"Your Money or Your Life"!??

Starter of this subject: Lamont Cranston
Last post in this subject: 12/8/2000
Messages in this subject: 5

Lamont Cranston 12/8/2000
5 replies
There's a brou-ha-ha on one of the movie groups about who the gonif was that told Jack Benny,"Your money or your life!". Apparently the bit was repeated over the years, and folks remember Mel Blanc, Sheldon Leonard, and even Eddie Marr!! Can anyone mention how many recreations and *who* were the usual suspects. I believe Eddie Marr was the original.
Jim Stokes 12/8/2000
4 replies
Good one! To my ears, the voice was Mel Blanc. Voice had a nasal, caricatured Brooklyn accent. And I say caricatured because all the people I know from Brooklyn really don't sound like that! Anyway, I think I am safe in saying it was Mel Blanc.

Sheldon Leonard was the guy who always stopped Jack to give him tips of race horses. His usual greeting was, "Hey, bud. Over hear." Then Jack would walk over to him and SL would give him a non sequitor tip, something like "It's Girdle in the stretch."

The voice did not sound exactly like another actor whop would only occassionally be on the show, Elliot Lewis. He played the drunken musician in Phil Harris's band. Elliot Lewis did appear a lot on Phil Harris's own radio show, The Fitch Bandwagon.

Again, narrowing down voice quality and ability to caracature, it had to be Mel Blanc. :)

Jim Stokes

Don Neagle 12/9/2000
3 replies
By the way, my wife and I were in L.A. a few years ago and saw Mel Blanc's grave. His gravestone says MEL BLANC MAN OF A THOUSAND VOICES...and below, it says THAT'S ALL FOLKS.
Walt 12/11/2000
2 replies
To my ear, I don't believe it was either Mel nor Sheldon. I don't recognize the voice as a 'regular'.

FYI, the episode was 3/28/48 if someone wants to try identifying the actor.

Scott T 12/12/2000
0 replies
Who played the robber on Jack's Tv show?

Lamont Cranston 12/12/2000
0 replies
Eddie Marr was the original. Blanc joined him next week on the Bing Crosby follow up. I think the Sheldon Leonard mix-up comes from the tv show. "Psst, hey bud, don't buy the chiclets - they're boxed in."