"Veteran
Actor Eddie Carroll has created a flawless and moving reincarnation of
show business legend Jack Benny with such a precise duplication that
you could just substitute a TV screen and be transported back through
the years. It's Jack Benny in the flesh making us laugh and telling us
about his life, and if you liked Benny, or if you like entertainment
at all, this show is highly recommended..."
- Weekly Theater Review
Carroll's
performance is startlingly on the mark in look, attitude, vocal
inflection, movement and reaction time..."
- Los Angeles Times
"Eddie
Carroll has his character down with breath-taking accuracy."
- Hollywood Reporter
"Funny...
Nostalgic... A rare treat for Benny Fans..."
- Los Angeles Magazine
"Anybody
who ever loved Jack Benny (and that includes most everyone) should rush to
this wonderful performance of comedy and nostalgia."
- Variety
"An
evening of pure joy and laughter...this is one performance you don't want
to miss"
- L.A. LIFE-Daily News
Jack Benny was more than a
show-business Legend. His Droll delivery dead-pan stare, his unique
stance and walk and of course, the hand on the cheek and the ever
famous... WELL!!, all became famous trademarks known by millions.
He was the undisputed
master of comedy timing and delivery and for forty-three years on radio
and television he patently created a character that was always
thirty-nine years old and a penny pinching cheapskate who became an
American institution.
Jack Benny's life is a
fascinating success story- nostalgic, heart-warming and great fun.
You'll laugh at his timeless humor and learn of his humble beginnings,
joys and disappointments, and his struggle to succeed until he emerged
as America's best known and most loved comedian.
When a man
can leave as much of himself as Jack Benny left us, then he can never
truly be gone. He simply becomes...Immortal.
Eddie Carroll's achievements have spanned every area of show
business- The Broadway stage, motion pictures, television, movies of the
week, a weekly TV series and especially his award winning one-man show,
JACK BENNY- "Laughter in Bloom".
His Original production
opened in Los Angeles to unanimous praise and has continued to fill
theaters with laughter across America, as well as showrooms in Atlantic
City and Las Vegas.
His performance has earned
front-cover stories in major newspapers and magazines and has won
numerous honors and awards, including the coveted
Golden Mike Award for Entertainment excellence and The
Preservation of Broadcast history. On Television, he has been singled
out for in-depth profiles on HEADLINE NEWS, TURNER BROADCASTING, CNN and
ABC-TV's Entertainment Magazine.
Carroll's vivid portrayal of Benny's reality and humanity has
placed him in the same company as Hollbrook's "Mark Twain"... Whitmore's
"Will Rogers"... and Robert Morse in "TRU".
He has the enthusiastic
support of the Benny family & estate, the International Jack Benny Fan
Club and in Benny's home town of Waukegan, IL. The city council voted
unanimously, proclaiming Eddie Carroll the Honorary Mayor of Waukegan,
IL.
You watch transfixed, as Jack Benny
suddenly appears before us... Carroll doesn't just do Benny... He IS
Benny!
-San Francisco Chronicle
Press
Release
Veteran stage and
television actor Eddie Carroll's one-man show..."JACK BENNY/LAUGHTER IN
BLOOM", goes beyond mere imitation of Benny's familiar catch phrases and
mannerisms.
It's a captivating evening
of theater that has Jack Benny himself leading us on a fascinating tour
of his rich and colorful life and illustrious career that spanned six
decades...from vaudeville to films, from the Broadway Stage to radio and
television, to concerts and personal appearances.
Carroll, who researched
and penned the show himself, spent months preparing for the role and
perfecting every facet and nuance of Benny's persona... from his walk,
body language and gestures, to his voice, timing and delivery. "I didn't
want to just imitate Benny or do an impression", says Carroll. "An
impression is basically a caricature with overly exaggerated vocal
traits and gestures. My goal as an actor was to re-create Benny's honest
reality and the true humanity of the man." As a result, Carroll's
performance is no stand-up comedy act or routine, but an award winning,
Broadway-quality theatrical presentation that is in the same class as
Hal Hollbrook's "Mark Twain", James Whitmore's "Will Rogers", Robert
Morse's "Tru", and Frank Gorshin's current production of "Say Goodnight
Gracie".
As one critic
wrote..."Carroll doesn't just do Benny... He IS BENNY. Before your eyes
he truly becomes the beloved comedian, capturing his endearing nature,
dwelling in his spirit, as well as his shadow."
The show opens with a
short film of some of Benny's funniest TV moments and ends with a
freeze-frame of Benny in his typical pose. As the image slowly fades to
the strains of "Love In Bloom", Carroll is illuminated on stage left, in
the same pose we have just seen on the screen. By the time Carroll takes
center stage, the audience has made the transition that Jack Benny is
truly there in person. For the next hour and forty minutes, the audience
is transported on a nostalgic journey as they learn of Benny's childhood
as Benjamin Kubelsky growing up in Waukegan, IL...his personal struggles
and failures, and eventual success in Vaudeville and meteoric rise in
radio and television. He also shares insights into his personal life and
hilarious anecdotes of cast-mates and other stars that fill the theater
with heart, warmth, great memories and wall-to-wall laughter.
Carroll, (who's diverse
career spans four decades in the theater, a television series, countless
TV shows and the voice of Jiminy Cricket since 1973) has been performing
"Jack Benny/ Laughter In Bloom" for more than a decade and continues to
draw sell-out performances where ever it plays. As Carroll says,
"Nothing has given me as much pleasure as doing this show. I feel
privileged to carry on Benny's legacy with respect and dignity and to
continue keeping his image alive."
Jack Benny was more than a
show business legend. He became an American Institution and enjoyed more
audience identification than any other entertainer. Even today his
classic trademarks are still recognized and known to millions. With his
incomparable approach to comedy, no one could steal his material or copy
his style or timing. He was a class act who stood alone and was
respected and revered by his peers. In a recent poll, he was voted as
America's most loved comedian and one of the top five entertainers of
all time.
When a man can leave as
much of himself as Jack left us, then he can never truly be gone.
He simply becomes...
Immortal.
Biography
Eddie Carroll's
achievements in the entertainment
field have spanned every area of show business - the Broadway stage,
motion pictures, television, movies of the week, a weekly series and
especially his acclaimed one-man show Jack Benny - Laughter In Bloom.
His original Jack Benny production
opened in Los Angeles to unanimous praise from audiences and critics
alike. Since then, he has continued to perform the show in theaters
across North America, as well as engagements in Las Vegas, Reno and
Atlantic City. His performance has earned front-cover stories in major
newspapers
including the Los Angeles Times and the
Daily News and the entertainment industry has lauded his show with
numerous honors, including the coveted Golden Mike Award for
Entertainment Excellence and the Preservation of Broadcast History.
On television, he has been singled out
for in-depth profiles on CNN, TURNER BROADCASTING and
HEADLINE
NEWS, as well as the featured story on ABC-TV's ENTERTAINMENT
MAGAZINE. Eddie's television career began with the MGM series THE
LIEUTENANT, followed by a recurring role on the GOMER PYLE show. A long
list of television credits followed including such classic shows as MARY
TYLER MOORE, ALL IN THE FAMILY, ONE DAY AT A TIME, FANTASY ISLAND, LIFE
WITH LUCY, LOVE AMERICAN STYLE, plus recurring roles on the popular
MAUDE and ALICE series. Eddie has also appeared with such luminaries as
BOB HOPE, BING CROSBY, MILTON BERLE and ironically
JACK BENNY
on their television specials. Numerous appearances on the famed
HOLLYWOOD PALACE show with DON KNOTTS led to co-starring with Don
on a weekly NBC series. His current TV credits continue with guest
starring roles on FRASIER and SPY-TV.
On stage, he has played leading roles
in musicals, drama and comedy in more than two dozen theater productions
from Los Angeles to New York, where he appeared in "Legends On
Broadway". He also had the unique experience of breaking new ground in
the theater, by playing two roles simultaneously. He portrayed
Jack Benny playing the fastidious Felix Unger in a new adaptation of
Neil Simon's, "The Odd Couple". Critics said, "Juggling two roles at
once is a precarious undertaking for any actor, but Carroll plays it
just right... a superior performance marked by nuance and sharp timing."
A native of Edmonton, Alberta, Eddie
got his start in Canadian theater and working as a writer in radio and
television. An NBC scholarship for a new talent brought him to Los
Angeles and he was soon drafted into the army where he wrote and
produced shows for Armed Forces Radio and Television. Pursuing his
acting career after the service, Eddie expanded his other talents with a
comedy Album, writing songs that led to a recording contract and writing
songs for other artists, including a hit single ("How Is Julie") for THE
LETTERMEN singing group.
During this time, Eddie and actor Jamie
Farr formed Carroll-Farr Productions and were soon involved in creating
and developing projects and pilots for ABC, CBS, SCREEN GEMS/COLUMBIA
and HANNA-BARBERRA. In addition, they created a television series "MAN
TO MAN" and wrote and co-produced a full season of episodes for MGM-TV.
Over the years, Eddie has also appeared
in over two hundred commercials and used his voice-over talents in more
than a hundred animation, radio and television spots. An additional
pursuit that gives him great personal satisfaction is working on current
projects for the Walt Disney Company, as the voice of Jiminy Cricket, a
privilege he continues to enjoy since 1973.
An honorary member of the famed Friars
Club, Eddie also serves on the board of directors of the prestigious
Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters, a membership of more than seven hundred
professionals who have worked in radio and television for more than
twenty years. Each year, they hold five special events to honor the
achievements of prominent actors, entertainers, directors, producers and
writers who have distinguished themselves in the Broadcast media. The
organization also has the distinction of building a library that has
compiled the largest collection of radio and television memorabilia in
existence.
Eddie and his wife Carolyn, who is a
Doctor of Psychology, have been married since 1963. They have two grown
children, Tina, who is an artist and actress and Leland who has a
successful practice as a Doctor of Kinesiology and Chiropractic. When
not on tour, Eddie and Carolyn relax at home in Encino, a suburb of the
San Fernando Valley. Carolyn is currently writing a book on "Touring
the World with a Husband and Two Suitcases!"
