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

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 / ... (229 episodes, 1950-1965)
Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson	...	Rochester Van Jones / ... (186 episodes, 1950-1965)
Dennis Day	...	Dennis Day / ... (164 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:

In the early years this was originally titled "The Lucky Strike Program" after the show's sponsor, Lucky Strike cigarettes, which had also sponsored Jack Benny's radio program. The 16mm television syndication prints had the title cards replaced with ones that gave the title as either "The Jack Benny Program" or "The Jack Benny Show". Footage of Benny welcoming the audience to "The Lucky Strike Program" remained intact.

Quotes:

Don Wilson: Rochester, you sing, don't you?
Rochester: Anything but Soprano.

Movie Connections:

Featured in How to Get the Man's Foot Outta Your Ass (2003)

Soundtrack:

Love In Bloom

Jack Benny visits Walt Disney

I just finished watching an hour-long JACK BENNY SHOW from 1965 with perhaps the best guests ever assembled: Bob Hope, Elke Sommer, The Beach Boys (introducing some now very classic songs), and Walt Disney! The first skit was a parody of popular shows of that era (The Munsters, The Addams Family, Bewitched, My Mother the Car, The Fugitive, and Peyton Place), but the best skit was an Italian film style version of Mary Poppins with Elke Sommer in the title role, Bob Hope as a chauffeur, and Jack Benny as the father. There is also a great skit with Benny visiting Disney's office asking for free tickets to Disneyland for 110 guests. Lots of music from the Beach Boys and Elke Sommer (who manages to steal every scene, even up against Hope and Benny!). If you find this at an on-line auction somewhere (that's how I found it) it is well worth the investment. A classic the entire family will love.