"The Jack Benny Program" (1950) TV series 1950-1965

User Rating:

8.8/10   

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15

Release Date:

28 October 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Jack Benny was a regular on his own radio program since 1932. He brought the program, with his underplayed humor...

Plot Keywords:

Breaking The Fourth Wall | Based On Radio Show | Character Name In Title

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 7 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Jack Benny	...	Jack Benny / ... (251 episodes, 1950-1965)
Don Wilson	...	Don Wilson / ... (226 episodes, 1950-1965)
Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson	...	Rochester Van Jones / ... (188 episodes, 1950-1965)
Dennis Day	...	Dennis Day / ... (165 episodes, 1950-1965)

Also Known As:

The Jack Benny Show (USA) (informal title)
The Lucky Strike Program (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

CBS Studio Center - 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Trivia:

Most of Jack Benny's original radio cast appeared on television with him, including Don Wilson, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, Dennis Day, and his real-life wife Mary Livingstone made several guest appearances. In one episode Jack dreamed that he and Mary (his platonic friend on the show) were married and had a teenage daughter. Their daughter was played by their real daughter, Joan Benny.

Quotes:

Jack: It's really dangerous, here in the jungle.
'Clyde': Your'e telling me. What about those first three nights, we had to light fires to keep the animals away.
Jack: Yeah, then we ran out of water. For three weeks we couldn't even take a bath.
'Clyde': Then the animals lit fires to keep us away.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Classic Stand-Up Comedy of Television (1996) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Love In Bloom

Character Comedy

Jack Benny was unique among the great comedians this country has produced. Only his comedy was not the product of gags or situations, though he used them. His comedy arose out of an indelible character he created, the lovable tightwad who came into our homes via radio and television for over 30 years.

In real life Jack Benny was not a tightwad, in fact he was a generous man whose charitable giving was known if not publicized. That of course would have ruined the image and the image was the linchpin of his comedy.

Because we knew his character so well, the cheap gags followed. They would mean nothing to anyone else, but because it was Benny we laughed at a burglar saying your money or your life and Benny stalling with a reply of I'm thinking. The sounds of his Maxwell car were second nature, they brought laughs because Benny was too cheap to buy a new car. And his Social Security number, 000-00-0001 in deference to his age.

The Jack Benny Show took us inside the pretend world of tightwad Jack Benny. His announcer Don Wilson, real life wife Mary Livingston, butler Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, and the perpetual adolescent with the piping tenor Dennis Day all were part of that world. On radio Phil Harris as the brash band-leader was there, but he didn't make it to television, deciding to strike out on his own. All of these people bounced gags off Benny's tightwad character and all got generous laughs at his expense. But the laughs were coming for Benny's character, not necessarily out of anything he said necessarily.

Some his shows were classics and allowed people to really enjoy themselves. One of my favorites had Raymond Burr as a guest star who did courtroom sketch and broke into a song and dance before the jury. Burr looked like he was having a great time. Another show I remember had long time show business friends Bing Crosby and George Burns as guests, reminiscing about back in the days when the three of them were a vaudeville trio act.

His shows were welcome in millions of American homes including mine. Would that another Jack Benny would come on the scene today.