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Eddie "Rochester" Anderson

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Eddie "Rochester" Anderson
Anderson c. 1947
Born
Edmund Lincoln Anderson

(1905-09-18)September 18, 1905
Oakland, California, U.S.
DiedFebruary 28, 1977(1977-02-28) (aged 71)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeEvergreen Cemetery, Los Angeles, California
Other namesEddie "Rochester" Anderson
Rochester
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
Years active1919–1973
Known forRochester Van Jones on The Jack Benny Program
Spouses
Mamie Wiggins Nelson
​
​
(m. 1939; died 1954)​
Eva Simon
​
​
(m. 1956; div. 1973)​
Children4
Signature

Edmund Lincoln Anderson (September 18, 1905 – February 28, 1977) was an American actor and comedian. To a generation of early radio and television comedy he was known as "Rochester".

Anderson entered show business as a teenager on the vaudeville circuit. In the early 1930s, he transitioned into films and radio. In 1937, he began his role of Rochester van Jones, usually known simply as Rochester, the valet of Jack Benny on the NBC radio show The Jack Benny Program. Anderson became the first African American to have a regular role on a nationwide radio program. When the series moved to CBS television in 1950, Anderson continued in the role until the series ended in 1965.

After the series ended, Anderson remained active with guest-starring roles on television and voice work in animated series. He was also an avid horse-racing fan who owned several race horses and worked as a horse trainer at the Hollywood Park Racetrack. He was married twice and had four children. He died of heart disease in February 1977 at the age of 71.

Early life

[edit]

Anderson was born in Oakland, California. His father, "Big Ed" Anderson, was a minstrel performer, while his mother Ella Mae had been a tightrope walker until her career was ended by a fall.[1][2] He described himself as a descendant of slaves who were able to leave the South during the Civil War through the Underground Railroad.[3] At the age of ten, Anderson and his family moved from Oakland to San Francisco. He left school when he was 14 to work as an errand boy to help his family.[4]

Stagestruck at an early age, he spent much of his free time waiting at stage doors and playing on street corners with his friend and brother, Cornelius.[4] Anderson briefly tried being a jockey, but had to abandon it when he became too heavy.[5] Anderson started in show business as part of an all African American revue at age 14; he had previously won an amateur contest at a vaudeville theater in San Francisco.[5] Anderson joined the cast of Struttin' Along in 1923 and was part of Steppin' High both as a dancer and as one of the Three Black Aces with his brother Cornelius in 1924.[5] He later worked in vaudeville with Cornelius.[1][2] Anderson began adding comedy to his song-and-dance act in 1926. During one of his vaudeville tours to the East Coast, Anderson first met Jack Benny, but they only exchanged greetings and shook hands.[5]

Anderson's vocal cords were ruptured when he was a youngster selling newspapers in San Francisco, a job that required loud shouting. The permanent damage left him with his trademark gravelly voice.[6] Anderson started in show business as a dancer, but it was his uniquely recognizable voice that brought him to stardom.[7][8]

Career

[edit]

The Jack Benny Program

[edit]
Jack Benny and Eddie Anderson disembark from a train in Los Angeles in 1943 with a camel.

Anderson's first appearance on The Jack Benny Program was on March 28, 1937.[9][10] He was originally hired to play the one-time role of a redcap for a storyline in which the show traveled from Chicago to California by train, which coincided with the show's actual return to NBC's Radio City West in Hollywood after a brief stint in New York.[3] Anderson, who was working as a comedian in Los Angeles, won the role after an audition.[4]

Five weeks after Anderson's first appearance on the Benny program, he was called for another role on the show, this time as a waiter in a restaurant serving the cast.[9] Several weeks later, Anderson was called back once again for the part of a man who had a financial disagreement with Benny.[11]

After the show received a large amount of mail about Anderson's appearances, Benny invited him to join the cast as his butler and valet Rochester van Jones, making him the first African American with a regular role on a nationwide radio program.[9][11][12] Anderson first appeared as Rochester on the program of June 20, 1937.[13]

Most of the cast: Eddie Anderson, Dennis Day, Phil Harris, Mary Livingstone, Jack Benny, Don Wilson and Mel Blanc

Neither Benny nor Anderson could recall the origin of the name of Rochester for the character.[1][3] Anderson always credited Benny, saying that the name was copyrighted and that Benny later sold the rights to him for a dollar.[14] Several episodes offered origin stories for Rochester, including an Amos 'n' Andy backstory.[15] A later television show explained that Benny met Rochester on a railroad train, with Benny responsible for Rochester being fired and then hiring him as a valet.[16]

Benny became frustrated with Anderson's habitual tardiness and fined him $50 each time that he arrived late at the studio.[17] Benny often asked cast members to check on Anderson, who frequently lost track of time, just before travel dates to ensure that he was ready, and occasionally the cast was forced to leave Anderson behind.[18] In one incident, Anderson sped to the Pasadena train station with an LAPD motorcycle squad escort in order to catch his train.[17]

Popularity

[edit]

The Rochester character became immensely popular. In 1940, a riot ensued when Anderson's arrival at a Harvard University event was delayed by a prank by students from the rival Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[19][20] Especially after World War II, Rochester was second only to Benny in popularity and frequently received the most enthusiastic applause.[21] Although he was not normally involved in the opening minutes of the show, he began to surpass Mary Livingstone as Benny's main foil, especially as Livingstone's stage fright caused her to appear less frequently.

Benny's character and Rochester engaged in numerous running gags, often based on Rochester's attempts to evade work or to go to Central Avenue to drink or on Benny's business ventures or trademark frugality. In Rochester's early appearances, a running gag also involved his gambling habits, although this aspect of his character was considerably downplayed after World War II.

Mayor of Central Avenue

[edit]
Ticket for Elks' Club reception for Anderson as Mayor of Central Avenue, 1940

Although Anderson was born and raised in the Oakland area, he came to the Los Angeles black community in the 1930s in search of film work. The people of the Central Avenue area would hold mock elections to name the "Mayor of Central Avenue," who had the right and the duty to advocate for the black community. In May 1940, Anderson launched a campaign for the post.[22] From his headquarters at the Dunbar Hotel, Anderson conducted his campaign based mainly on real issues, such as advocacy for black military aviators. He took flying lessons and lectured with a Tuskegee Institute representative about the subject. Anderson won the election.[22]

Progress in race relations

[edit]

Anderson's role as a servant was common for black performers of that era, and the stereotyping of black characters had been standard practice in the entertainment business for many years, often in the form of minstrel shows in which white actors in blackface reinforced negative stereotypes. Benny had broadcast a radio minstrel show on November 1, 1936, with the cast performing in dialect but revisited the subject for a March 29, 1942, show that evinced a great deal of progress in race relations.[8][23][24]

Anderson with Jack Benny radio show cast, 1946

According to Benny's posthumous autobiography Sunday Nights at Seven, the amount of racial humor regarding Rochester lessened following World War II after the enormity of the Holocaust was revealed. Benny and his writers initiated a conscious effort to remove all stereotypical aspects from the Rochester character. When a rehashed 1940 script was used for a February 1950 show that included several black stereotypes, some listeners sent angry letters in protest.[25] Thereafter, Benny insisted that his writers guarantee that no racial jokes or references should be heard on his show. Benny often afforded key guest-star appearances to African American performers such as Louis Armstrong and the Ink Spots, and Benny made numerous personal appeals on his show asking listeners to reject racism in favor of fraternity and peaceful racial relations.[26]

The relationship between Rochester and Benny became more complex and familiar as the popularity of Rochester's character grew, with Rochester's role becoming less stereotypical and subservient. However, as a butler, the character remained subservient to the entire cast and was always called Rochester, but he addressed the other characters with formal titles.[23][27] Although some of the humor remained stereotypical, the racial element of the jokes would emanate from Rochester only.[8]

During World War II, Benny toured with his show, but Anderson did not participate because discrimination in the armed forces would have required separate living quarters. However, during performances staged before military audiences at bases and military hospitals, Rochester routinely drew enthusiastic applause.[citation needed] In 1943, when Benny brought his show to Canada to perform for Canadian forces, Anderson and his wife received a warm welcome.[28]

Benny recounted an incident in his autobiography in which he rebuked an American soldier who had expressed bigotry toward Anderson. Benny was also reported to have threatened to move his entire company from a Saint Joseph, Missouri, hotel that denied lodging to Anderson. The hotel relented and allowed Anderson to remain as a guest.[29] A similar incident occurred in New York, where a hotel manager attempted to relocate Anderson after a couple from the South complained about staying in the same hotel with him. Benny replied by removing his entire cast and crew of 44 from the hotel in a show of solidarity with Anderson.[30][full citation needed]

Anderson, as Rochester, demonstrates to John Forsythe how Benny pinches a penny on Bachelor Father, 1962.

Among the most highly paid performers of his time, Anderson invested wisely and became wealthy. Until the 1950s, Anderson was the highest paid African American actor, earning an annual salary of $100,000.[8][17] In 1962, Anderson reached Ebony magazine's list of the 100 wealthiest African Americans.[31] Despite this success, he was so strongly identified with the Rochester role that many mistakenly believed that he was Benny's actual valet. Anderson's frequent visits to Benny's home may have helped perpetuate the myth, as Benny held the first rehearsal each week at his house in Beverly Hills.[4] One listener, after hearing Rochester's jokes about his low salary, sent Benny a scolding letter and then sent another to Anderson urging him to sue Benny.[8]

When Benny brought his show to television in 1950, Anderson remained part of the cast until the show left the air after the 1964–1965 season.[32][33] Anderson appeared as Rochester in a 1953 episode of The Milton Berle Show[34] and a 1962 episode of Bachelor Father.[35]

During a February 1958 taping of a Shower of Stars special to celebrate Benny's "40th birthday," Anderson suffered a mild heart attack. A Life magazine photo after the incident showed Benny's concern for Anderson.[36] After Benny's show left the airwaves, it was four years before the two men worked together again, but they remained in contact with each other. Anderson said, "We always exchange Christmas gifts and he's not as stingy as he pretends to be."[33]

Anderson appeared as Rochester in Benny's 1968 special Jack Benny's Bag.[14] The following year, he appeared in the special Jack Benny's New Look.

Upon Benny's death in 1974, Anderson tearfully spoke of Benny with admiration and respect.[37][38]

Films

[edit]

Anderson's film career began with George Cukor's What Price Hollywood? (1932) as a butler, and he appeared in many Hollywood films through the 1930s and 1940s. Anderson appeared on screen with Benny for the first time in Man About Town (1939). They appeared in several other feature films, including Buck Benny Rides Again (1940).

In addition to his role with Benny, Anderson appeared in more than 60 films including The Green Pastures (1936) as Noah, Jezebel (1938) as Gros Bat, Capra's You Can't Take It with You (1938) as Donald and Gone with the Wind (1939) as Uncle Peter.[1][37][39] He reprised his Rochester role in Topper Returns (1941). He had a rare leading role in the all-star black Hollywood musical Cabin in the Sky (1943) as Joseph 'Little Joe' Jackson. He also starred in Brewster's Millions (1945), which was banned in some Southern areas. For example, censors in Memphis said that Anderson "has an important role and has too familiar a way about him" and lamented that the film "presents too much social equality and racial mixture."[40]

Anderson, Benny and the remaining cast members of The Jack Benny Program (Mary Livingstone, Don Wilson, and Mel Blanc) also provided their voices to the Warner Bros. cartoon The Mouse that Jack Built (1959). Anderson's last significant feature-film performance was as a taxi driver in Stanley Kramer's comedy It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), in which Benny made a cameo appearance (although the two did not appear together). Anderson was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1975.[2]

Other performances

[edit]
Anderson greets two visitors at his dressing-room door.

Anderson appeared as a mystery guest on the television game show What's My Line? in 1952. As the panel was blindfolded, Dorothy Kilgallen's question "Are you brunette?" brought a roar of laughter from the audience, and Anderson laughed so hard that he was not able to reply to the question.[41] In 1957, Hallmark Hall of Fame presented The Green Pastures, affording Anderson the chance to reprise his film role as Noah on television, and the program was nominated for an Emmy Award.[42]

Anderson also appeared on episodes of The Dick Powell Show, It Takes a Thief and Love, American Style.[43] In the early 1970s, Anderson provided the voice for cartoon character Bobby Joe Mason in Harlem Globetrotters and The New Scooby-Doo Movies.[43] By 1972, he attempted a comeback with a nightclub act in Houston that led to a role in the Broadway revival of Good News, but he was forced to resign because of his failing health.[44]

Other business ventures

[edit]

Anderson opened a nightclub in the Central Avenue section of Los Angeles, but it did not survive long because of his excessive generosity with friends who frequented the club.[9]

During World War II, Anderson was the owner of the Pacific Parachute Company, an African American owned-and-operated business that made parachutes for the Army and Navy.[45][46][47] He also managed boxer Billy Metcalfe in the 1940s.[4][48]

Anderson had an astute business sense, and in 1948, he saw the value and potential of Las Vegas as an entertainment center. However, his idea to build and operate a black-friendly hotel and casino there failed when he could not attract enough investors. When he appeared at the opening of the racially integrated Moulin Rouge Hotel in 1955, Anderson expressed regret about his failed venture.[49]

Personal life

[edit]

Marriages and children

[edit]

On May 2, 1939, Anderson married Mamie (née Wiggins) Nelson of Georgia.[8][50][51] Mamie died on August 5, 1954, at the age of 43 following two years of suffering with cancer. Her son Billy from a previous marriage played professional football for the Chicago Bears[52] and adopted Anderson's surname when his mother remarried.[53][54]

Following Mamie's death, Anderson married Evangela "Eva" Simon on February 8, 1956, in Kingman, Arizona. The couple had three children: daughters Stephanie and Evangela Jr. ("Eva") and son Edmund Jr.[8][55] When the couple divorced in 1973, Anderson retained custody of his minor son and daughter.[1][56]

Home

[edit]
Postcard view of Anderson's home, c.1940s

Like many African Americans in the entertainment industry, Anderson lived in the West Adams district of Los Angeles. In previous times, the district had been home to doctors, lawyers and railroad barons, but in the Depression era, the area had deteriorated, with many residents needing to sell their homes or rent rooms in them. By the 1940s, the black entertainment community began purchasing homes in the district, nicknaming it Sugar Hill. Some property owners reacted to their new neighbors by adding restrictive covenants to their deeds that either prohibited blacks from purchasing property or inhabiting property that had been purchased. The practice was declared illegal by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1948.[57]

Anderson wanted to build a home designed by Paul Williams but he was limited in his choice of site by these restrictive covenants. As a result, his large and luxurious home with a swimming pool stands in an area of smaller, bungalow-style homes. The street was renamed after the Rochester character.[17]

Hobbies

[edit]

Anderson built model airplanes and racing cars, but also designed a life-size sportscar for himself in 1951. Anderson combined a Cadillac engine under the hood with a sleek, low-slung exterior to create a car that he exhibited at sportscar shows throughout the country.[58][59][60]

Anderson, who was the skipper of his own cabin cruiser, was missing and feared lost at sea in February 1946. When the boat developed engine trouble, Anderson and his two friends signaled an SOS with mirrors, fires, lanterns and with the ship's flag turned upside-down to indicate distress. They spent the night adrift until a fishing boat finally spotted them and towed them into the Los Angeles harbor. Anderson did not realize that he had caused great concern until he heard a radio news story about the search for him.[61]

Horse racing

[edit]
Anderson with Burnt Cork before his Kentucky Derby run in 1943

Anderson owned racehorses,[62] including Burnt Cork, a Thoroughbred that ran in the 1943 Kentucky Derby, making Anderson the first African American owner of a horse entered into the Derby.[63][64] However, as racial segregation was practiced in Louisville, Kentucky, Anderson and his wife lodged with black politician Mae Street Kidd while in the city to watch the race.[65][66]

Both before and after the race, Anderson was accused of entering his horse in the race strictly for publicity purposes, especially after Burnt Cork finished last. However, United Press International sports columnist Jack Cuddy noted that King George VI's horse Tipstaff finished last at Ascot without any of the type of comments that surrounded Anderson.[67]

When Burnt Cork won an important race, Anderson arrived at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for work dressed as a Kentucky colonel; he also insisted on being called "Colonel Rochester."[1]

After the Benny television show had left the air, Anderson returned to his love of horse racing, working as a trainer at the Hollywood Park Racetrack until shortly before his death.[21][68] When a horse named Up and Over became injured and was nearly euthanized, Anderson spent extensive periods of time at the Paramount Pictures studio library reading about equine anatomy. This led him to a veterinary surgeon who assisted in rehabilitating the horse.[17]

Death

[edit]

Anderson died of heart disease on February 28, 1977, at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Los Angeles.[69][70] He was buried at the historic Evergreen Cemetery, the oldest existing cemetery in Los Angeles.[71]

Legacy

[edit]

In a final philanthropic gesture, Anderson willed his sizable home for the benefit of victims of substance abuse.[72] The Rochester House continues to help troubled men transition into society and provide shelter for homeless drug abusers. It opened several neighboring properties in 1989.[73]

Anderson's son Eddie Jr. later established The Eddie "Rochester" Anderson Foundation.[74]

For his contribution to the radio industry, Anderson has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Radio at 6513 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood. In 2001, Anderson was posthumously inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame.[75][76]

Filmography

[edit]
Lobby card depicting Anderson as Noah in The Green Pastures (1936)
Year Title Role Notes
1932 What Price Hollywood? James – Max's Butler Uncredited
1932 Hat Check Girl Walter Uncredited
1932 False Faces Chauffeur Uncredited
1933 Billion Dollar Scandal Railroad Steward Uncredited
1933 From Hell to Heaven Sam's Pal Uncredited
1933 Terror Aboard Seaman Uncredited
1933 I Love That Man Charlie, Porter Uncredited
1934 Behold My Wife Chauffeur Uncredited
1934 The Gay Bride Second Bootblack Uncredited
1935 Transient Lady Noxious
1935 His Night Out Bellhop Uncredited
1936 The Music Goes 'Round Lucifer
1936 Show Boat Young Black Man Uncredited
1936 The Green Pastures Noah
1936 Star for a Night Maid's Boyfriend Uncredited
1936 Two in a Crowd Swipe Uncredited
1936 Three Men on a Horse Moses, the Elevator Operator
1936 Rainbow on the River Doctor Uncredited
1936 Mysterious Crossing Hotel Porter Uncredited
1937 Love Is News Man Getting Marriage License Uncredited
1937 Bill Cracks Down Chauffeur
1937 When Love Is Young Taxi Driver Uncredited
1937 Melody for Two Exodus Johnson
1937 Public Wedding Man Carrying Coat Uncredited
1937 White Bondage Old Glory Uncredited
1937 Wake Up and Live Elevator Operator Uncredited
1937 Reported Missing! Porter Uncredited
1937 One Mile from Heaven Henry Bangs
1937 On Such a Night Henry Clay, Fentridge Handyman
1937 Over the Goal William
1938 Reckless Living Dreamboat
1938 Jezebel Gros Bat
1938 Gold Diggers in Paris Doorman
1938 You Can't Take It With You Donald
1938 Five of a Kind Hotel Doorman Uncredited
1938 Exposed William
1938 Thanks for the Memory Janitor
1938 Strange Faces William
1938 While New York Sleeps Janitor Uncredited
1938 Kentucky Groom
1938 Going Places George – a Groom
1939 Honolulu Washington, Mason's Hollywood Servant
1939 You Can't Cheat an Honest Man Rochester
1939 You Can't Get Away with Murder Sam Uncredited
1939 Man About Town Rochester
1939 Gone With the Wind Uncle Peter – Pittypat's Coachman
1940 Buck Benny Rides Again Rochester Van Jones
1940 Love Thy Neighbor Rochester Van Jones
1941 Topper Returns Chauffeur
1941 Kiss the Boys Goodbye George
1941 Birth of the Blues Louey Credited as Rochester
1942 Tales of Manhattan Rev. Lazarus
1942 Star Spangled Rhythm Rochester in "Sharp as a Tack" Number Credited as Rochester
1943 The Meanest Man in the World Shufro
1943 Cabin in the Sky Little Joe Jackson
1943 Calling All Kids Buckwheat Voice, Short film
1943 What's Buzzin', Cousin? Rochester
1944 Broadway Rhythm Eddie
1945 Brewster's Millions Jackson
1945 I Love a Bandleader Newton H. Newton Credited as Rochester
1945 The Sailor Takes a Wife Harry
1946 The Show-Off Eddie
1959 The Mouse That Jack Built Rochester Voice, Credited as Rochester
1963 It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World Cab Driver
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1950–1965 The Jack Benny Program Rochester Van Jones 176 episodes
1952 What's My Line? Himself / Rochester Mystery Guest
1957 The Red Skelton Hour Rochester Van Jones Episode: " Freddie Finds a Headlight"
1957 Hallmark Hall of Fame Noah Episode: "The Green Pastures"
1959 The Green Pastures Noah Television film
1962 Bachelor Father Rochester Van Jones Segment: "Pinch That Penny"
1963 The Dick Powell Show Eddie Anderson Episode: "Last of the Private Eyes"
1968 It Takes a Thief Concierge Episode: "A Thief Is a Thief"
1969 Love, American Style Willie Segment: "Love and the Hustler"
1970 Harlem Globetrotters Bobby Joe Mason Voice, 22 episodes
1972–1973 The New Scooby-Doo Movies Bobby Joe Mason Voice, 3 episodes

Footnotes

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f "Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, 71, Dies". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. March 1, 1977. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c Peterson, p. 7.
  3. ^ a b c "'Rochester' of Jack Benny Show Dies Of Heart Attack". Ludington Daily News. March 1, 1977. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d e Brown, Earl (November 1941). Yeah, Man Friday. Modern Screen. pp. 38, 39, 82, 83. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  5. ^ a b c d Sampson, p. 1373.
  6. ^ "Eddie Anderson Dead at Age 71". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. March 1, 1977. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  7. ^ Smith, p. 16.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Gates, p. 7.
  9. ^ a b c d Baskette, Kirtley (January 1940). Rochester Van Jones Rides High. Radio and Television Mirror. pp. 31, 49. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  10. ^ "Rochester's First Radio Appearance". kensterner.com. Archived from the original on December 12, 2013. Retrieved September 17, 2010. (Windows Media Player)
  11. ^ a b Boskin, pp. 177–178.
  12. ^ Smith, pp. 16–17.
  13. ^ Leff, Laura: 39 Forever – Second Edition. Volume 1: Radio May 1932 – May 1942 (International Jack Benny Fan Club, 2004), p. 284.
  14. ^ a b Humphrey, Hal (November 10, 1968). "Rochester Is Back". The Victoria Advocate. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  15. ^ "How Jack Found Rochester". NBC Radio. March 11, 1945. Archived from the original on March 30, 2013. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
  16. ^ "How Jack Met Rochester". CBS Television. January 29, 1956. Archived from the original on October 3, 2013. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
  17. ^ a b c d e Bogle 2009, "Man About Town".
  18. ^ "Rochester 'Windy' Guy". The Pittsburgh Press. February 25, 1945. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  19. ^ "Riot Over Rochester". Prescott Evening Journal. May 6, 1940. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  20. ^ "Rochester 'Kidnapped' On Way to Harvard". The Afro American. May 11, 1940. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  21. ^ a b "Benny's 'Rochester' Dies at 71". The Pittsburgh Press. March 1, 1977. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  22. ^ a b Smith, pp. 18–19.
  23. ^ a b Boskin, pp. 175–187.
  24. ^ "Doc Benny's Minstrel Show". kensterner.com. 1943. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2010. (Windows Media Player)
  25. ^ Fuller-Seeley, Kathryn H. (2017): Jack Benny and the Golden Age of American Radio Comedy. University of California Press. p. 179. ISBN 0520295056.
  26. ^ "Jack Benny". kensterner.com. 1945. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved September 17, 2010. (Windows Media Player)
  27. ^ Smith, p. 17.
  28. ^ "Army Band to Hail Jack Benny; Forum Show for Services Only". The Montreal Gazette. February 8, 1943. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  29. ^ "He Broke the Racial Bar". St. Joseph News-Press. March 4, 1977. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  30. ^ Gerald Nachman, "The Anticomedian".
  31. ^ "The 100 Richest Negros". Ebony. Vol. 17, no. 7. May 1962. p. 135. ISSN 0012-9011. Archived from the original on July 27, 2014. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  32. ^ "Rochester on New TV Show". Jet. Vol. 1, no. 2. November 8, 1951. p. 60. ISSN 0021-5996. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  33. ^ a b "'Rochester', Jack Benny Reunited". Washington Afro-American. November 12, 1968. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  34. ^ Rea, E. B. (March 24, 1953). "Encores and Echoes". Washington Afro-American. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  35. ^ "Pinch That Penny". IMDb. January 30, 1962. Archived from the original on March 31, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  36. ^ "Sad event before a party and a lonely jokester". Life. Vol. 44, no. 8. February 24, 1958. p. 108. ISSN 0024-3019. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  37. ^ a b Pacheco, pp. 94–96.
  38. ^ "Shock and Sadness Mark Benny's Death". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. December 28, 1974. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  39. ^ "Eddie Anderson Photo Still-Uncle Peter". Harry Ransom Center – University of Texas. Archived from the original on September 26, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  40. ^ "Entertainment Proposition". Time. April 16, 1945. Archived from the original on December 21, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2011. (subscription required).
  41. ^ "Question of the Week". Jet. Vol. 7, no. 7. December 11, 1952. p. 31. ISSN 0021-5996. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  42. ^ "NBC's 'Green Pastures' Nominated for Emmy Award". Jet. Vol. 13, no. 22. April 3, 1958. p. 60. ISSN 0021-5996. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  43. ^ a b "Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson". IMDb. Archived from the original on July 5, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  44. ^ Wilson, Earl (October 18, 1973). "It Happened Last Night". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  45. ^ "Lots More Negroes Are Needed In War Plants". Life. Vol. 12, no. 24. June 15, 1942. p. 88. ISSN 0024-3019. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  46. ^ "Unity Severs Race Barriers". The Norwalk Hour. March 27, 1942. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  47. ^ "Colored-Managed War Plant Employs Girls of All Races". The Windsor Daily Star. March 28, 1942. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  48. ^ "Hudson's Foe Wised Up to His Style". San Jose News. November 21, 1940. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  49. ^ "Talking About". Jet. Vol. 8, no. 6. June 16, 1955. p. 47. ISSN 0021-5996. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  50. ^ "California, County Marriages, 1850–1952". FamilySearch. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  51. ^ "United States Census, 1920". FamilySearch. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  52. ^ "California, Birth Index, 1905–1995". FamilySearch. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  53. ^ "Rochester's Wife Dies". Baltimore Afro-American. August 10, 1954. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  54. ^ "Wife of Jack Benny's 'Rochester' Dies". Reading Eagle. August 6, 1954. Archived from the original on August 1, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  55. ^ "Second Child for Rochester". Jet. Vol. 13, no. 14. February 6, 1958. p. 59. ISSN 0021-5996. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  56. ^ "Unhappy Marital Differences". Jet. Vol. 44, no. 11. June 7, 1973. p. 40. ISSN 0021-5996. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  57. ^ "West Adams History". westadamsheightssugarhill.com. Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  58. ^ "A tribute to Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson". Washington Afro-American. March 8, 1977. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  59. ^ "Rochester Designs Own Speedster". Popular Mechanics. Vol. 95, no. 6. June 1951. p. 93. ISSN 0032-4558.
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Works cited

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