Name: Jack Larson on Letterman, March 15, 1982
Uploaded: 2016-03-10T02:28:11.000Z
Description: Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Jack Larson on Letterman, March 15, 1982' from Don Giller on Comedy Buff. Published 2016-03-10. Transcript available.

Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Jack Larson on Letterman, March 15, 1982' from Don Giller on Comedy Buff. Published 2016-03-10. Transcript available.

Hi there, and welcome back to the show.
The Adventures of Superman was one of the most popular television programs ever.
The show was only on the air for a few years, going off in 1957,
but devoted fans have been enjoying the reruns ever since,
and my next guest was one of the original cast members of that show.
He appeared in all 104 episodes as Jimmy Olsen.
Please welcome Jack Larson.
Nice to see you.
You look remarkably like you used to look.
I mean, you do not look like, I don't know, I mean, you still look like Jimmy
Olsen.
Yeah, no, I don't mean that you, but you know, you, yeah,
I would imagine you get recognized a lot, huh?
I do, I do.
Is that enjoyable for you?
Well, it is now.
It wasn't at one time when the, you know, I was a serious actor like you,
I saw your screenplay.
And I got, I did the Superman show after doing several films with Warner
Brothers,
and when the show came on the air, of course,
I progressively got typed and became Jimmy Olsen.
And at that point, it wasn't enjoyable for me.
I was, to put it mildly, first hysterical,
and then I became a hermit, and I wouldn't do anything.
But then years later, I gave up acting.
I felt I was so typed when the show went off the air and George died.
And I became a writer, and when my work began to have openings in New York and
such,
I'd be asked to appear, and I wouldn't because I didn't through the years.
But when I finally did, really only a few years back,
and people enjoyed seeing me,
and the sky didn't fall on me because they said Jimmy Olsen is a serious writer
now.
I've enjoyed it, yes.
Yeah.
At the time, did you have any idea what you were getting into,
or was it just another job, so you thought?
No, no, I didn't have any idea.
We were one of the first serious film,
and nobody knew even that the shows would go on the air.
And I'd been under contract to Warner Brothers,
and I was asked to do this, and I wanted to get back to New York.
I was crazy about the theater.
And so people said to me,
look, if you don't want another stock contract,
and you want to do something, do this show.
Nobody will ever see it.
Take the money and run.
And I did.
And I ran right to New York,
and then the show went on the air, and I was Jimmy.
The show was never a network television program, was it?
Well, it first went on, really, ABC.
But it was run by the Superman people,
who became Warner Brothers now,
and was sponsored by Kellogg's.
But it was on ABC for a while,
and then they formed their own network.
I think it was one of the original syndicated shows.
And it's still on the air virtually everywhere.
Everywhere.
Now, is this one of those deals
where you're not getting money from the residuals presently?
It's one of those deals.
Was it a fun show to do?
I mean, it was such a solid, and still is, hit.
It looked like it, well, was it?
It was wonderful to do.
And one of the wonderful things
was George was so funny to work with.
And however he comes,
when I see the shows,
well, people often ask me,
how did you keep your sense of humor in the shows?
Why are you so buoyant and such?
And it was hard to keep from laughing with George,
because he was just very funny all the time.
For instance, when Jimmy would ever be,
I'd be tied to a chair
with a bomb at my feet or something,
and George would be prepared to come through a wall,
and before the scene would shoot,
suddenly George would appear around the corner of the set,
and he'd blow me kisses.
And he'd say,
don't you worry,
Super Boo's going to save you,
and through the wall.
And so, of course,
I'm laughing when he saves me,
because it's hard not to.
Did anybody ever get hurt?
Stunts?
Anything like that?
Me?
I had constant cold,
because they used to,
their idea,
I was the first person since Perils of Pauline
that had water rising to their neck
in show after show,
and I was always wet.
Yeah.
But we weren't,
it was show after show after show,
Jimmy,
he was trapped with weights on him
as the ocean came in,
or in an iron-tight closet
while water rose.
And I had colds until I told him,
look, I'm a dry actor,
and quit this.
We have some film,
and now this is not actually
from the series, is it, Jack?
This is,
it's a public service film
for the United States Treasury Department
made in 1953,
and it's entitled
Stamp Day for Superman.
Do you remember this at all?
Well, I haven't,
we made,
I remember making
a public service program.
Okay, let's take a look here,
and we'll see Jack Larson
as Jimmy Olsen
featured in Stamp Day for Superman.
Pretty nifty, isn't it, Mr. Kent?
I can almost carry it in my pocket.
Now, if I have any special
outside assignments,
I can carry my typewriter with me.
That's right, Jimmy,
it looks like a good
practical investment to me.
There it is.
I would miss report
of a burglary
that didn't burgle too well.
Well, congratulations, Lois.
Gee, that's cute.
Cute?
Can't you think of some other word
to call it, Miss Lane?
I don't want to be known
as the boy with the cute typewriter.
I'm afraid it's hopeless, Jimmy.
I once knew a woman
who referred to the Grand Canyon
as cute.
Well, whatever you call it,
I didn't know the chief
was handing out raises.
Oh, I didn't get a raise.
Then I didn't know
he was handing out rich uncles.
In a way, I guess you could say
an uncle had something
to do with it.
Uncle Sam.
When I was in school,
I used to buy
treasury savings stamps
every week.
By the time I graduated,
they turned in the bonds.
So you're cashing the bonds
on this typewriter?
Only part of them.
You see,
the interest I got
on my investment
made the bonds worth
a lot more than
what I put into them.
Well, it's very interesting, Jimmy.
And speaking of learning to save,
that ties in exactly
with something I heard
last night.
And when did you hear
anything about saving
last night, Mr. Kent?
I was with you all the time,
remember?
Oh, uh, yes.
Well, this must have been
some other evening
when you weren't with me.
Now, Jimmy,
do they still have stamp day
at your old alma mater?
As far as I know,
every Thursday.
And this is Thursday,
isn't it?
That gives me an idea.
Why not do a feature article
on how the kids
help themselves
and Uncle Sam
by buying bonds and stamps?
Cheapers.
I'll go along with that.
Good.
How about you, Lois?
I'd love to,
but I have a date
with Inspector Henderson.
Have to look through
the mug books
for that speedy gentleman
I met in the alley
last night.
Well, then come on over later.
P.S. number 10.
Fine.
Meet you there
in an hour.
Uh, Jim?
Yes, Miss Lane?
Uh, I was wondering,
could I borrow your typewriter?
Thank you.
Thank you, Superman.
This is, uh,
it's very interesting to me
that, um,
you would be so successful
in something
that you would have difficulty
continuing in that line of work
and the fact that you're now doing,
I guess you were always a writer, huh?
I was.
Yeah, and what, uh,
I know that you wrote a poem
that was, uh,
done by the Joffrey Ballet
as a ballet,
and you've done other things?
Yes, yes, I did.
It's called
The Relativity of Icarus.
It has music by Gerhard Samuel,
but it's a monodrama of mine
and it was a great success for them,
but it was a concert work.
Yeah.
I've done a lot of work
with composers.
I did an opera.
Portions of it
are being done tomorrow night
in Boston
with Virgil Thompson.
It's called Lord Byron.
It was directed here
at Lincoln Center.
That's it.
This is what we're talking about.
This is being done tomorrow night in, uh...
Arias and duets
in a concert series
and Virgil and I,
who I think is
America's greatest composer,
certainly America's greatest opera composer,
we have a premiere of a work,
he's now 85,
at the Gardner Museum.
It's a work called The Cat
and I'm looking forward very much.
Yeah.
But I wrote plays
and was early off-off-Broadway
but they're verse experiments.
But I was writing
when I did Superman
and then just...
Sometimes I don't know really
why I quit acting.
I just felt typed
and I felt that
except to do another television series,
which is the only thing
I never would do again.
And there was no crossover,
you know, at that time.
You were in television.
That's right.
You were in television
and now there's crossover.
John Travolta,
you did Urban Cowboy
that I'm part of that film company
with Jim Bridges.
He crossed over,
you know,
he's a movie star
and people do.
But at that time you didn't.
You were in television.
I don't...
Maybe this is uncomfortable for you,
maybe not.
I'm going to ask regardless
and you determine
if it is or not.
The star of the show
ended up, I believe,
killing himself,
did he not?
He did.
And was that as a result
of just the situation
you described,
that it was difficult
to get out of the casting
or was it other problems?
I've always felt so.
I felt George felt
he was typecast.
Well, you know,
a role like that,
it takes up your life,
certainly your acting life.
It takes it up.
And I felt that Jimmy
at that time
took up mine
and I'm grateful for it.
I mean,
that I played Jimmy
and that people feel
nice about me
and the audience
will applaud me
and you'll have me here.
I love it now.
If somebody called you up
and said,
we have a wonderful part,
we'd like you to play
whatever and whatever,
would you consider
going back to acting?
I've been asked that,
actually,
if it were a wonderful part
and I trusted the director.
Yes,
but I wouldn't
disappoint everybody.
I tried to do
the best I could
as Jimmy.
I'm glad that they'll be seen
long after I'm gone.
But I'd want to be good
if I did something.
I'd have to be right.
And I would.
And it's an unlikely circumstance.
Well,
it was a pleasure meeting you.
I thank you very much
for participating
in our little goofing around
at the top of the show
and good luck with the cat
tomorrow night in Boston.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
Jack Carson.
We'll be right back.
We'll be right back.
We'll be right back.
We'll be right back.
We'll be right back.