The Jack Benny Program Quotes
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Source: The Jack Benny Program
Speaker: Jack Benny
Now cut that out!
Context
This line is spoken by Jack Benny in the TV show The Jack Benny Program (1950-1965).
When Jack Benny moved his radio show to television in 1950, he took his trademark catchphrase with him. Since Jack played a penny-pinching character who refused to age past 39, the other characters on the show liked to really stick it to him. When he got really frustrated, he might shout, "Now cut that out!" Of course, that's when things also started to get really hilarious.
Where you've heard it
"Now cut that out" is a pretty popular phrase so we're guessing you've heard it once or twice. Probably from your parents when you were being a pest.
Additional Notable References:
- The episode of Biography about Jack Benny was called "Now Cut That Out!"
- Bugs Bunny liked Jack Benny's catchphrase, too. Maybe that's because Mel Blanc guest-starred on his show a whole lot.
- On Full House, Uncle Joey's catchphrase is a subtle take on this, complete with hand gestures.
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
Asking someone to stop what they're doing is (almost) never pretentious. Throw in some funny hand gestures like Uncle Joey and you're in business.