User Reviews

It's obvious that in classic Hollywood Oscar history, being a victim would win awards over the complex bad girl. That happened to Barbara Stanwyck in 1945, losing her third bid for an Oscar to Ingrid Bergman. This is the second version of "Gaslight" that Stanwyck did on the Jack Benny program, fortunately preserved, and an amusing burlesque of that famous thriller. Along with Eddie "Rochester" Anderson and Bob Crosby, Benny and Stanwyck poke good fun at the classic play and movie, and Stanwyck seems to be stifling a laugh in a few scenes, indicating that she was having a good time. Inside jokes from the pre-show banter make their way into the sketch, including the daughter of an old friend of Jack's who keeps doing cartwheels throughout the show, and a sight gag from "Rochester" that steals the sketch. Crosby warbles a brief song, gets to take on the Joseph Gotten role, and is as charming as his more famous older brother. Benny wisely avoids a Boyer impression and gets his usual quota of perplexed double takes. Stanwyck didn't really do comedy after the late 1940's, so seeing her playfully spoof her serious image.