Over on his weblog, writer-sportscaster Ken Levine is telling tales of his encounters with the late/great Jack Benny. A loyal reader (and good tipper) of this weblog has asked me to tell the story of my one encounter with Jack Benny. And he caused me to realize I've never told that story here. So here is the story of the one time I met Jack Benny for all of about twenty seconds.
It's 1961 or 1962, which means I'm nine or ten years old. It's a Sunday. My parents and I go over to a little park that is located not far from our home at the intersection where Santa Monica Boulevard crosses Wilshire Boulevard. There's a little fountain there which is, after dark, illuminated by lovely colored lights…but this is the afternoon and we're just sitting on benches there, getting out of the house for a while.
My father decides he'd like a copy of the Sunday Herald-Examiner, which can be procured from a newsstand on the southwest corner of that intersection. The park is on the northeast corner. I am handed the proper coinage and dispatched to fetch the paper, which I do happily because I'm bored silly at the park. I cross the streets, stopping dutifully at each corner to press the little button that causes the "walk" sign to appear.
I am on my way back with the newspaper and I am waiting for the light to change. It's a long light. Standing next to me is a man wearing a Hawaiian shirt, shorts, high black knee socks and leather shoes. It is Jack Benny. I recognize him and it actually dawns on me that I am dressed more or less like an adult and he is dressed like a ten year old kid. Mr. Benny sees the odd look on my face and says, with a hint of a smile, "You don't know who I am, do you?"
I say, "You're waiting for Rochester to pick you up."
Mr. Benny gives me a look that everyone who has ever seen him on TV would recognize. It's a look that says, "I can't believe these things happen to me." But I can tell he's actually delighted that a kid my age knows who he is.
And then the light changes, the "walk" signal comes on, I head back to the park and that is the end of my only Jack Benny story. I wish I had another, longer one.