Edmund Lincoln Anderson (September 18, 1905 – February 28, 1977), often known as
Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, was an American comic actor who became famous playing "Rochester van Jones" (usually known simply as "Rochester"), the
valetValet and Varlet are terms for male servants who serve as personal attendants to their employer. In the Middle Ages, the valet de chambre to a ruler was a prestigious appointment for young men...
to
Jack BennyJack Benny , born Benjamin Kubelsky, was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film...
's eponymous title character on the long-running radio and television series
The Jack Benny ProgramThe Jack Benny Program, starring Jack Benny, is a radio-TV comedy series which ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th-century comedy.-Radio:...
. Anderson also owned Burnt Cork, a
ThoroughbredThe Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word "thoroughbred" is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorseHorse racing is an equestrian sport that has been practiced over the centuries; the chariot races of Roman times are an early example, as is the contest of the steeds of the god Odin and the giant Hrungnir in Norse mythology. It is inextricably associated with gambling...
that ran in the 1943
Kentucky DerbyThe Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter miles at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ...
.
He was born in
Oakland, CaliforniaOakland is the eighth-largest city in the U.S. state of California and a major West Coast port city, located on San Francisco Bay about eight miles east of the City of San Francisco. Oakland is a major hub city for the Bay Area subregion collectively called the East Bay, and it is the county seat...
, USA on September 18, 1905, into a family of performers.
Edmund Lincoln Anderson (September 18, 1905 – February 28, 1977), often known as
Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, was an American comic actor who became famous playing "Rochester van Jones" (usually known simply as "Rochester"), the
valetValet and Varlet are terms for male servants who serve as personal attendants to their employer. In the Middle Ages, the valet de chambre to a ruler was a prestigious appointment for young men...
to
Jack BennyJack Benny , born Benjamin Kubelsky, was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film...
's eponymous title character on the long-running radio and television series
The Jack Benny ProgramThe Jack Benny Program, starring Jack Benny, is a radio-TV comedy series which ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th-century comedy.-Radio:...
. Anderson also owned Burnt Cork, a
ThoroughbredThe Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word "thoroughbred" is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorseHorse racing is an equestrian sport that has been practiced over the centuries; the chariot races of Roman times are an early example, as is the contest of the steeds of the god Odin and the giant Hrungnir in Norse mythology. It is inextricably associated with gambling...
that ran in the 1943
Kentucky DerbyThe Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter miles at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ...
.
Birth and early career
He was born in
Oakland, CaliforniaOakland is the eighth-largest city in the U.S. state of California and a major West Coast port city, located on San Francisco Bay about eight miles east of the City of San Francisco. Oakland is a major hub city for the Bay Area subregion collectively called the East Bay, and it is the county seat...
, USA on September 18, 1905, into a family of performers. Anderson began his show business career at age 14 in a song-and-dance act with his brother Cornelius and another performer. They billed themselves as the Three Black Aces. At a young age, Anderson permanently damaged his vocal cords (he had to yell loudly for his job selling newspapers), leading to his trademark "raspy" voice.
Benny's ordering of his "valet" and Anderson's responses (sometimes a resigned "Yes, Boss," but just as often a snappy joke at Benny's expense) were among the weekly highlights of the long-running show.
Anderson's role as a servant was common for black leads in the popular media of that era, such as
Ethel WatersEthel Waters was an American blues and jazz vocalist and actress.She frequently performed jazz, big band, rock and roll and pop music, on the Broadway stage and in concerts, although she began her career in the 1920s singing blues...
in
Beulah. The stereotyping of blacks (or any ethnic group) had been standard practice in the entertainment business for generations. The relationship between Anderson and Benny became more complex and intimate as the years went by, with Rochester's role becoming both less stereotypical (in early episodes he carried a switchblade and shot
crapsCraps is a dice game in which players place wagers on the outcome of the roll or a series of rolls of two dice. Players may wager money against each other or a bank . Because it requires very little equipment, street craps can easily be played in informal settings.-History:Craps developed from a...
) and less subservient (though he remained a valet), reflecting changing social attitudes toward blacks. According to Jack Benny's posthumous autobiography,
Sunday Nights at Seven, the tone of racial humor surrounding Rochester declined as a conscious decision between Benny and the writing staff during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, once the enormity of the Holocaust was revealed. In short, Benny didn't find such humor funny anymore and he made an effort to erase it from the character of Rochester. The high esteem in which the two actors held each other was evident upon Benny's death in 1974, in which a tearful Anderson, interviewed for television, spoke of Benny with admiration and respect.
Benny was often protective of Anderson, and this led to conflict. For instance, in World War II, Benny toured with his show, but Rochester did not, because discrimination in the armed forces would have required separate living quarters. Interestingly, though, during performances of the radio program staged before armed forces audiences at bases and military hospitals, the appearance of Rochester routinely drew enthusiastic applause that arguably often outstripped that received by other members of the cast. Stateside, a similar incident was defused by Benny when, according to reporter Fredric W. Slater, Rochester was denied a room at the hotel that Benny and his staff were planning to staying in Saint Joseph, Missouri. When it was announced that Anderson could not stay there, Benny replied "If he doesn't stay here, neither do I." The hotel eventually allowed Anderson to remain as a guest.
Even though some of the humor was stereotypical, it was always done so that the racial element of the joke came from Anderson and no one else. For instance, when Jack takes a vacation, he takes Rochester along; but as a guest, not a servant, because Jack drives just as often as Rochester does. When they get to Yosemite to go skiing, Jack says "Don't wander off now, you're not used to being in the woods, you'll get lost in all the snow." Rochester replies "Who me?" Thus the race element of the joke was provided by Anderson.
Among the most highly-paid performers of his time, Anderson invested wisely and became extremely wealthy. Despite this, he was so strongly identified with the "Rochester" role that many listeners of the radio program mistakenly persisted in the belief that he was Benny's actual valet. One such listener drove Benny to distraction when he sent a scolding letter to Benny concerning Rochester's alleged pay, and then sent another letter to Anderson, which urged him to sue Benny. A similar letter came from a correspondent in the South who was angered that on an episode of the radio show where Benny was sparring with Anderson, that Benny allowed himself to be struck by Anderson. Benny retorted in a letter that it would not have been humorous the other way around.
How Rochester became Jack Benny's valet
Anderson's first appearance on the Jack Benny Show was on March 28, 1937. In this episode, Benny and his cast were traveling by train from Chicago back to California and Anderson (unnamed) was cast as a redcap. Anderson's first interaction with Benny was at the station in Chicago while they were boarding the train. On one of their two jokes, Benny said, "Here you are, redcap, here's fifty cents." Anderson replied, "This is a dime!" and Benny replied, "Look at your script, not the coin!" Benny later had an interaction with a different actor on the train, who laughed when Jack asked about when they would arrive in Albuquerque (indicating he had never heard of the place). In later years, Benny and Anderson referenced this conversation as having been between the two of them, and Anderson quipped, "Now if you'll give me my tip, I'll go home to my family."
Anderson appeared acting as Benny's valet on the June 20, 1937, show and, from that point onward, he appeared intermittently in that role; however, it would be several years before he would be mentioned at the start of the program as part of the cast.
Subsequent episodes gave different "origin stories" for Rochester. One radio show guest starred Amos n Andy and had them introduce Rochester to Benny as a valet in order to get out of trouble; a television show had Benny meeting Rochester when the later was a porter on a railroad train; Benny is responsible for Rochester being fired and then hires him as a valet to make it up to him.
Personal life
In June 1939, Anderson married Mamie Wiggins Nelson, but sadly after 15 years of marriage, Mamie died August 5, 1954, after a 2-year battle with cancer. Mamie was 42. At the time of her death, her son Billy (whom Eddie had adopted) was playing professional football for the Chicago Bears. Eddie Anderson remarried in 1955, to beauty Evangela 'Eva', the couple had two daughters Stephanie and Evangela Jr. ("Eva"), and son Edmund Jr.
Films
Anderson's film career debuted with George Cukor's "What Price Hollywood?" (1932), as 'James, Max's Butler', and appeared in dozens of Hollywood films through the 1930s & 1940's. In July 1939, Anderson appeared on screen for the first time with Radio boss Jack Benny, in the film, "Man About Town". The duo appeared in another few feature films, thereafter. In addition to his role with Benny, Anderson appeared in over 60 motion pictures, including "Jezebel" (1938) as 'Gros Bat', Capra's "You Can't Take It with You" (1938) as 'Donald', and 'Uncle Peter' in 1939's
Gone with the WindGone with the Wind is a 1939 American drama romance film adapted from Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel of the same name and directed by Victor Fleming...
, among many others. He reprised his 'Rochester' role in
Topper ReturnsTopper Returns is the third and final entry in the initial series of films inspired by the novels of Thorne Smith. It followed Topper and Topper Takes a Trip...
, this time as Cosmo Topper's valet (though he jokes about 'Mr. Benny' in the film). Eddie Anderson's lead role in the all-star black Hollywood musical film, Vincent Minneli's debut film,
Cabin in the SkyCabin in the Sky is an American musical with music by Vernon Duke, lyrics by John La Touche, and a musical book by Lynn Root. The musical premiered on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on October 25, 1940. It closed on March 8, 1941 after a total of 156 performances...
in his memorable performance as 'Joseph 'Little Joe' Jackson '.
Anderson, Benny, and the remaining cast members of
The Jack Benny Show (
Mary LivingstoneMary Livingstone , was an American radio comedienne and the wife and radio partner of comedy great Jack Benny . Enlisted almost entirely by accident to perform on her husband's popular program, she proved a talented comedienne...
,
Don WilsonDon Wilson was an American announcer and occasional actor in radio and television, with a Falstaffian vocal presence, remembered best as the rotund announcer and comic foil to the star of The Jack Benny Program....
, and
Mel BlancMelvin Jerome "Mel" Blanc was an American voice actor and comedian. Although he began his nearly six-decade-long career performing in radio commercials, Blanc is best remembered for his work with Warner Bros...
) also provided their voices to the 1959
Warner Bros.Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. (also known as Warner Bros. Pictures, or simply Warner Bros.—the shortened form of the former official, sometimes still used, formal corporate name: Warner Brothers
cartoonThe word cartoon has various meanings, based on several very different forms of visual art and illustration. The term has evolved over time....
The Mouse that Jack BuiltThe Mouse that Jack Built is a Merrie Melodies cartoon short, released April 4, 1959, directed by Robert McKimson and written by Tedd Pierce, a parody of The Jack Benny Program starring the voices of Jack Benny, Mary Livingstone, Don Wilson and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson as rodent caricatures of...
, directed by Robert McKimsonRobert "Bob" McKimson, Sr. was an American animator, illustrator, and director best known for his work on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros.-Biography:...
. This cartoon portrays rodent versions of the show's characters. The real Jack Benny appears as himself at the end. Anderson's last feature film performance was as one of the taxi drivers in Stanley Kramer's 1963 classic comedy, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad WorldIt's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is a 1963 American comedy film directed by Stanley Kramer about the madcap pursuit of $350,000 in stolen cash by a diverse and colorful group of strangers. The ensemble comedy premiered on November 7, 1963.-Plot:...
.
By 1972, he attempted a comeback with nightclub act in Houston which led to being cast in Broadway revival of "Good News" but was forced to resign due to bad health.
Death and legacy
Edmund Lincoln Anderson died in February 28, 1977, due to heart disease at the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California...
.
Anderson was buried in the historic Evergreen CemeteryEvergreen Cemetery may refer to:* Evergreen Cemetery * Evergreen Cemetery * Evergreen Cemetery, Los Angeles, California* Evergreen Cemetery * Evergreen Cemetery...
(the oldest existing cemetery in the city), in Los Angeles, CA., among other entertainment notables Our GangOur Gang, also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals, was a series of American comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and the adventures they had together. Created by comedy producer Hal Roach, Our Gang was produced at the Roach studio starting in 1922 as a...
former child star Matthew "Stymie" Beard, actress Louise BeaversLouise Beavers was an African American film actress. Beavers appeared in dozens of films from the 1920s to the 1930s, most often in the role of a maid, servant, or slave...
, the great balladeer Jesse BelvinJesse Lorenzo Belvin was an American R&B singer, pianist and songwriter popular in the 1950s, whose success was cut short by his death in a car crash aged 27.-Career:...
, Animation pioneer Frank Braxton Jr., Blues musician Willie Egan, bass vocalist for The Coasters Bobby NunnUlysses B. "Bobby" Nunn was an American singer with the musical groups The Robins and The Coasters. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama, U.S., and died of heart failure in Los Angeles, California, U.S.-Biography:...
, activist/author/actor H. T. Tsiang, Silent film actress Ruth HiattRuth Hiatt was an actress in motion pictures beginning in the silent film era. She is especially remembered for performingin 1920s comedies directed by Jack White, Norman Taurog, and Mack Sennett.-Child actress:...
, and Singer/songwriter Robert Nelson who teamed up with singer Earl Nelson as the duo, Bob & Earl ("Don't Ever Leave Me," "Baby It's Over," "I Can't Get Away", "Harlem Shuffle"), among others.
In a last philanthropic gesture, it was his intention to 'will' his sizable home after his passing. The house at 3553 South Western Ave. in Los Angeles, was to be used to house 'at-risk' substance sober-living residence for homeless substance abusers. Three decades after his death, The Eddie Rochester Anderson Foundation in Los Angeles ("The Rochester House"), helps troubled men transition into society.
The Rochester House opened its doors in 1989. It was dedicated in memory of the late Eddie Anderson, a true humanitarian, who knew what it was like to beat the odds when the mere dream of having a future, as an African American actor, was a chased rainbow rather than a “pot-of-gold’. His endeavor to succeed with much hard work and dedication enabled him to hurdle such obstacles in his path, branding him the pioneer in opening doors for minorities and others to follow.
Continuing in the direction of his father, “Eddie Anderson Jr.” established The Eddie “Rochester” Anderson Foundation. He has embraced the spirit of his father by impacting lives with a commitment of purpose as a soul existence. Since its inception, The Rochester House has had the pleasure of leading thousands of men and women to a life free from mind altering substances. Through direct involvement, clients have obtained employment, Mothers have regained custody of their children, and countless others have gone on to their rightful place in society. The participants have been able to step out into the world with a new found freedom and experience life with access, gratitude, and pride.
Eddie "Rochester" Anderson earned a Star on the Hollywood Walk of FameThe Hollywood Walk of Fame is a sidewalk along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA, that serves as an entertainment museum...
for Radio, at 6513 Hollywood Blvd, in Hollywood, and in 2001 Anderson was posthumously inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame-History:Although no physical building currently exists to house it, the National Radio Hall of Fame and Museum is a project of Bruce DuMont, CEO of the currently homeless Museum of Broadcast Communications, and is a museum dedicated to recognizing those who have contributed to the development of...
.
External links