-O also vie for Juliet’s affections.

Series

Jack Benny Program, The

Language

English

Country

United States

Medium

Radio

Transmission details

1 Nov 1936 at 19:00 (Channel: NBC Blue)

Duration

30 mins

Credits

Director

Hilliard Marks

Cast

Jack Benny

Additional Details

Production type

Sitcoms/Variety

Plays

Romeo and Juliet

Keywords

race relations; Shakespeare, William (1564-1616)

Notes

Reviews

Lanier, Douglas ‘WSHX - Shakespeare and American Radio’ in Burt, Richard (ed) Shakespeare After Mass Media. New York: Palgrave, 2002. p. 205-6.

Production Company

Name

NBC

Sponsor

Name

Jell-O

Archive

Name

UCLA Film & Television Archive

Email

arsc@ucla.edu

Web

http://www.cinema.ucla.edu/access/databases.html External site opens in new window

Phone

(310) 206 5388

Fax

(310) 206 5392

Address

Individual Access
Archive Study and Research Center
46 Powell Library
302 East Melnitz
Los Angeles
CA90095-1323
USA

Online Retailer

Name

otr.com

Email

order@otr.cat

Web

http://www.otrcat.com External site opens in new window

Address

OTR Cat
PO Box 19234
Lenexa
KS 66285
USA