I've made mention on this site several times of a great old burlesque comedian named Irv Benson. Many years ago on a trip to Reno, I dragged a friend of mine — a fine cartoonist named Shary Flenniken, who went along to humor me — to the old Sahara Hotel there to see a show called The Penthouse Pet Revue. It wasn't that I wanted to see Penthouse Pets parading about in the near-nude. It wasn't even that I wanted to see the show's headliners, the singing duo of Sandler and Young. I just wanted to see the comedic interludes, which were provided by the last surviving straight man from the Minsky's days, Dexter Maitland, and his partner, Irv Benson. Even Shary, who was dubious on the way in, had to admit that they were very funny.
Thereafter, I'd go to Vegas now and then to see them…usually in the long-running Minsky's Burlesque Revue at the old Hacienda Hotel. I also saw Irv once without Dexter. The Plaza Hotel (then the Union Plaza) had a dreadful, cut-down version of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum which starred Alan Young in the Zero Mostel role. Young was great and so was Benson in the role of the befuddled old man…though Mr. Benson didn't stick particularly to the script and was for some reason telling Liberace jokes in Ancient Rome. I dragged my friend Marv Wolfman to that one. Another time in Vegas, I dragged Len Wein and Marv to the Hacienda to see the Minsky's show there. Even they admitted that watching Maitland and Benson performing ancient routines was as good as or better than the parts of the show involving women with no clothing.
One trip, I got to spend some time with Dexter Maitland who, I'm sad to report, passed away some time ago. I'm not sure when but he must have been close to 100. Irv, I am happy to report, is alive and well and nearing his 94th birthday. Even better is that he is the subject of a forthcoming documentary that I'm sure eager to see. Here's a preview…
