How good a violinist was Jack Benny? Allegedly a competent one, the owner of a Stradivarius, who mined the comedic potential of “bad playing.”
Benny in duet with 12 year-old Talia Marcus:
Later, he repeats the gag with a young Dylana Jenson, who went on to make that classic record of the Sibelius concerto with Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdQa-TaQvPs
Benny with Jascha Heifetz (radio):
Benny episode (television) featuring Isaac Stern and “Man of 1000 Voices” Mel Blanc as Benny’s music teacher. Note how Blanc’s characterization morphs into Yosemite Sam in moments of pique.
Benny and Stern play Bach at Carnegie Hall to raise money for American symphony orchestras:
Jack Benny Fiddles with the Classics:
Dylana Jenson plays the Sibelius concerto at the old Academy of Music in Philadelphia. Norman Carol is the concertmaster. Ormandy conducts. The RCA recording, made under studio conditions, was issued shortly after.
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