The Meanest Man In The World

The Meanest Man in the World... Well, Almost!
Writers George Seaton and Allan House rewrote this play to fit the comedic talents of the legendary Jack Benny. Benny plays a friendly lawyer with the image of being a tightwad. Things are not going well in his professional or personal life. Benny is then convinced by his valet, Anderson, to become mean and uncaring and his business will become successful. Benny agrees and he becomes a financial success. But his girlfriend, played by the beautiful and talented Priscilla Lane, doesn't like the new personality and promptly dumps him. After a highly publicized photo of Benny taking candy from a baby he's dubbed "The Meanest Man in the World" by the New York City papers. Can Benny change his new found image? Can he win the respect of the girl he loves? Can he find his redemption? This is a Benny movie worthy of belonging to your collection.

For Benny Completists Only
Some of my fondest memories as a kid was rushing home from school to watch repeats of "The Jack Benny Program" on UHF. I loved Jack's deadpan delivery, his tightwad persona, and his supporting cast. His influence would later be exhibited by performers like Johnny Carson and Bob Newhart. This film disappointed me somewhat. At a brief 57 minutes it seems a little stretched out. Even at half the running time there's not enough material sufficient for a single episode of Jack's TV show. Highlights of the film are the exchanges between Jack and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson. Divorce those moments and your not really left with much. Not a complete waste of time but not on the level of Jack's other screen ventures like "Charley's Aunt" or "To Be or Not To Be".

Entertaining Old Movie
Good old Jack Benny comedy. Made during the war. I remembered it from seeing it in my youth, so it made some sort of lasting impression. Upon seeing it now, much of the humor might be considered racist, but Rochester gave it to Benny even more than Benny gave it to Rochester.

I enjoyed it. Definitely a B (budget) movie..

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