Jack Benny and Senator McCarthy

When I first started this blog, my rough, informal mission statement was to explore what we could learn about our history and culture by looking at pop culture from previous decades. It's probably what I love best about listening to radio shows, watching old movies, and reading old comics.

Today at the gym I almost fell off the treadmill when Jack Benny made a crack about Senator Joe McCarthy.

Senator McCarthy is famous for his witchhunt-style brand of exposing communists in the United States government. It was called 'McCarthyism'. I'm very familiar with McCarthy and his effect on the 1950's. Maybe not because of what he did directly, but what he did indirectly. It was suddenly okay to attack anything which was perceived as un-American. Without first clearly defining what being American was. I view it as a dark, ignorant time in our nation's past. It's because of McCarthyism that Dr. Frederick Wertham was able to attack and cripple the comic book industry with poorly researched facts and a poorly written book. And it's because of the influence of McCarthy that the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was able to attack Hollywood and get the practice of blacklisting started up again.

Which is one of the reasons I was surprised to hear Jack mention McCarthy.





It was the April 16th, 1950 episode. Jack was going down into his basement vault for some money. A reoccurring bit that involves Jack's security guard, Ed, who hasn't seen the light of day in decades. Jack asks Ed to turn around while he works the combination lock. Ed asks Jack if he'd like him to "recite an oath of loyalty". Jack says "No, Ed, Senator McCarthy hasn't listed you yet."

The studio audience loved it.

This struck me as odd for several reasons. My first thought was that it was just too close to home. Why poke the bear that's indirectly responsible for Hollywood blacklisting? My second thought was how odd it was to hear Jack Benny mention politics.

But this was me jumping to mid-treadmill-based conclusions. First, Jack wasn't getting political. Like comedians of today, he was merely being topical. Senator McCarthy made a speech in Wheeling, WV in February of 1950 that made reference to a list he had of employees in the State Department that were communist sympathizers. According to the minimal research I've done, that's what got the McCarthy witch hunt ball rolling. And it must have been a really big deal in the minds of the American public for Jack to make the joke in April of that same year and the audience to have such a big reaction to it.

As for HUAC, that madness wasn't to start until 1951. So at the time Jack made the joke, he didn't know he had anything to worry about. He wasn't "poking the bear", he was "referencing the public figure".

I obviously feel very strongly about Senator McCarthy and what happened back then. And I've read a lot about that particular time period. But this is the first time I've stumbled onto it through the pop culture of the time. I wasn't expecting it from Jack Benny. Hence my treadmill stumbling and recovery. Just thank goodness that this time I recovered.

Thanks,
DCD