Paul Benedict

[mikebennidict]

today the number painter turns 66.

 

[JaniceFerSure]

Happy Birthday Paul Benedict

Happy Birthday Paul.Hope he had a good birthday today.From The Goodbye Girl,to the Jeffersons,brief cameo in This is Spinal Tap.He's a great actor.

 

[fuzzygobo]

Paul Benedict, Rennaissance Man

Earlier this year Paul was here in New Jersey at Drew University performing Shakespeare. He was just a support player, drawing no attention to himself, but helped in the productions of Twelfth Night and As You Like It.

'Scuse me, whist I paint a 3!

 

[mikebennidict]

you mean he didn't even paint a 12?

 

[Ziffel]

I haven't seen the number painter since the good ol' 70's days. Let me rack my brain and see how many of the eleven I can recall. Should be a jolly ol' time as Mr. Bently would say!

Number 1: Drawing a total blank ( no pun intended). Perhaps they started with the number 2?
Number 2: I am very vague on this. Seems like he was on a boat at the end and says "Twooooo" and the boat takes off?
Number 3: Ah now this I recall well. The ketchup 3, mustard 3, and mayonnaise 3. And the woman eats the huge stack of sandwiches.
Number 4: I think he painted the 4 on an umbrella and then it rained and sort of washed it off? And I think a woman was in this one again (and maybe the same one as in #3?)
Number 5: Darn, I got this in the back of my head but it just isn't coming to mind.
Number 6: Definitely know this one. The six on the baker's cake. To which the baker in anger throws the cake in his face.
Number 7: I forgot most of this one, but I remember at the end he says, "7" a couple of times rather proudly and contentedly, so I guess this one had a HAPPY ending for our painter!
Number 8: Ah my favorite one! The 8 on the bald guy's head in the swimming pool. Loved the super high speed chase around the pool that follows, as well as the accompanying music!
Number 9: Pretty fuzzy on the details on this one. I think at the end, though, his nine was painted on a street and some large vehicle drives over it and renders the 9 almost illegible.
Number 10: Another total blank here.
Number 11: But another very clear one here! He paints the 11 on the door glass window of a doctor's office, but the nurse eventually snags him and takes him in to see the doctor. (To which the painter says, "Yikes!")

I'll be interested to see any of the blanks that anyone may be able to fill in.
By the way, IMDB lists the years for the number painter as being 1969-1974.

 

[Soul H]

For number 5, he was at the zoo and saw a ball to which he painted the vertical line and curve. Before he could finish a gorilla approached him, took the brush and finished the 5. And they walked if in harmony.

For 7 he was I believe at an elevator and succesfully painted a 7 on the doors.

As for 10, he painted a 10 on a stool, only to have it sat on by someone eating a banana with some salt.

 

[mikebennidict]

I haven't seen the number painter since the good ol' 70's days. Let me rack my brain and see how many of the eleven I can recall. Should be a jolly ol' time as Mr. Bently would say!

Number 1: Drawing a total blank ( no pun intended). Perhaps they started with the number 2?
Number 2: I am very vague on this. Seems like he was on a boat at the end and says "Twooooo" and the boat takes off?
Number 3: Ah now this I recall well. The ketchup 3, mustard 3, and mayonnaise 3. And the woman eats the huge stack of sandwiches.
Number 4: I think he painted the 4 on an umbrella and then it rained and sort of washed it off? And I think a woman was in this one again (and maybe the same one as in #3?)
Number 5: Darn, I got this in the back of my head but it just isn't coming to mind.
Number 6: Definitely know this one. The six on the baker's cake. To which the baker in anger throws the cake in his face.
Number 7: I forgot most of this one, but I remember at the end he says, "7" a couple of times rather proudly and contentedly, so I guess this one had a HAPPY ending for our painter!
Number 8: Ah my favorite one! The 8 on the bald guy's head in the swimming pool. Loved the super high speed chase around the pool that follows, as well as the accompanying music!
Number 9: Pretty fuzzy on the details on this one. I think at the end, though, his nine was painted on a street and some large vehicle drives over it and renders the 9 almost illegible.
Number 10: Another total blank here.
Number 11: But another very clear one here! He paints the 11 on the door glass window of a doctor's office, but the nurse eventually snags him and takes him in to see the doctor. (To which the painter says, "Yikes!")

I'll be interested to see any of the blanks that anyone may be able to fill in.
By the way, IMDB lists the years for the number painter as being 1969-1974.

well i know they go as far back as 1972 because 1 of the SSU episodes had the 4 film in 1 of there 1972 shows though i don't think it he was painting from those dtaes i highly doubt it took 5 years to make all of those films and i get a feeling they might of been done i 1 day. if you remember all of the outdoor films wewre done on a rather cloudy day. if they weren't done in 1 day maybe in a few days.

 

[SesameMike]

From an old message board

Who was the number painter?

He was a man in a white painter's jacket and hat who appeared on a
scene with a single goal: to paint a number. Some facts:

-- The painter was played by Paul Benedict, who played Mr. Bentley on
"The Jeffersons".

-- The only audio was a piano solo, modified to different events in
the scene. The painter's voice was also heard occasionally, but with a
voice-over, not matching his lip movements.

-- His dialog was little more than the name of the number and comments
regarding it's painting, e.g.:" where's my 7?"

-- He always appeared with a "prototype" number to compare to his
finished product, along with paint brushes and cans (though he didn't always
use them, as described below for 3 and 6)

-- He seemed to have a one-track mind, concerned only with painting
his number, regardless of whose property he might have been defacing
in the process.

The Painter's routines. (My comments = [] )

Eleven (11)
Setting: a waiting area for some kind of doctor's office.

The painter decides to paint an 11 on the window on the door that
leads to the office. [Room 11?] Just as he was about to paint, a
burly-looking nurse opens the door and firmly but mechanically grabs
the next patient. After this happened twice, the painter (who emerged
from hiding behind a magazine while sitting on a couch) walked up and
painted the digits. Shortly after, a janitor sees the paint job and
happily proceeds to remove it. The painter watches the janitor's
every single move from the other side of the glass: spraying it with a
Windex-type product, wiping it with a rag, and squeegeeing it
down. While the painter sadly mulls the loss of his number ("My 11's gone") the nurse opens the door yet again and grabs him while calling "Next". His final word: "Yipes!!"

Note: This nurse was played by Stockard Channing, aka Rizzo in the Grease movie.

Ten (10)
Setting: a nondescript room with a white background.

The painter tries to paint a 10 on the seat of a wooden stool, but
people keep sitting down on it. Finally he paints the digits, but
someone sits on the stool again immediately afterwards and eats a banana. The painter appears to ask the guy where his 10 is so he stands up. Sure enough, it's now painted on the seat of his pants!

Nine (9)
Setting: an intersection in a large city

The painter decides to paint a 9 right on the surface of the street.
[Ninth Avenue?] But shortly after painting it, a team of street
sweeper/washer vehicles approach. We see the painter pleading a
desparate "No" as the attendant on the street cleaner motions him to
get out of the way. After the vehicles pass (along with their water
jets and brushes) the painter inspects the damage. In a manner as
dismal as farmer observing his crops after a hailstorm, the painter
looks at his smeared up (but still recognizable) digit and throws his
arms apart and utters a very diasappointed "Nine."

Eight (8)
Setting: a backyard or motel swimming pool

A bald-headed man is relaxing in a raft in the pool, and is reading a
newspaper with the bold headline "PAINTER STRIKES AGAIN" Seeking a
suitable spot for a number eight, the painter innocently paints the
digit on the bald man's shiny dome. Just as the painter compares the
protoype number to the cranial one, the man in the raft suddenly
realizes he's been involuntarily body-painted (putting his hand on his
head and finding the still-wet 8 on his palm.) The painter utters a
desperate "uh-oh!" as the visibly angry bather turns over his raft and
chases the painter around and through the swimming pool. The painter
eventually gets away, and the man gives up and starts doing some laps.

Seven (7)
Setting: in front of an elevator in an unidentifiable building.

The painter decides to paint a seven on the elevator doors. [Seventh
floor?] (This is actually a very unusual elevator, in which only one
of the two doors slide open) However, every time he makes a move to
paint, the elevator door suddenly opens, and he ends up painting a 7
on someone's briefcase or handbag, (the owner of which notices the
unpleasant surprise just as the door closes.) The painter, of course,
is oblivious to that fact, and is confused how his number keeps
disappearing. ("Now wait a minute...where's my 7?") Finally, the door
opens once again, and a uniformed football player is standing there --
a player whose number is 7. The painter is pleased, and gets on board
the elevator and puts one arm around the player [hmmm, is it
possible..., do you suppose...?] and the other hand holding the seven
over his own abdomen. The elevator door then closes.

Six (6)
Setting: in a baker's kitchen

The painter hides behind the baker's wooden counter until the baker
leaves the room. After blowing some flour away on the counter, he
finds an ideal surface on which to paint a six: a round cake with
white frosting. Using a funnel of cake-decorating gel, the painter
draws a large digit on the cake while uttering "siiiiiiiiixxxxxxxxxxx"
[Happy Sixth Birthday?]
When the baker returns, the painter proudly shows the baker his
handiwork -- as usual, saying only "Six." The baker, appearing to be
mildly amused, pulls out another cake and gives the painter a slice.
But just as he enjoys eating, the baker reveals his true feelings and
calmly picks up the defaced cake and throws it square in the painter's
face. A (backwards?) six can be seen on the painter's frosting-covered
face.

Five (5)
This one guest starrs a gorilla. I think the number was painted on a beach ball. The ape responds to his usual verbalization of "five" by slapping his hand. (ie: "give me five.")

Four (4)
Setting: A city street.

He paints a four on a woman's umbrella. The woman is kind of oblivious to this, as she keeps checking to see if it's raining or not. But after he paints the number, he gets the woman's attention and decides to show it to her. Just as they're turning the umbrella around to where the digit is located, an unknown source literally pours several gallons of water on the both of them.

Three (3)
Setting: A picnic table in a park on a summer's day.

At a picnic table, a young woman is preparing a lunch for herself.
For one person, however, she seems to have laid out quite a spread,
ie: several loaves of bread, lots of different sliced luncheon meats,
etc.) Meanwhile, the painter, determined to paint a 3, approaches
this woman, and instead of flirting with her like a normal fella, is
attracted to the food -- and only inasmuch as it is a convenient
medium for painting numbers. On three slices of bread, he paints a 3
with a condiment: A mustard 3, a ketchup 3, and a mayonaise 3. (The
mayo was on pumpernickel so it could be seen clearly). However,
immediately after "painting" each of these slices, the woman grabbed
it and (gasp!) put it on her sandwich. The painter protested "Hey,
Three", but this woman was apparently just as oblivious to
everything but her food as the painter was in his quest to paint
numbers. [a perfect couple?] Finally, after assembling a gargantuan
sandwich that would do Dagwood proud, we see her scarfing it down in a
fast-motion sequence. Afterwards, as the woman is wiping her chops
with a napkin,the frustrated painter puts his prototype 3 between his
lips and utters "3,3,3,3,3,3,3...."

Two (2)
Setting: a marina with lots of boats

The painter finds a perfect piece of stretch canvas to paint a number
two: the sail on someone's sailboat. But when the skipper emerges
from the cabin to adjust the sail, he gradually cranks it around until he can see the side with the number on it. The painter, realizing he is in deep "number two" with the boat's now furious owner, hops aboard a rowboat and quickly rows away as the skipper pursues him (fast-motion sequence). The
segment ends with the painter at a distance, rowing out to sea yelling
"Twoooooooooooooooo.."

 

[Ziffel]

Now my memory is refreshed for all of these numbers! I vaguely recall the 7 and 10 ones, but #5 with the gorilla clearly came back to me. I think the painter and the gorilla also put their arms around each other at the end.
And the gorilla and painter also brings to mind the hilarious skit with the guy ordered by his boss to find a twenty (that's a two and a zero - together!). When he finds the 20, it's in a room with a gorilla who chases him around at first, but then displays a sign with the number 20. The guy is happy and says, "Twenty! Haha!". I don't remember if they put their arms around each other, though. My guess is no. I think they were just standing next to each other and looking into the camera. (Besides, the gorilla probably needed both hands to hold the rather large sign!)

 

[mikebennidict]

Who was the number painter?

He was a man in a white painter's jacket and hat who appeared on a
scene with a single goal: to paint a number. Some facts:

-- The painter was played by Paul Benedict, who played Mr. Bentley on
"The Jeffersons".

-- The only audio was a piano solo, modified to different events in
the scene. The painter's voice was also heard occasionally, but with a
voice-over, not matching his lip movements.

-- His dialog was little more than the name of the number and comments
regarding it's painting, e.g.:" where's my 7?"

-- He always appeared with a "prototype" number to compare to his
finished product, along with paint brushes and cans (though he didn't always
use them, as described below for 3 and 6)

-- He seemed to have a one-track mind, concerned only with painting
his number, regardless of whose property he might have been defacing
in the process.

The Painter's routines. (My comments = [] )

Eleven (11)
Setting: a waiting area for some kind of doctor's office.

The painter decides to paint an 11 on the window on the door that
leads to the office. [Room 11?] Just as he was about to paint, a
burly-looking nurse opens the door and firmly but mechanically grabs
the next patient. After this happened twice, the painter (who emerged
from hiding behind a magazine while sitting on a couch) walked up and
painted the digits. Shortly after, a janitor sees the paint job and
happily proceeds to remove it. The painter watches the janitor's
every single move from the other side of the glass: spraying it with a
Windex-type product, wiping it with a rag, and squeegeeing it
down. While the painter sadly mulls the loss of his number ("My 11's gone") the nurse opens the door yet again and grabs him while calling "Next". His final word: "Yipes!!"

Note: This nurse was played by Stockard Channing, aka Rizzo in the Grease movie.

Ten (10)
Setting: a nondescript room with a white background.

The painter tries to paint a 10 on the seat of a wooden stool, but
people keep sitting down on it. Finally he paints the digits, but
someone sits on the stool again immediately afterwards and eats a banana. The painter appears to ask the guy where his 10 is so he stands up. Sure enough, it's now painted on the seat of his pants!

Nine (9)
Setting: an intersection in a large city

The painter decides to paint a 9 right on the surface of the street.
[Ninth Avenue?] But shortly after painting it, a team of street
sweeper/washer vehicles approach. We see the painter pleading a
desparate "No" as the attendant on the street cleaner motions him to
get out of the way. After the vehicles pass (along with their water
jets and brushes) the painter inspects the damage. In a manner as
dismal as farmer observing his crops after a hailstorm, the painter
looks at his smeared up (but still recognizable) digit and throws his
arms apart and utters a very diasappointed "Nine."

Eight (8)
Setting: a backyard or motel swimming pool

A bald-headed man is relaxing in a raft in the pool, and is reading a
newspaper with the bold headline "PAINTER STRIKES AGAIN" Seeking a
suitable spot for a number eight, the painter innocently paints the
digit on the bald man's shiny dome. Just as the painter compares the
protoype number to the cranial one, the man in the raft suddenly
realizes he's been involuntarily body-painted (putting his hand on his
head and finding the still-wet 8 on his palm.) The painter utters a
desperate "uh-oh!" as the visibly angry bather turns over his raft and
chases the painter around and through the swimming pool. The painter
eventually gets away, and the man gives up and starts doing some laps.

Seven (7)
Setting: in front of an elevator in an unidentifiable building.

The painter decides to paint a seven on the elevator doors. [Seventh
floor?] (This is actually a very unusual elevator, in which only one
of the two doors slide open) However, every time he makes a move to
paint, the elevator door suddenly opens, and he ends up painting a 7
on someone's briefcase or handbag, (the owner of which notices the
unpleasant surprise just as the door closes.) The painter, of course,
is oblivious to that fact, and is confused how his number keeps
disappearing. ("Now wait a minute...where's my 7?") Finally, the door
opens once again, and a uniformed football player is standing there --
a player whose number is 7. The painter is pleased, and gets on board
the elevator and puts one arm around the player [hmmm, is it
possible..., do you suppose...?] and the other hand holding the seven
over his own abdomen. The elevator door then closes.

Six (6)
Setting: in a baker's kitchen

The painter hides behind the baker's wooden counter until the baker
leaves the room. After blowing some flour away on the counter, he
finds an ideal surface on which to paint a six: a round cake with
white frosting. Using a funnel of cake-decorating gel, the painter
draws a large digit on the cake while uttering "siiiiiiiiixxxxxxxxxxx"
[Happy Sixth Birthday?]
When the baker returns, the painter proudly shows the baker his
handiwork -- as usual, saying only "Six." The baker, appearing to be
mildly amused, pulls out another cake and gives the painter a slice.
But just as he enjoys eating, the baker reveals his true feelings and
calmly picks up the defaced cake and throws it square in the painter's
face. A (backwards?) six can be seen on the painter's frosting-covered
face.

Five (5)
This one guest starrs a gorilla. I think the number was painted on a beach ball. The ape responds to his usual verbalization of "five" by slapping his hand. (ie: "give me five.")

Four (4)
Setting: A city street.

He paints a four on a woman's umbrella. The woman is kind of oblivious to this, as she keeps checking to see if it's raining or not. But after he paints the number, he gets the woman's attention and decides to show it to her. Just as they're turning the umbrella around to where the digit is located, an unknown source literally pours several gallons of water on the both of them.

Three (3)
Setting: A picnic table in a park on a summer's day.

At a picnic table, a young woman is preparing a lunch for herself.
For one person, however, she seems to have laid out quite a spread,
ie: several loaves of bread, lots of different sliced luncheon meats,
etc.) Meanwhile, the painter, determined to paint a 3, approaches
this woman, and instead of flirting with her like a normal fella, is
attracted to the food -- and only inasmuch as it is a convenient
medium for painting numbers. On three slices of bread, he paints a 3
with a condiment: A mustard 3, a ketchup 3, and a mayonaise 3. (The
mayo was on pumpernickel so it could be seen clearly). However,
immediately after "painting" each of these slices, the woman grabbed
it and (gasp!) put it on her sandwich. The painter protested "Hey,
Three", but this woman was apparently just as oblivious to
everything but her food as the painter was in his quest to paint
numbers. [a perfect couple?] Finally, after assembling a gargantuan
sandwich that would do Dagwood proud, we see her scarfing it down in a
fast-motion sequence. Afterwards, as the woman is wiping her chops
with a napkin,the frustrated painter puts his prototype 3 between his
lips and utters "3,3,3,3,3,3,3...."

Two (2)
Setting: a marina with lots of boats

The painter finds a perfect piece of stretch canvas to paint a number
two: the sail on someone's sailboat. But when the skipper emerges
from the cabin to adjust the sail, he gradually cranks it around until he can see the side with the number on it. The painter, realizing he is in deep "number two" with the boat's now furious owner, hops aboard a rowboat and quickly rows away as the skipper pursues him (fast-motion sequence). The
segment ends with the painter at a distance, rowing out to sea yelling
"Twoooooooooooooooo.."

that 9 film looks like it was done at Times Square.i'm not totally possitive but if not we know it was done at some major NYC intersection. though it's also hard to believe they'd close it down just for them to paint a 9 in the street and get it washed away isn't it?