George Balzer | |
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Born | Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S. | September 1, 1915
Died | September 28, 2006 91) | (aged
Occupation | Radio/TV Writer |
George Balzer (September 1, 1915 - September 28, 2006) was an American screenwriter and television producer.
Balzer was born to a Roman Catholic family [1] in Erie, Pennsylvania, and spent most of his career writing for Jack Benny. He died In September 2006 at age 91, in Van Nuys, California. [2] [3]
George Burns was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer, and one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, radio, film, and television. His arched eyebrow and cigar-smoke punctuation became familiar trademarks for over three-quarters of a century. He and his wife Gracie Allen appeared on radio, television and film as the comedy duo Burns and Allen.
Jack Benny was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success playing the violin on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century with a highly popular comedic career in radio, television, and film. He was known for his comic timing and the ability to cause laughter with a long pause or a single expression, such as his signature exasperated summation "Well! "
Goodman Ace, born Goodman Aiskowitz, was an American humorist, radio writer and comedian, television writer, and magazine columnist.
The Phil Silvers Show, originally titled You'll Never Get Rich, is a sitcom which ran on the CBS Television Network from 1955 to 1959. A pilot titled "Audition Show" was made in 1955, but it was never broadcast. 143 other episodes were broadcast – all half-an-hour long except for a 1959 one-hour live special. The series starred Phil Silvers as Master Sergeant Ernest G. Bilko of the United States Army.
Wonga Philip Harris was an American actor, bandleader, entertainer and singer. He was an orchestra leader and a pioneer in radio situation comedy, first with The Jack Benny Program, then in The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show in which he co-starred with his wife, singer-actress Alice Faye, for eight years. Harris is also noted for his voice acting in animated films. As a voice actor, he played Baloo in The Jungle Book (1967), Thomas O'Malley in The Aristocats (1970), Little John in Robin Hood (1973), and Patou in Rock-a-Doodle (1991). As a singer, he recorded a number one novelty hit record, "The Thing" (1950).
The Jack Benny Program, starring Jack Benny, is a radio and television comedy series. The show ran for over three decades, from 1932 to 1955 on radio, and from 1950 to 1965 on television. It won numerous awards, including the 1959 and 1961 Emmy Awards for Best Comedy Series, and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th-century American comedy.
Beatrice Benaderet was an American actress and comedienne. Born in New York City and raised in San Francisco, she began performing in Bay Area theatre and radio before embarking on a Hollywood career that spanned over three decades. Benaderet first specialized in voice-over work in the golden age of radio, appearing on numerous programs while working with comedians of the era such as Jack Benny, Burns and Allen, and Lucille Ball. Her expertise in dialect and characterization led to her becoming Warner Bros.' leading voice of female characters in their animated cartoons of the early 1940s through the mid-1950s.
George Robert Crosby was an American jazz singer and bandleader, best known for his group the Bob-Cats, which formed around 1935. The Bob-Cats were a New Orleans Dixieland-style jazz octet. He was the younger brother of famed singer and actor Bing Crosby. On TV, Bob Crosby guest-starred in The Gisele MacKenzie Show. He was also a regular cast member of The Jack Benny Program, on both radio and television, taking over the role of bandleader after Phil Harris' departure. Crosby hosted his own afternoon TV variety show on CBS, The Bob Crosby Show (1953–1957). Crosby received two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for television and radio.
Will Jordan was an American character actor and stand-up comedian best known for his resemblance to, and impressions of, television host and newspaper columnist Ed Sullivan.
Frank Brandon Nelson was an American comedic actor best known for playing put-upon foils on radio and television, and especially for his "EEE-Yeeeeeeeeesssss?" catchphrase.
Don Wilson was an American announcer and actor in radio and television, with a Falstaffian vocal presence, remembered best as the rotund announcer and comic foil to the star of The Jack Benny Program.
Milt Josefsberg was an American screenwriter.
Mary Livingstone was an American radio comedienne and actress. She was the wife and radio partner of comedian Jack Benny.
Hyman JackAverback was an American radio, television, and film actor who eventually became a producer and director.
Edmund Lincoln Anderson was an American actor and comedian. To a generation of early radio and television comedy he was known as "Rochester".
John Tackaberry was a radio writer for The Jack Benny Show.
The year 2006 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting.
Arthur Auerbach, was an American comic actor and professional photographer who became famous as "Mr. Kitzel", first on the Al Pearce radio show in 1937 then as a regular on the Jack Benny radio show for 12 years, and on The Abbott and Costello radio show during the 1940s. He also worked with Phil Baker before joining the Jack Benny Show.
Harold "Hal" Goodman was an American producer and screenwriter. He wrote for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, with his partner Larry Klein.
Hugh Thomas Wedlock Jr. was an American screenwriter. He worked with Howard Snyder writing for Jack Benny's radio and television program The Jack Benny Program; he also wrote for The Red Skelton Show and The Gisele MacKenzie Show. Wedlock died in December 1993 of heart failure in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 85.