User Reviews

Ordinarily I wouldn't consider reviewing a television episode, but since Humphrey Bogart is my favorite actor, I thought I'd offer some comments on this episode of "The Jack Benny Program". It's an eye opener for several reasons, not so much for Bogey's appearance, but as a time capsule reminder of how naive TV used to be and how much it's changed over half a century.

For openers, I'll mention the opener. Football coach Lou Riddle comes on in one of the many informal type commercials that shows like this used to employ. In a rather convoluted comparison, he somehow manages to equate smoking Lucky Strike cigarettes with athletic prowess, and a comfortable way to wind down after a tough game or practice session. Lucky Strike, or 'Lucky's' was the prime sponsor of the Benny Program, in fact one of Jack's first lines on this show thanks the audience for tuning into the 'Lucky Strike Program'!

Jack goes on to say that his sponsor requested that he try to find a way to do more 'integrated commercials' on the show. That's where the fun starts. The play that's presented is titled 'Babyface', taking place at Precinct 24 in the heart of New York's theater district. Detective Benny's assistants are cast regulars Don Wilson and Bob Crosby (Bing's brother), and after a gag with pickpocket Slim Finger Sara (Sara Berner), 'Babyface' Bogart is brought into the precinct house for questioning about a murder. Benny's character gets heavy handed with Bogey, tugging on the lapels of his trademark trench coat and cuffing him on the shoulder repeatedly; both take repeated fake slaps at each other. When Babyface claims to have a witness to the murder of Blinky Mason, Benny presses him for a description. The witness by the oddest of coincidences was smoking a Lucky Strike; when pressed for assurance, Bogey declares "It was so round, so firm, so fully packed, so free and easy on the draw". He then one ups himself by bouncing his chair while keeping time to the Lucky Strike jingle which he sings, in as surreal a moment as you'll ever likely see the great actor. Immediately after while staying in character, Bogey looks aside while scowling, but it gave me the impression that he might have hated doing that. Or maybe it's because he preferred Chesterfield's.

In fact, that was the odd thing about the entire presentation. While Benny and his cohorts were genuinely having fun, Bogart didn't crack a smile even once throughout his entire appearance. Contrasted with a guest like Bob Hope for example, Benny and his partner would often find themselves doubled over trying not to crack up.

I found the finale odd as well. Instead of having a conversation with his guest star, you have a voice over by Benny as Bogart is seen whispering something to him, with Jack explaining that it was a request to plug Bogey's next movie with Jennifer Jones - "Beat The Devil".

Bogart fans will know that he actually appeared as a character named Babyface Martin in an early starring role, 1937's "Dead End", which introduced appropriately enough, the Dead End Kids. The Jack Benny appearance didn't acknowledge any of his movie characterizations.

If you're looking for a print of the show, a recent two DVD compilation by Diamond Entertainment offers the episode in it's entirety, along with additional shows, including the famous "How Jack Met Mary" (Mary Livingstone) episode. You'll be able to catch Fred Allen, Bob Hope, Liberace and Jayne Mansfield among Jack's guest stars, as well as his regular cast of characters.

"Naive"? Hardly.

In the rather extraordinary opening bit, Benny seems to be kidding the fact that American Tobacco, which owns the program (not a sponsor in the sense we use the word today), is pushing him to get a Lucky Strike commercial out of guest Bogart. Bogart probably didn't want to do it at this point in his career. Talk about self-referential — the third degree in the actual skit is sophisticated stuff. After Bogart sings Lucky Strike jingle, Benny says, "I knew I could get him to talk."

Bogart provided an endorsement to Brown & Williamson (Raleigh) in 1946. Lauren Bacall guested on Benny's show and did a spot for Lucky Strike (American Tobacco) in 1947 — on the release of The Big Sleep. Bogart appeared on that show as well, although he stayed out of the commercial/testimonial segment of the skit.

The way American worked its Hollywood endorsements was to pay for the "performance" — i.e., showing up on one of its programs — and for 1-2 years' exclusivity (no endorsements of competing brands). That way, it could claim that it didn't pay for the "testimonial," a sensitive point with the public and, historically, with the Federal Trade Commission. Appearances and testimonial print ads almost always plugged the star's current film and studio.

The going rate for tobacco endorsements from top stars in the late 1930s and 1940s was $5,000 a year. Assuming Bogart and Bacall each got $5,000 from American in 1947 and Bogart got another $5,000 in 1953, then American gave the couple the 2007 equivalent of $132,000 for associating with Luckies.

Bogart also used what looks very much like a pocket pack (drawstring bag and rolling papers together) of Bull Durham tobacco throughout The Maltese Falcon (1941); this is another American Tobacco product. The product placement would have been compensated, more likely to the studio (Warner Bros.) than to the star.

Four years after this 1953 Jack Benny commercial for Luckies, Bogart would be dead from throat cancer.

Sources: Tobacco industry documents at legacy.library.ucsf.edu (includes American's copy of the continuity of this program, as broadcast; Bacall's appearance on the 1947 program; production contract with Benny; numerous actors' cigarette testimonials, releases and agreements with American Tobaco and Liggett & Myers)

A readable and well-sourced history of film product placement and the internal and external controversies it sparked from the beginning of the film industry is:

Product Placement in Hollywood Films: A History, by Kerry Segrave (MacFarland & Co.) 2004.