Jethro and Friends

<v TV Announcer>Jethro and Friends total running time: 55:06. <v TV Narrator>Jethro and Friends is made possible in part by Liberty State Bank of St. Paul, <v TV Narrator>David and Sherill Fesler, and the Dayton Hudson Foundation on behalf of ?Beedleton? <v TV Narrator>Bookseller, Dayton's and Target stores. <v Ernie Ford Show Announcer>Tonight, the Ford Show visits a real country fair. <v Ernie Ford Show Announcer>Join Ernie Ford's great guests, Homer and Jethro! <v Jethro Burns>Uh oh. <v Jethro's Friend>Here we go. <v Ernie Ford>Well, of course, the real big thing at the county fair is the entertainment.

<v Ernie Ford>So why don't you all sit back on your apple boxes, push away any loose livestock that may <v Ernie Ford>be around because here on stage right now, here they are, the Everly <v Ernie Ford>Brothers of the Stone Age, Homer and Jethro! <v Speaker>[laughs]. <v Jethro's Friend>What an intro! <v Jethro Burns>That's my line. <v Jethro's Friend>Just like you wrote it, I was going to say. <v Jethro Burns>Yeah, alright. <v Speaker>[Homer and Jethro singing] <v Speaker>[laughter and applause]

<v Speaker>[Homer and Jethro singing] <v Narrator>Jethro Burns. There's something in this face you can't forget. <v Narrator>A kind of world charm and the unmistakable pride of accomplishment. <v Narrator>He plays the mandolin better than anyone. <v Narrator>And for 39 years was half of one of the greatest comedy teams of all time, <v Narrator>Homer and Jethro. Tonight, we'll bring Jethro and some of his friends together <v Narrator>for a special concert. And I'll look back at some of his more daring adventures.

<v Speaker>[Homer and Jethro Kellogs commercial plays] <v Narrator>This is the way many of us were introduced to Jethro Burns. <v Narrator>In the '60s, he and Homer sold Corn Flakes from mountain tops, lifeboats, <v Narrator>ice cubes, Arabian deserts, and hot tubs. <v Jethro Burns>Oh no. <v Speaker>[background advertising plays]. <v John Burns>Good taste is timeless, Dad, don't let 'em kid you. <v Jethro Burns>I never had it. I wouldn't know. <v Speaker>[background advertising plays]. <v John Burns>Good times are tasteless. <v Jethro's Friend>[laughs] There you go. <v Jethro Burns>That water was hot too. <v John Burns>I never wanted to tell my teachers what my dad did for a living. <v John Burns>[laughs] <v Jethro's Friend>Don't tell 'em now! <v John Burns>Now, I remember why.

<v Homer Haynes>All week I've been seeing spots before my eyes. <v Jethro Burns>Oh, have you seen a doctor? <v Homer Haynes>No, just spots. <v Jethro Burns>Ooh, that's corny. <v Commercial Singers>Corny is Kellogg's Corn Frakes. <v Homer Haynes>Corn Frakes [laughs]. <v Commercial Singers>Big hardy frakes of corn. <v Jethro Burns>What are you taking for your cold? <v Homer Haynes>I don't know. Make me an offer. <v Jethro Burns>Ooh, that's corny. <v Commercial Singers>Corny is Kellogg's Corn Frakes. <v Commercial Singers>Big, hardy frakes of corn. <v Homer Haynes>That medicine you gave me made my eyes smart. <v Jethro Burns>Make your eyes smart? <v Homer Haynes>Yeah. <v Jethro Burns>Should've rubbed it on his head. <v Jethro Burns>[laughter]. <v Commercial Singers>Ooh, that's corny. Corny is Kellogg's Corn Frakes. <v Jethro Burns>I've told you to drink carrot juice after a hot bath. <v Homer Haynes>Well- <v Jethro Burns>What's the matter? Don't you like carrot juice? <v Homer Haynes>I don't know. I'm still drinking the hot bath. <v Commercial Singers>Ooh that's corny. <v Commercial Singers>Corny is Kellogg's Corn Frakes. <v Commercial Singers>Cornfucius say corniest frakes is [gong sounds] Kellogg's. <v Commercial Singers>Cornfucious say ?inaudible? See packages. <v Jethro's Friend>Alright. <v John Burns>That was a killer. <v Jethro's Friend>That one's magic.

<v Jethro's Friend>Oh. <v John Burns>He does stuff like this in grocery stores. He- we were, listen to this- <v John Burns>we were- we were at Walgreens with my- my son <v John Burns>and he's you know a little boy, little blond-haired kid. <v John Burns>He goes to the Walgreens. 1 of the girls at the checkout counter knows him. <v John Burns>And she said, is that your grandson? He said, yes. <v John Burns>She says- she said, is he spoiled? <v John Burns>And he said, no all little boys smell like that. <v John Burns>[laughs] [music plays] <v Narrator>Jethro's affection for corn began long before his association with Kellogg's. <v Narrator>It was in 1932 that he met guitarist Henry Haynes and formed the country comedy <v Narrator>team Homer and Jethro. Their twisted parodies of popular songs haunted <v Narrator>the music industry for the next 40 years. <v Dean Martin>Now, do you guys do requests? <v Homer Haynes>I guess we could.

<v Dean Martin>Yeah well, I got a request for ya. <v Jethro Burns>Alrighty, what is it? <v Dean Martin>Don't do any of my songs. <v Dean Martin>That's the request. [laughs]. <v Homer Haynes>We wouldn't do that. <v Dean Martin>I didn't think so. <v Jethro Burns>You don't think we would never fool with a great song like everybody mugs somebody <v Jethro Burns>sometime. <v Speaker>[laughter and background chatter] <v Jethro Burns>When we were red hot, Homer and Jethro had everything in the world going for us. <v Jethro Burns>And we were- we were booked into a club in Chicago called Ray Colognes <v Jethro Burns>on the South Side. We doing 3 shows a night, so comes <v Jethro Burns>a night when the third show rolls around and there ain't 1 person in <v Jethro Burns>there. Not 1 customer in the building. <v Jethro Burns>And I went to the boss and I said, do we have to play? <v Jethro Burns>He says, you got a contract that says 3 shows a night, so you will play. <v Jethro Burns>So we went out and very sarcastically did our whole routine. <v Jethro Burns>We didn't leave out nothing.

<v Jethro Burns>No commas or nothing. I mean, we just did every bit. <v Jethro Burns>Finished our last tune, made the exit off stage <v Jethro Burns>and then we came back and did an encore. [laughter] I'll <v Jethro Burns>never forget that day. Playing 45 to 50 minutes to nobody. <v Jethro Burns>And they liked it. [laughter] <v Speaker>[Homer and Jethro playing music] <v Jethro Burns>Personality-wise, well we had it, because we were together, well, 39

<v Jethro Burns>years and we never had argument. [music continues] <v John Burns>I've seen my dad play with the best and he's never sounded like he did with Homer. <v John Burns>And that comes from playing with somebody for 39 years, or whatever. <v Speaker>Do you remember when Homer died?

<v Jethro Burns>We were supposed to work at it. <v Jethro Burns>I had gone out to the fairgrounds where we were going to play and uh <v Jethro Burns>before the matinee I uh- I got a call <v Jethro Burns>from Homer's son saying that he had been taken to the hospital. <v Jethro Burns>And so I left the fairgrounds and ?inaudible? <v Jethro Burns>was real close to Lancing where Homer lived and I went over there. <v Jethro Burns>And uh found out that he just collapsed at home and they took him to the hospital and <v Jethro Burns>he died, I guess, before he even got there. <v Jethro Burns>And, uh. <v Jethro Burns>And that's how sudden it was. <v Jethro Burns>So uh... <v John Burns>I went by the house and he- he was sitting on the front porch just by himself, <v John Burns>just sitting out there and Mom was in the house. <v John Burns>I figured if she wasn't with him, he was having a pretty bad time of it. <v John Burns>He won't- he would never talk about it. <v John Burns>He doesn't talk about it. <v Speaker>[music continues]

<v Steve Goodman>Jethro Burns comes from a different time, a <v Steve Goodman>time when human relationships could grow <v Steve Goodman>in a slower fashion, perhaps. <v Steve Goodman>[Jethro playing in the background] When this world was not so fast. <v Steve Goodman>There's not going to be 2 of him. [music continues] <v John Burns>I think that his basic outlook on life has always been sort of light.

<v John Burns>Even when Homer died, he never took it lightly, but he did say, look, <v John Burns>it's done. We're not going to undo it. So let's just step out of the hole and- and try to <v John Burns>one further on up the line. <v Steve Goodman>I think what I learned from Jethro was is that if you love the music, you don't <v Steve Goodman>have to stop playing it. <v Steve Goodman>You don't have to stop playing it when you're 30 years old. <v Steve Goodman>You don't have to stop when you're 40. <v Steve Goodman>You don't have to stop when you're 50. <v Jethro Burns>We have to keep playin' 'till they applaud. [laughter] [applause]. <v Announcer>Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the Jethro Burns Quartet. With special guests Chet Atkins, John Burns, and Steve Goodman. <v Jethro Burns>Go ahead, I deserve it.

<v Jethro Burns>Good to be here with an act like ours, it's good to be anywhere. <v Jethro Burns>[laughter] We'll have a lot of fun. <v Jethro Burns>We've got some really high powered guests that we hope show up. <v Jethro Burns>[laughter] And first <v Jethro Burns>of all, I would like to introduce the suit. How do you like the suit huh? <v Jethro Burns>[applause] <v Jethro Burns>Well, guys say, Jethro, why do you dress up like that? <v Jethro Burns>I'll tell you why. When you get to be my age, you don't know when it's going to happen. <v Jethro Burns>You want to be ready. <v Jethro Burns>This is a nice suit. I didn't buy it. <v Jethro Burns>I came home the other night and I found it hanging across a chair. <v Jethro Burns>And it fit me so I figured out why make waves. <v Jethro Burns>I'd like to open up with a tune featuring the quartet. <v Jethro Burns>This is called The Lady is a Tramp. <v Jethro Burns>John, if you please.

<v Speaker>[Jethro Burns and the Jethro Burns Quartet perform "The Lady is a Tramp"] <v Jethro Burns>These wonderful young guys workin' with me up here, they're all from down around Chicago.

<v Jethro Burns>And I'm so happy to have 'em with me because kind of makes me feel young to be around <v Jethro Burns>'em. This is John Perret, Neil Soroka on bass and Don Sternberg. <v Jethro Burns>And guys, it's a pleasure [applause] <v Jethro Burns>This next young fella, I can't say enough nice things about him because I've <v Jethro Burns>been associated with him for so long now. <v Jethro Burns>And golly, I miss the years when he was deductible. <v Jethro Burns>[laughter] Plus, uh we've got a wonderful relationship. <v Jethro Burns>In that, I say nice things about him and in return he lets me live <v Jethro Burns>with his mother. <v Jethro Burns>For these kids, I'll tell you. Kids nowadays are well, you read so much about <v Jethro Burns>them. And I know myself when I was a kid, we wouldn't think of doing the things <v Jethro Burns>that the kids are doing nowadays. <v Jethro Burns>And that's why we didn't do them. We didn't think of them.

<v Jethro Burns>But old John, what a nice guy. <v Jethro Burns>He uh he'll be out, like I said- you know I bought a toupee and uh <v Jethro Burns>Don, you might start thinking about this too. <v Jethro Burns>Of course, on the other hand, I don't see why you should. <v Jethro Burns>I mean, I would never buy a top for a convertible after the motor was shot. <v Jethro Burns>[laughter] Nobody <v Jethro Burns>is safe tonight. We're going to pick on everybody. <v Jethro Burns>But I uh I bought a toupee. I don't know if I told you this or not, but I did buy a <v Jethro Burns>toupee. <v Jethro Burns>I was so proud of this thing, but I never got to wear it. <v Jethro Burns>I brought it home and laid it on the table and my son smoked it. <v Jethro Burns>[laughter] A nice welcome for my son, Johnny Burns. <v Jethro Burns>[applause] <v Jethro Burns>Nice to have you. <v John Burns>Nice to be had. <v Jethro Burns>Oh, yeah. Good to have you with a legit band.

<v Jethro Burns>I mean, this guy, he goes on the road with people like John Prine <v Jethro Burns>and plays in bands called The Famous Potatoes. <v Jethro Burns>The name fits because those guys were usually fried anyway. <v Jethro Burns>[laughter] So we're gonna do a song that John wrote and I recorded, <v Jethro Burns>"My Momma was a Truck Driving Man." Here we go. <v Speaker>[Jethro and John play "My Momma was a Truck Driving Man"] <v Jethro Burns>He will be back later. Well, that's son, John. And now we're going to bring out a young

<v Jethro Burns>fella that I have known for so many years that, <v Jethro Burns>well, I like to remember that far back. <v Jethro Burns>But on the other hand, it's been so great to know the guy that I kind of like to remember <v Jethro Burns>every one of these years. I know I've worked a show with this guy was called A Festival <v Jethro Burns>of Music. And because of the fact that there were so many virtuosos <v Jethro Burns>on the show, they had names like for instance Boots Randolph, because <v Jethro Burns>he was such a great saxophone player, he was known as Mr. Sax. <v Jethro Burns>And Floyd Cramer, what a piano player. <v Jethro Burns>He was known as Mr. Piano. <v Jethro Burns>And our next guest was known as Mr. Guitar. <v Jethro Burns>They called me Jethro. [laughter] Ladies <v Jethro Burns>and gentlemen, my favorite country gentleman, Mr. Chet Atkins. <v Jethro Burns>[applause] <v Jethro Burns>Well, this audience is good. I wish we had a better act.

<v Jethro Burns>Do we reminisce a little or do we uh- <v Chet Atkins>Let's reminisce a little, what the hey. <v Chet Atkins>We're going to play a tune that uh we recorded in <v Chet Atkins>19 ought 3. <v Jethro Burns>Oought 3. <v Chet Atkins>No it was about 1947 or 8. <v Chet Atkins>In Atlanta, Georgia and the Fox Theater. <v Chet Atkins>They've restored the Fox Theater. <v Jethro Burns>Really? <v Chet Atkins>Yeah. <v Jethro Burns>They fix the room we worked in? <v Chet Atkins>I don't know if it's still there. Had a little studio up in uh the attic somewhere and I <v Chet Atkins>remember the engineer put a speaker and a microphone in the elevator shaft and used that <v Chet Atkins>for an echo chamber. [audience laughs]. <v Jethro Burns>That's right. <v Chet Atkins>The good old days. But this was uh I think this was the first record I'd recorded for 3 <v Chet Atkins>years and uh nothing happened, you know, it's just bad. <v Chet Atkins>No sales. And I took Homer and Jethro down and we played on ?inaudible? <v Chet Atkins>records. And then they played with me, and all <v Chet Atkins>of a sudden, my records started selling a lot better and I'll always be grateful to you <v Chet Atkins>and Homer for that. <v Jethro Burns>Wow.

<v Chet Atkins>But let's play that tune. <v Jethro Burns>OK. Should I announce it? <v Chet Atkins>We also recorded with Slim Whitman that day. <v Jethro Burns>Slim Whitman. That's right. We had the honor of making the first Slim Whitman <v Jethro Burns>record. <v Jethro Burns>Now, get hostile about that. Somebody had to do it. <v Speaker>[Jethro Burns and Chet Atkins perform a song] <v Speaker>[audience applause]. <v Jethro Burns>?inaudible?

<v Chet Atkins>Well, we know a lot of- a lot of those old tunes, why don't we do um- <v Chet Atkins>the one where we rehearsed? <v Speaker>[audience laughs and applauds]. <v Speaker>[Jethro Burns and Chet Atkins perform a song] <v Chet Atkins>We almost hit the same chord. <v Speaker>[Jethro and Chet continue playing]

<v Jethro Burns>I think probably when they invented the guitar, they knew that sooner or later Chet would

<v Jethro Burns>be along to play it. <v Jethro Burns>And boy, what a job he does. <v Jethro Burns>This is really a big night for me because I get to visit <v Jethro Burns>with 2 of my all time favorite people, 3 of them, in fact. <v Jethro Burns>And this next guy coming out is one that I have had more fun with. <v Jethro Burns>And I uh I met him many years ago in a club in Chicago called the Earl of Old Town, <v Jethro Burns>where he was the headliner, and my son John was the opening act. <v Jethro Burns>And ever since then, why, we just had a ball together, we've made records. <v Jethro Burns>We've toured. We've done just about everything to itinerant musicians <v Jethro Burns>can do without getting put in jail. <v Jethro Burns>And we didn't miss that too far. <v Jethro Burns>Ladies and gentlemen, one of the truly great guys, song writer, singer, you name <v Jethro Burns>it, this is my buddy, my little bitty buddy, Steve Goodman. <v Speaker>[audience applause] <v Steve Goodman>Well, we got a song, another Chicago one, a fella named a Mike Smith, I think actually

<v Steve Goodman>he's from New Jersey, but we imported him over to Chicago. <v Steve Goodman>He's 43 years old and he wrote this song about 2 people who were older than you. <v Steve Goodman>They live in Holland. Song's called The Dutchman. <v Speaker>[Jethro Burns and Steve Goodman perform "The Dutchman"] <v Speaker>[applause] <v Jethro Burns>Thank you.

<v Speaker>You've been living in California for a while now. <v Speaker>Yeah. It hasn't quite ruined my life, but I made up a song over the <v Speaker>last couple of days. [Jethro laughs] Finished it about 4 or 5 minutes to go upstairs <v Speaker>and-. <v Speaker>Right. <v Steve Goodman>You know, taped it to the monitor speaker and now we're gonna try to sing it. <v Steve Goodman>It's a- it's a song that, I don't know, I think people here can <v Steve Goodman>relate to, too, because they have songs here. <v Steve Goodman>[audience laughs].

<v Jethro Burns>Really? <v Steve Goodman>Midwest. So I've heard. <v Jethro Burns>Yeah. <v Steve Goodman>Mm hmm. Turkish baths. <v Jethro Burns>I got in 1 of them things 1 time, just about ruined my overcoat. <v Jethro Burns>[audience laughs] <v Steve Goodman>Yeah, I remember it shrunk down far enough <v Steve Goodman>that I got to wear it. <v Jethro Burns>Looks better on you than it did me. <v Steve Goodman>This uh- this is a song called the Hot Tub Refugee. <v Steve Goodman>It's in G. <v Speaker>[Jethro Burns and Steve Goodman play "Hot Tub Refugee"] <v Speaker>[audience applause]. <v Jethro Burns>Steve Goodman! <v Speaker>[applause continues]. <v Jethro Burns>Hey, you're a great audience. I'll tell you 1 thing though,we've had some pretty heavy

<v Jethro Burns>people out here. You got Chet Atkins and Steve Goodman and <v Jethro Burns>you really applauded for them. <v Jethro Burns>Now, I don't expect that, but I'll tell <v Jethro Burns>you 1 thing, I don't like to be sold short on anything, so this next tune uh <v Jethro Burns>it was written by 1 of the greatest composers on stage at this time. <v Jethro Burns>And when I first wrote this [audience laughs], what I'm getting at <v Jethro Burns>is now you've been applauding for Chet and Steve like crazy now. <v Jethro Burns>Just to make sure I don't come out on the short end of anything, I would like to have my <v Jethro Burns>applause for the tune right now. <v Jethro Burns>[audience applause] <v Jethro Burns>We've got more.

<v Jethro Burns>The tune you were applauding for is called Jethro's <v Jethro Burns>Tune [laughs]. <v Speaker>[Jethro and others perform "Jethro's Tune"] <v Speaker>[audience applause].

<v Jethro Burns>Thank you very much. We have a real mob up here on stage now, you know, Chet, I've played <v Jethro Burns>to smaller crowds than this is. <v Chet Atkins>With you in fact. <v Jethro Burns>Yeah. Boy. Okay, don't forget now the party's at the Holiday Inn room <v Jethro Burns>317 [audience laughs] and you're all invited and uh <v Jethro Burns>you might bring over a 6-pack and some baloney and <v Jethro Burns>cheese. And I suggest you might bring a Gideon Bible, <v Jethro Burns>because if we get to swingin', we're gonna stay over 'till Sunday. <v Jethro Burns>This is a tune that we learned from watching the Harlem Globetrotters on TV. <v Jethro Burns>Yeah, they bounce that ball around. <v Speaker>[Jethro and others perform song] <v Jethro Burns>[audience applause] I don't want to get too used to that because I'll expect it

<v Jethro Burns>everywhere. And you folks have been just a beautiful audience <v Jethro Burns>and we can't thank you enough. <v Jethro Burns>So until we meet again, this is your old friend Jethro saying, <v Jethro Burns>bye. [audience laughs] <v Speaker>[Homer and Jethro perform "Battle of Kookamonga"] <v Speaker>[Jethro and friends laugh]

<v John Burns>Where did that come from? <v Jethro Burns>God knows. <v Jethro's Friend>Homer. <v Jethro Burns>Yeah. <v TV Announcer>Jethro and Friends was made possible in part by Liberty State Bank of St. Paul. <v TV Announcer>David and Cheryl Fesler, the Dayton Hudson Foundation on behalf of ?Beedleton? <v TV Announcer>Bookseller, Dayton's, and Target stores and is a production of KTCA TV.