Eddie Anderson's father, Big Ed Anderson, was a minstrel performer and his mother was a tightrope walker. 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. He is best known for his role as Rochester van Jones on The Jack Benny Program. Although he was initially slated as only having a one-shot role, Anderson was so well received they created the part of "Rochester Van Jones," Jack's valet. Though technically subservient to his white boss, "Rochester" was at the same time witty, sarcastic, and often portrayed as more intelligent than Jack Benny himself. In 2001 he was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame. Eddie "Rochester" Anderson in the driver's seat of an Army jeep with passengers (left to right) Jack Benny, Dennis Day, Phil Harris, Mary Livingstone and Don Wilson, with soldiers gathered behind them during a USO entertainment tour. Caption: Rochester and the rest of the Jack Benny troupe take over an army jeep at one of their many camp performances.
Type
image
Identifier
uclalsc_1889_b22_f07_001.tif ark:/21198/z1fb6m4w
Subject
African American comedians Comedians African American actors Day, Dennis, 1916-1988 Benny, Jack, 1894-1974 Harris, Phil, 1904-1995 Livingstone, Mary United Service Organizations (U.S.) Anderson, Eddie, 1905-1977 Wilson, Don, 1900-1982
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