Jacks & Jims

Fun Facts About Famous Jacks & Jims

• Jim Backus was an avid golfer who made the 36-hole cut at the 1964 Bing Crosby Pro-Am tournament. Good on you, Mr. Magoo!
• As a young struggling comedian, Jim Carrey once wrote himself a check for $10 million "for acting services rendered," dated for Thanksgiving 1995, and kept it in his wallet. Just before that date, he landed his role in Dumb and Dumber (1994) and got paid exactly that amount.
• Jim Croce's breakout hit "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" was inspired by a real tough guy he met while serving in the U.S. Army National Guard. Many of Croce's other songs were based on people and stories from his life experiences.
• While playing Jesus in The Passion of the Christ (2004) actor Jim Caviezel was struck by lightning during the Sermon on the Mount scene. The actor also dislocated his shoulder from carrying the cross, caught pneumonia from the cold, and was accidentally whipped twice, leaving a 14-inch scar.
• Jack Benny mastered the persona of a vain, penny-pinching cheapskate on radio and television. But in real life he was known for his incredible generosity.
• Before becoming a big name in radio, stage and screen, actor Jack Lemmon was a talented pianist. He actually put music first, and once said he took up acting only because he was too shy to perform music in front of people without a character to hide behind.
• Jack Kerouac famously typed the manuscript for On the Road on a single, continuous 120-foot scroll of paper in just three weeks. Fueled by caffeine and other stimulants, this frenzied pace aimed to capture the spontaneous flow of his thoughts without pausing to change paper.
• Jack Klugman once had a horse which finished third in the 1980 Kentucky Derby. He called it the biggest thrill of his life, even surpassing his Emmy wins for The Odd Couple.