The Yes Man

When Jack Benny would exclaim, “Oh, floorwalker!” the audience knew exactly what was going to happen next. It always got a laugh.

The floorwalker would turn around and reply: “Yehhhhhhhhhhs?”

Frank Nelson may be best known for that one word, but he had an incredibly prolific career that would be impossible to list here, so it’s pointless to try.

In addition to radio and TV, he voiced cartoons, narrated industrial films, appeared in commercials, and had a second career as the national president of AFTRA from 1954 to 1957. He was a founder of the union and instrumental in creating its pension plan.

He told of how his acting career started at KOA in Denver playing a 30-year-old man—when he was 15. At 18, in 1929, he arrived in Hollywood and continued his radio career. He started in drama with the KNX Players but he eventually surfaced on the big comedy and comedy/variety shows from Los Angeles because, as he told interviewer Chuck Schaden, “comedy paid better.”

Nelson recalled the first appearance on the Benny show was in an insert on June 1, 1934. It was on an hour-long show from Chicago touting the Century of Progress exhibition, and he played Clark Gable. Through the 1930s into the ‘40s, Nelson would appear with Benny as an announcer/narrator, play-by-play sports imitator, a radio salesman for Yhtapmys Soothing Syrup, a medium’s henchman (and others with an evil laugh), doctors, and an array of clerks, floorwalkers (some not as masculine as others) and people Benny had to deal with who didn’t want to deal with him.

His most unusual role wasn’t on the Benny show. He played the voice of Monty Woolley’s beard on the Woolley-Al Jolson programme for Colgate on June 1, 1943.

Nelson stuck with network radio pretty much until the end. He was an railroad information counter clerk on Benny’s second-last radio show on May 15, 1955 and finished his career in May 1960 on a broadcast of The Amos ‘n’ Andy Music Hall.

We mentioned cartoons. In the late 1940s, Nelson was the narrator of the Jerky Journeys and followed up with voices for John Sutherland Productions, including the the Devil in The Devil and John Q. (1952) and as the dog narrator in Walter Lantz’s Dig That Dog (1954). He doesn’t mention these, but he talks about cartoons in Henry Mitchell’s “Dixie Dialing” column of the Memphis Commercial Appeal of April 20, 1961.

LOOK AT the little picture and tell me his name—QUICK. Oh, sure, I know you've seen him 100 times, and I know it's right on the tip of your tongue but you're like me, there are a lot of faces and even performances familiar to you but you can't quite come up with the name in a hurry.
It's Frank Nelson, and he's been with Jack Benny on his shows for 27 years now.
New Amos 'n' Andy
"But we've seen you on a lot of other shows, too," I began (on the phone yesterday) and he admitted to doing roles in The Real McCoys, I Love Lucy, Our Miss Brooks, The Life of Riley, Ann Sothern Show and Danny Thomas Show—as well as on that recent grim Audrey Meadows show (the adjective is mine, not his), in Ronald Reagan Theater. Also in the still-unreleased Weir [Wiere] Brothers series [Oh, Those Bells on CBS in 1962]. But what I asked him about was this new Amos 'n' Andy show we keep hearing about.
"Well it's by Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll (the creators of the old radio show and later on the TV series) and it's to be cartoons. The characters will be Southern but not Negroes. They've done the first five of the shows, though they won't be telecast until fall, and I do voice roles in three of them.
"I've done some of the voice work in the Flintstones series, by the way, and in the Mister Magoo series. I haven't actually seen what the cartoon characters will look like, but I do know the show was sold to a sponsor just on the strength of the story outlines and the ability of Gosden and Correll.
"In all these things I play some crazy character, but it's not associated with Frank Nelson.”
I interrupted to say that might be just as well, but he said it was a mixed blessing.
Taking No Risk
"Like most actors I work freelance. I'd love to do something heavy for a change, but these casting directors are not going to take any calculated risk. If anybody wrote in and said they saw the show and me on it and were disappointed the thing was not a comedy, the producer would tell the casting director he was out of his mind to use an offbeat character when there are so many good heavies around.
"You ask how I feel about television in general. Well, I'm a past president the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and I happen to be pretty much a defender of TV. When you consider the amount of product that appears on television, I think it has a pretty high standard. How many good shows are on Broadway, or how many good movies are there?
“As for movies on TV, I think it's unfortunate we have to look at something made 30 years ago to get our entertainment—it's been foisted on the public and these old movies they wouldn't pay a dime to see in a theater. Until TV came along looking for a cheap way to fill in time those movies were sitting in vaults and the movie companies never dreamed of ever doing anything with them.”
Has Trademark
"But back to my character—he's usually just nameless, though Benny sometimes refers to him as “Mr. Nelson” in a show. I think most people recognize me for the way this character sayss EEYESSS (yes).
"I once walked in a producer's office and he said I certainly didn't look the way I sounded and I said thank God for that."
You'll notice Mr. Nelson in the Benny show this Sunday, repeat of the one starring Benny, Oscar Levant and Nelson—the one in which Jack Benny goes to see a psychiatrist.
For a change I thought we might pin down one of these wonderfully familiar characters on TV who don't get star billing, yet they're in our living rooms oftener than orange peels (it you have children).

As for the psychiatrist show, originally aired on Nov. 30, 1958, but rerun on April 23, 1961, the highlight of the second half was a sketch filled with Frank Nelson. William L. Doudna, the television editor of the Wisconsin State Journal was one of a number of columnists who wrote about the show on re-broadcast day.

A man who has been heckling Jack Benny for 27 years would like to do something else for a change, he told The Wisconsin State Journal in an exclusive interview.
The man is Frank Nelson, a 36-year veteran of radio and television who was on radio's first coast-to-coast broadcast.
Nelson joined Benny in 1934, he said in a telephone conversation from Beverly Hills, and has been with him ever since.
While his chief job has been heckling Jack on the air, Nelson has done it in a variety of roles. He'll give a sampling of these in an "iron-man" performance on the Benny show over CBS-WISC-TV at 8:30 tonight.
In this, Nelson will rival even King Baggott, star and director of silent films who, some 45 years ago, played every role in a courtroom drama and directed the multiple-exposure movie as well.
Among modern stars, one of the most versatile is Alec Guinness, English actor who played eight parts in "Kind Hearts and Coronets."
12 Roles, 24 Minutes
Tonight, in one-third the time of the Guinness film, Nelson will be seen in 12 roles within 24 minutes. He'll be an insolent waiter, a men's clothing salesman, a hot dog vendor, a filling station attendant, a psychiatrist's patient—and more.
Even though Nelson plays many parts, he still feels he's typed as Benny's heckler.
"I'd like to be a performer rather than a type," he said.
"I enjoyed radio more than I do television," he added. "There, even when the parts were somewhat alike, there was variety in the work, and, because the audience didn't see me, I wasn't so closely typed."
Nelson said he would like to play serious roles—almost anything, even a villainous part.
"I would like to do movies, because they give the actor more scope than television does, but I expect I'll stay in TV," he said.
Started as Announcer
He finds himself in much the same position as his close friend, Willard Waterman, a native of Madison. Waterman became so closely associated with "The Great Gildersleeve," in which he can still be seen in re-runs, that he found it difficult to get serious parts.

Nelson was born in Colorado Springs, but spent much of his boyhood in Denver before moving to Los Angeles, Calif. He started his career as a radio announcer on an early morning show.
"I had to get up so early that sometimes I actually went to sleep at the microphone," Nelson said. "One morning, the engineer went to sleep, too, and we had a great time explaining the silence to listeners."
On the West Coast, he was announcer for the National Broadcasting Company's first coast-to-coast broadcast which featured Groucho Marx.
He joined Benny in 1934 when Jack had a 5-minute insert on an NBC program, and has been with him ever since on both radio and television. In the meantime, he appeared in a few movies, but he has made his real career in the job with which he is as closely associated as Basil Rathbone with "Sherlock Holmes" and Percy Grainger with "Country Gardens."

Nelson died of cancer on Sept. 12, 1986. Is he still remembered today? Considering his occasional appearance in the Gasoline Alley comic strip, you can probably figure out how Nelson would answer that one.

Frank and Freberg

What? Stan Freberg and Frank Nelson together?!

Among many things, Freberg was known for his extremely creative radio and TV commercials. Here are four. Nelson assists in the first pair.

A three-page article in the 2 December 1964 edition of Sponsor magazine confirms Billy May’s Orchestra is backing them, with help from Jud Conlon’s Singers. I think Bill Baldwin is the announcer in the third spot. I would love to know who the singer is in the second ad.

Cue in past 18 seconds of LP crackle.

Blunderland

Albert in Blunderland was the fourth John Sutherland cartoon released by MGM, warning theatre-goers about the dangers of America being under government control (ie, like those Godless Commies in Russia).

Even public transit is bad—if it’s run by the government (money was pumped into this cartoon by a foundation operated by Alfred P. Sloan, former chairman of General Motors. You think he liked streetcars?).



This cartoon is more strident than the one which preceded it, Why Play Leapfrog?, also released in 1950. I do like the futuristic backgrounds. Note the leaders of Antrolia (ie. Russia) commune by the signs of the zodiac (ie. not they’re not Judeo-Christian).



Unfortunately, no screen credits were given on this short. Presumably, George Gordon and Carl Urbano were involved as they were long-time Sutherland directors. Sutherland had a stock voice cast, it seems. Herb Vigran plays Albert, Joe Kearns is the ant, Frank Nelson is the radio speaker promoting Communism, Bud Hiestand is heard as well.

A Devil of a Cartoon

The devil disguises himself as a tycoon at a swank dinner between a business baron and John Q. Public in “The Devil and John Q,” a 1952 John Sutherland anti-Communism short.

Here are some poses as the devil (devil = Godless Communism) tries to con the pair into keeping profits high (“and keep labour right under our thumb”), then reacts to John Q’s counter argument about high prices causing inflation. See the eye stretch as the businessman is shocked.



Variety explained a little about Sutherland’s operation at the time this short was made. MGM had released six of Sutherland’s shorts before their deal was quietly ended. The last Sutherland cartoon put into theatres by Metro was “Inside Cackle Corners” as of November 10, 1951. This story was published on February 28, 1952.

Industrial Film Prod’n Booms For Sutherland
In an expansion of industrial film activities, John Sutherland Productions is prepping a 45-minute feature for National Carbon Co., and a 30-minute feature for Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Co. Carbon Co. picture will be filmed in color, on subject of industrial public relations, and is for use by its sponsor both on TV and before groups. Kaiser film will be in 16m Kodachrome, and combo live-action and animation.
Sutherland is now doing final editing on an animated film turned out in Technicolor for the NY Stock Exchange, tagged “What Makes Us Tick.” Two additional Technicolor animation shorts also are being started for program which Metro in the past has released. First is “Dear Uncle,” dealing with taxes, and second, “The Devil and John Q,” on inflation.
Three previous shorts in this series received awards from Freedom’s Foundation in Valley Forge, for achievements showing the American way of life. Trio included “Make Mine Freedom,” which won the award in 1949; “Albert in Blunderland,” 1950 winner; and “Why Play Leapfrog,” 1951 winner.

The animation in this short was handled by Arnold Gillespie, Emery Hawkins, Bill Higgins and Russ Van Neida. There’s a great opening theme with blaring trumpets by Les Baxter. Sutherland seems to have had a stock company of voice actors around this time. Frank Nelson is terrific as the devil. I don’t know who is voicing John Q, but you can hear Bud Hiestand, Herb Vigran and someone I’m pretty sure is Harry Morgan (as Abe Lincoln) on the soundtrack.

Frank Nelson on Jack Benny

He made his fame out of one word—“Yes.”

Of course, it sounded like more than a word when he got through with it. Radio and TV audiences howled with laughter as he stretched the word like a rocket of silly putty, screeching it into the air.

Frank Nelson was a fine dramatic actor and announcer (Lux Radio Theatre), but people loved his “Yes” character on the Jack Benny show and eventually he wound up doing some variation of it on other comedy shows.

Like just about everything on Benny’s show, the character evolved over time. Nelson began appearing on the programme in the mid-‘30s periodically doing a non-masculine floorwalker who got huffy with Jack. From this came the man who was ostensibly there to serve Jack Benny—a ticket taker, a real estate agent, a clerk, and so on—but insulted him instead, beginning with an enthusiastic “Ye-e-e-e-e-s?” whenever Benny tried to get his attention.

Nelson gave a number of interviews about his career to old-time radio show hosts, but I’ve found a newspaper piece he did while his Benny career was still going strong. This is from the Knickerbocker News of Albany, New York, May 20, 1961. The sidebars accompanied the main story. Nelson gives his opinion about why Jack Benny remained so popular for years. His observations in the sidebar about Jack Paar, who was an 18-week summer replacement for Benny in 1947, are interesting.

THE HAPPY HECKLER
Nelson Finds Jokes Few, Laughs Plenty In 27 Radio-TV Years With Jack Benny
By WALTER HAWVER
FRANK NELSON figures he's had “a fair run” on the Jack Benny Show—27 years. “I hope it will last,” he laughed.
Chances are it will last as long as Benny does. And the way this eternal 39-year-old is going—three Emmys in three years—this could be some time.
Nelson is one of a long list of characters who are as much a part of the American comedy scene as Benny himself. Only announcer Don Wilson has been with Jack longer.
You know most of the others whose careers at one extended time or another were intertwined with Benny's: Eddie (Rochester) Anderson, Jack's long-suffering vallet [sic]; Mel Blanc, the man of many voices; singer Kenny Baker and, more recently, Dennis Day; Artie (Mr. Kitzel) Auerbach; Sam Hearn, the "Hey, Rube" figure; Sheldon Leonard (now producer of the Danny Thomas Show), the cliche gangster; Benny Rubin, the tout; bandleader Phil Harris, and, of course, Mary Livingstone.
It's easy to see why Benny has stuck with the same general group of people. As Nelson points out:
“Going back to the radio days (Jack started in 1932), the script hasn't changed. Analyze his scripts. Read his dialogue. You'll seldom find a joke. He relies on situations that turn into funny things.
“Mention money. Anything free. You know what Jack's reaction is going to be.”
As Allen Sums It Up
Nelson might have added as Steve Allen did in his book, "The Funny Men:"
“The first reason we laugh at Jack is, of course, that we have been conditioned for over 20 years to do so. A thousand and one examples of this sort of emotional conditioning come readily to mind. If a motion picture director wants to terrify us, he need only present Boris Karloff. A composer need only to change a major chord to minor to change our mood from pleasant to sad. Jack reaps tremendous rewards from this simple truth.”
Nelson's role as a happy heckler is part of this conditioning.

This It the Way It Goes
I asked him to describe the role that has become his career:
“I'm the fellow that heckles Jack. Wherever Jack goes and runs into trouble, he usually bumps into this fellow.
“It's not known to the general public, but when he calls me anything, it's usually 'Mr. Nelson.' Mostly, he says: 'Oh, it's you again.' And I give him a long drawn out, 'Y-e-e-e-sss.”
This association with Benny has proved limiting though profitable to Nelson. In radio, he was able to do many characters — “leads, heavies, dialects, things of this nature.” But, in TV:
“People see and associate my face with a voice and I'm trapped. Few producers will take a chance on casting me any other way. It's simple enough for a Red Skelton to take on a serious role. The producer just announces that a star is going to try something different and the public eats it up. This isn't the case with a rank and file actor.”
Nelson has tried to break away from his “typing.” He shaved his mustache and got himself a butch haircut. “The only person I made an impression on was my wife,” he said.
“She was annoyed.”
Benny Is Easy to Work For
What's Benny like to work for?
“Very easy. He knows what you want and expects you to do it. Never in the years I've been with him have I heard him get mad at a performer, or lose his temper. In the radio days, the cast all knew what they were there for, knew what he wanted from them. We spent very little time in rehearsal. In TV, of course, the problems are greater and we work longer, but, even then, rehearsal time is reasonably short.”
Frank worked more often when the Benny show was on radio. “In those days, I did 25-30 shows a year. Now I do six or seven.”
What about the in-between times? “I work as all actors do. I did a lot of Lucy shows, Our Miss Brooks, Joan Davis, Eddie Cantor, Donald O'Connor, anything that comes along—Ann Sothern, Danny Thomas. But always the same character.”
Paar Hits Par
A fellow named Jack Paar once took over the Jack Benny Show for two weeks. It's said this was the turning point in his career but Frank Nelson recalls that Paar didn't come off well at all.
“It was right after the war, I guess about '46, '47, somewhere in there. Paar was an odd sort of fellow even in those days and didn't come off very well with the audience. When they didn't react to his jokes, he'd lecture them. This just made them withdraw more.
“He didn't do any radio for about two years after this experience. The kind of show he does today, he's fine for, but to me he's an unsure individual. He shouldn't be, but he is.”
Look-Alikes Confuse Fans
Frank Nelson and Mel Blanc look quite a bit alike. Their hair lines are the same, both have mustaches, both are on the heavy side. This can prove confusing to their fans.
“We were walking out of the studio one day,” Frank recalled, “when two young ladies rushed up with autograph books. One looked at me, then at Mel and gasped:
‘Why, they're two of you,’ Mel said ‘I’m his brother.’ I agreed and they walked away satisfied.”