I must confess that I had been totally unaware of that clip before last Saturday, and seriously -- call me a sentimental old fluff if you will, but if you don't find that as surprisingly touching as I do, you really need to check your meds.
Our Gen Z readers (heh) may be unaware that Jack was the son of a very popular 30's crooner/sex symbol named Allan Jones, who is remembered today mostly for his romantic lead performances in the Marx Brothers' classics A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races. As for the younger Jones, he was pretty much my favorite Beatles-era pop singer who wasn't a rock-and-roller. He was a fixture on tv variety shows for ages, and back in the day he actually (deservedly) had at least one good hit record -- a version of the Burt Bachrach classic "Wives and Lovers," which garnered him a Grammy in 1964.
Later, of course, he sang the theme from The Love Boat, but don't worry -- I won't inflict THAT on you.
In any event, I always thought he was a very cool guy and a terrific singer, and I'm gonna use his passing as an excuse to recount one of my all time favorite show-biz stories.
So anyway, Jack was on the Sullivan show one Sunday, and during the early afternoon rehearsal (sans audience), after Jack sang his number, Ed called him over (as was his wont with performers when they were done) and ad libbed "So -- is Allan Jones still your father?"
A big laugh from the tech crew ensued (Ed was, shall we say, not known for his sense of humor) and the show's producer said "Ed -- that's hilarious. Make sure you do that when we're on air."
Jack and Ed concurred.
Cut to the actual live broadcast, in front of a genuine theater crowd, later that night.
Jack finishes his number, and Ed calls him over and the following exchange transpires.
Ed: "Hey Jack, c'mon over. That was great."
Jack: "Thank you, Ed."
Ed: [taking a beat] "So -- is your father still alive?"
I am not making that up. Man, what I wouldn't give to find a version of that on YouTube. 😎
And may I say again -- this death shit is really starting to piss me off.
5 comments:
Since Allan Jones outlived Ed Sullivan, the answer to the question was - fortunately - "Yes."
Over the weekend I was listening to some YouTube videos by eco-theologian Michael Dowd, who passed away last year - death is a natural culmination of the living process, he asserted, and, like birth, is also sacred. As it says in the first chapter of Job:
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will depart.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
may the name of the Lord be praised.”
Rev. Dowd asserted there is such a thing as "sweet grief" - we weep for the loss, but the love remains and we can be grateful for it - familiar phrases are so often true - "may their memory be a blessing."
I may seem a little weird - okay, a little MORE weird - by saying this - but people's obituaries can be interesting, and sometimes really give a sense of how the decedent made the world a better place.
That story is funny and also sadly typical. I think it was Ed Sullivan who was the subject of one of Johnny Carson's classic lines: "He couldn't ad-lib a fart at a baked bean dinner." A few years ago, I read Don Rickles' memoir, which is actually a pretty funny and entertaining book, and he recounted a couple of awkward incidents of trying to get Sullivan to trade quick quips with him on stage; Ed's show was a marvelous, powerful showcase for talent but the man could not think on his feet, at least in front of an audience.
You are wise, grasshopper.
I like David Gates and Bread (there, I said it out loud. No "guilty pleasures" for me) and Jack did a whole album of Bread tunes (Bread Winners). Which is great, of course.
Bob in IL
i did not know that, and I will check it out. Thanks!
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