Just call him Bill

In honor of the late, great Jack Sheldon—jazz trumpeter, comedian, music director of The Merv Griffin Show, and star of Run, Buddy, Run—let's take a look at one of his most famous roles, that of the eponymous Bill in the great Schoolrock House feature "I'm Just a Bill."


Sheldon, who died last month at age 88, ought to be remembered for more than this. Not only was he a very funny guy (as Merv's sidekick, he prefigures Paul Shaffer), he was a brilliant jazz musician. Here he is in a 1978 clip, performing "Rocky Raccoon" with Benny Goodman at Carnegie Hall—and I can't believe I just used "Rocky Raccoon," "Benny Goodman," and "Carnegie Hall" in the same sentence.


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