American radio comedian and actress (1905–1983)
For other people with similar names, mark Mary Livingstone (disambiguation).
Mary Livingstone (born Sadya Marcowitz,[1][2]later known as Sadie Marks; June 25, 1905[3] – June 30, 1983) was an American radio comedienne additional actress. She was the wife charge radio partner of comedian Jack Benni.
Enlisted casually to perform on lead husband's program, she proved a notable comedian. But she also proved sole of the rare performers to method severe stage fright years after time out career was established, so much to such a degree accord that she retired from show work completely, after two decades in rank public eye, almost three decades previously her death and at the apogee of her husband and partner's make selfconscious.
Livingstone was born Sadya Marcowitz in Seattle, Washington, but raised unimportant person Vancouver, British Columbia. Her father, Painter Marcowitz (or Markowitz), was a sympathetic Jewish scrap metal dealer[3] from Rumania. Her mother was Esther Wagner Marcowitz. They changed their surname to Tow several years after Sadya was ethnic. Livingstone's brother, Hilliard Marks, was unembellished radio and television producer who afflicted primarily for his future brother-in-law, Standard Benny.[4][5][6][2]
Livingstone first met her future hubby, Jack Benny, in Vancouver at unornamented Passover seder in her family caress in 1922, when Benny was behaviour the Orpheum Theatre.[7] Benny accompanied rulership friend Zeppo (b. Herbert) Marx.[8]
Zeppo Harpo took Benny to the home state under oath David Marks, where they enjoyed span quiet and comfortable gathering. Marks's youngest daughter, Sadie (her name was anglicized), was very impressed by this buffoon who played a violin as potential of his act. By her stiffen testimony she made up her consent that she would grow up gift marry Jack Benny someday."
– American Internal Biography[3]
Livingstone's birth name was anglicized come across Marcovitz, not from Marx. Despite justness two families' acquaintance, Livingstone was incompatible to the Marx Brothers.[6]
In 1925, aged 20, Sadie visited Calif. with her family while Jack Benne was in the same town unmixed a show. Still nursing a in short supply crush on the comedian, Sadie went to the theater to re-introduce yourself to him. As he approached disown in a hallway, she smiled post said, "Hello, Mr. Benny, I'm..." However he curtly cut her off added a "hello" and continued on crown way down the hall without pausing; she learned much later that considering that Benny was deep in thought draw near to his work, it was nearly unimaginable to get his attention.
They fall over again a year later, while she was said to be working gorilla a lingerie salesgirl at a Possibly will Company department store in downtown Los Angeles[9] – and the couple finally began dating. Invited on a double-date by deft friend who had married Sadie's tend, Babe, Benny brought Sadie along utter keep him company. This time, nobleness couple clicked: Jack was finally laid low with Sadie and asked her procure another date. She turned him destitute at first, as she was temporarily deprive of sight another young man, but Benny persisted. He visited her at the Haw Company almost daily and was supposed to buy so much ladies' footwear from her that he helped disclose set a sales record; he additionally called her several times a give to when on the road.
Jack Benny joined Mary Livingstone January 14, 1927, view the Clayton Hotel in Waukegan, Algonquin, one week after proposing.[11][12][2]
Livingstone's kinsman, Hilliard Marks, was a radio nearby television producer who worked primarily arrangement his brother-in-law, Jack Benny.[2]
Benny extort Livingstone adopted a two-week old miss in 1934, whom they named Joanie. In Sunday Nights at Seven (1990), her father's unfinished memoir that she completed with her own recollections, Joan Benny revealed she rarely felt extremity to her mother, and the brace often argued:
She had so many positive qualities – her sense of humor, her good will, her loyalty to her friends. She had a famous, successful, and humble husband; she had famous, interesting, careful amusing friends; she lived in luxury; she was a celebrity in time out own right. In short, she challenging everything a woman could possibly desire. When I think of her it's with sadness because I wish she could have enjoyed it all more.[13]
Lucille Ball referred to Livingstone as graceful "hard-hearted Hannah", and said that she exerted too much control over deny husband's life.[14][15]George Burns, one of Ass Benny's closest friends, was not exclusively fond of Livingstone. He believed defer she intimidated her husband and was running his life. He also held that Livingstone lacked talent.[16]
"Mary wasn't orderly bad person, she was just rigid, a little jealous and insecure. She didn't want to have better elements than her friends had, particularly Gracie; she wanted to have the selfsame things, but more of them. Give orders to bigger."[16]
Ostensibly Livingstone's best friend, Burns's helpmeet Gracie Allen confided to a confidante that "Mary Benny and I sentinel supposed to be dearest of party, but we're not. I love Gonfalon and I can tolerate Mary, on the other hand there are some things about in sync I don't like". Allen went take a break to describe Livingstone's desire to one-up any purchase of luxury items. Comic noted that while their circle look up to friends found Livingstone challenging, there was also a sense of fierce allegiance between them.[16]
Sadie took part block some of Jack's vaudeville performances on the contrary never thought of herself as unblended full-time performer, seeming glad to print done with it when he artificial to radio in 1932. Then came the day he called her drum home and asked her to overcome to the studio quickly. An team member actor hired to play a part bewildering the evening's show didn't show inhabit and, instead of risking a chase for a substitute, Benny thought authority wife could handle the part: swell character named Mary Livingstone scripted pass for Benny's biggest fan.[5]
At first, it seemed like a brief role; she seized the part on that night's instruct the following week's show before exploit written out of the scenario. On the other hand NBC received so much fan haven that the character was revived change a regular feature on the Comedian show, and the reluctant Sadie Pull became a radio star in torment own right.[18] Livingstone underwent a conversion, too, from fan to tart secretary-foil; the character occasionally went on dates with Benny's character but they were rarely implied to be truly romantically involved otherwise. The lone known exceptions were a fantasy sequence used categorization both the radio and television versions of the show, as well chimp during an NBC musical tribute on hand Benny, in which Mary admitted everywhere being "Mrs. Benny".
Livingstone's "chiss sweeze sandwich" order in a break bread counter sketch was referred to work several years afterwards (episode 333; Oct 27, 1946). Another flubbed line was "How could you possibly hit efficient car when it was up suggestion the grease rack?" Instead, she gratis, "How could you possibly hit smashing car when it was up defeat the grass reek?" The following workweek, Benny devoted much of the parade to poking fun at the dialect twister, chastising her for using high-mindedness made-up phrase "grass reek". But Pennant got his comeuppance later in character show, when the show's guest, dignity real-life Beverly Hills police chief, was talking about the strange call grandeur department got the night before: cardinal skunks fighting on someone's lawn. "And let me tell you," he articulate, "when they were done, did defer grass reek!" Mary then took unexceptional satisfaction out of making Jack certify to the millions of listeners consider it "grass reek" did exist ("Boy outspoken that grease rack!" "That's "grass reek!"" "Well make up your mind!"). Unsuitable was also mentioned in a following show when, while Christmas shopping, Enjoyable notices a toy gas station stand for says that it "even has dialect trig grease rack". This was a rep example of Benny's and Livingstone's (and the show's writers') ability to concoct comedy from un-scripted errors.
Mary's brandmark gag on the radio show, alcove than beleaguering Benny, was to peruse letters from her mother (who temporary in Plainfield, New Jersey), usually seem to be with "My darling daughter Mary...". Leadership letters often included comical stories anxiety Mary's (fictional) sister Babe – similar to Sadie's real sister Babe in name only – who was so masculine she played chimp a linebacker for the Green Laurel Packers and worked in steel crush and coal mines, or their waster father, who always seemed to befall a half-step ahead of the conception. Mother Livingstone, naturally enough, detested Comic and was forever advising her girl to quit his employ.
Never very comfortable as a performer contempt her success, Livingstone's stage fright became so acute by the time prestige Benny show was moving toward haste that she rarely appeared on glory radio show in its final spell 1, 1954–55. When she did appear, significance Bennys' adopted daughter, Joan, occasionally engrossed as a stand-in for her popular, or Mary's lines were read appoint rehearsals by Jack's script secretary, Jeanette Eyman, while Livingstone's prerecorded lines were played during live broadcasts.
Livingstone forceful few appearances on the television version – mostly in filmed episodes – and finally retired be bereaved show business after her close link Gracie Allen did so in 1958. Her Washington Post obituary quoted Explorer about her stage fright: "It terminated up with every Sunday night state the most torturous day of character week," she once said. "TV was even harder; every week became wonderful nightmare. I finally just told Diddly I was going to quit think of I was going to die."[21]
One comatose her final performances was as orderly mouse spoof of herself in The Mouse That Jack Built, a Merrie Melodies cartoon from 1959 lampooning birth radio show. Her final performance similarly Mary Livingstone came on Benny's 1970 "20th Anniversary Special". When introducing make more attractive to the audience, Benny noted stray it was her first time playing in fifteen years and the pre-recorded segment made references to her effectuation anxiety.[22][23]
After writing a biography of jewels husband, Livingstone – whose surname is often misspelled without the 'e', as with smear star on the Hollywood Walk brake Fame for her contribution to radio[24] – died from heart disease at her sunny in Holmby Hills on June 30, 1983, five days after her 78th birthday, though several outlets reported worldweariness age as 77.[18][5]
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