| Jim is 50: Since his knarley birth in June of 1954, Jimbo has been swift in claiming his rightful position as Eldest of the Benson Cousins. Jim (aka JimBob) was seen as a leader from the start. As Pop puts it, "At a very young age, he expected Mimi and me to salute him. We thought this was a bit odd...but decided to humor him by obliging. This was our first mistake. Things only went downhill. By age four, he had us standing at attention while he surveyed his morning breakfast. We held our breath to see if it would meet with his approval or not! He has quite a temper, you know!" |
Having a fairly normal childhood, Jim came into his own when he wandered into a costume store one afternoon during his high school years. "He fell in love with disguise!" says Jim's longtime buddy, Jack. "From that day on, he was very conscious of blending in and not being noticed. If we were going to a parade, for instance, he would dress as a cotton candy street vendor. If we were going to a football game, he would take off his glasses and pretend to be Sonny Bono. (He knew no one would believe he was a football player because of his size.) He would sign autographs and everything! It was hysterical! When fans asked him where Cher was, he smiled and said, 'She's right where I want her.' and then he would wink. The fans went away very puzzled."  Seen above with friend Jack, helping to disguise Jim for the Bar Mitzvah of a neighborhood friend. Jim went so far as to learn some words of Yiddish for the event. "It was very embarrassing," said brother Mike. "The disguise didn't fool anyone, but Jim kept pretending to be a rabbi. He just couldn't see how ridiculous he was." |
Embarrassing or not, friends and family readily admit that Jim was a much happier person once he found himself in the world of disguise.  For a while, he even considered joining the world of espionage. But, that dream died when he learned that to become a spy, he would have to give up wearing his short shorts. |
 Jim seen here (to the right) in a homemade disguise - posing as Groucho Marx - posing as a Native American. Friends have described his disguising as "somewhat obsessive" and "always over-the-top". |
Even though Jim found happiness with his disguises, his early life was not all filled with roses. Living in the Tennessee hills, he found there were certain expectations. Eventually yielding to parental pressure, Jim found himself marrying his kid sister, Mary Jane.
"It's not what Jim wanted," says friend Jack, "but it's the code of hillbillies...he HAD to do it. It was destined to fail from the start. It was very sad for the whole family - especially Mary Jane. She said he made a sorry brother and an even worse husband." |
After his first marriage unraveled, Jim was determined to find the right woman. He dated many women. Unfortunately, he just didn't have the necessary social skills to
interest women.  Jim, seen here with one of his dates, cannot seem to get his foot out of his mouth. |
Some friends of the family say (in private)  that Jim's always been a 'mama's boy' and always will be. They think that the only woman he can really be happy with is his mama. Jim denies this, but admits that his mother understands him better than anyone else on the earth. |
It is not widely known that after the bitter end of his first marriage, Jim was briefly employed as a nanny. Seen here with the children in his care, Jim spent many restful afternoons gazing into the sky and re-thinking his life. The children accepted Jim for who he was - or who he was disguised as. Jim is seen here with the children under his care (he is disguised as Magnum PI). |
 Jim's tenure as a nanny began to fall apart during the weeks surrounding Christmas. The breaking point was when he had a tantrum for not getting as many gifts as the children. |
He was used to getting the majority of gifts during his childhood. He was not about to let this trend go without a fight! "The children's mother was very lenient with Jim." says brother-in-law, Sgt. Allen. |
 "She gave him every chance to succeed as a nanny. She even let him wear his short shorts. He was even successful in getting HER to wear short shorts! But, she could not let him model inappropriate behavior for her young children. Shortly after the Christmas holiday, she told Jim to pack his bags and get out. He sunk into a depression for months after that. He really missed those kids." Jim, seen here with one of the children in his care and with his lenient employer - in happier times, both wearing short shorts. |
*Note: Due to frequent and urgent trips to the bathroom, Jim may not be able to reply to every email. |
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