This Day in Jack Benny

October 2, 1949 - They mention vaudeville performers like Al Jolsen and The Avon Comedy Four, Jack Benny is cheap. That is until one day while taking inventory of his cupboard he gets hit on the head with a large can of tomato juice.

October 4, 1953 - Baseball manager Leo Durocher AKA "Leo the Lip" watches the Yankees vs Dodgers 1953 World Series with Jack Benny. Bob Crosby discusses his brother Bing Crosby. Plus Mary Livingstone, Dennis Day and Don Wilson.   

October 8, 1939 - Aldrich Family was the summer replacement show. This is the first show of the new season and the first episode ever with Dennis Day. Find out why the previous singer, Kenny Baker, left the show. Hint: It wasn't about the money. 

September 29, 1946 - Jack is humming the hit song of the day "South America, Take it Away" by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters. Jack is upset Phil and Dennis have their own shows ("Fitch Bandwagon" and "A Day in The Life of Dennis Day")

September 25, 1949 - Jack Benny visits the CBS studio to start a new season on the radio and runs into ventriloquist Edger Bergen and his pal Charlie McCarthy, Red Skelton and Amos n Andy.

September 21, 1952 - Jack Benny and Rochester do their own version of Abbot and Costello's famous bit "Who's on First?". Plus Shopping in Scotland with Jack and Mary. and Bing Crosby's less famous brother Bob.

September 18, 1949 - Mel Blanc is remembered as "The man of 1,000 voices" in this episode he is begging Jack Benny to let him do a voice, any voice on his program. 

September 13, 1953 Television Episode (Audio Only) with Marilyn Monroe in her first ever television appearance.

September 11, 1949 - Deep sea diver sets world record in an iron ball. What does that have to do with Mary's sister Babe? Jack Benny has such great supporting players that Jack himself is able to appear in only 4 minutes of this whole EPISODE from 1949

September 13, 1953 - Jack Benny and the gang are back from vacation. They joke about Liberace's gleaming white teeth. And this is the radio episode that aired just before the Marilyn Monroe TV Episode.

September 10, 1950 - Alan Young was known in 1950 as the star of TVs "The Alan Young Show". Today He's known as the star of Mr. Ed and the voice of Scrooge McDuck on Duck Tales. He passed away in May of 2016 at the age of 96.

Jack Benny stars in Suspense. Also first episode of a new podcast called "Theater of Thrills", Subscribe here:  http://theaterofthrills.libsyn.com/rss

August 31, 1934 - Jack Benny's old time radio show is really old this time. This is an early episode so it is quite interesting. References include the movie "The House of Rothschild", Mae West, Gretta Garbo and her big feet.

Tim Newell has played Jack Benny in a one man stage play called "Mr. Benny" for years. We talk about who Jack Benny was, why he was so funny and how to become the man on stage.

August 24, 1934 - The skit in this episode is a spoof on "The House of Rothschild", a 1934 movie about Jewish bankers. The episode also references singer Sofie Tucker, comedian Joe Penner and Hal Roach's "Our Gang" short film comedies, better known as "The Little Rascals".

I talk with my younger brother, Jeff Henderson, about playing the violin as a kid, getting scared out of our minds listening to Suspense, and Jack Benny Show.

Laura Leibowitz (formerly Laura Leff)  is the founder and president of the International Jack Benny Fan Club. In this interview we talk about meeting Phil Harris and interviewing Dennis Day, plus we talk about fans, and colorization.

Truth or Consequences was a quiz stunt radio show starring Ralph Edwards. In 1947 he had everyone asking "Who is the Walking Man?". Now, 70 years later, everyone knows the answer... Jack Benny.

We continue our conversation with Kathy Fuller-Seeley. Kathy is a professor of media history at UT Austen. She is writing a book called Jack Benny and the Golden Age of American Radio Comedy and in the process has obtained and read nearly all of the scripts to the lost episodes. This is part 2 of 2.  

It's De-Lovely - Orchestra You Do The Darndest Things Baby - Mary Livingstone Good Night My Beautiful - Dennis Day Clancy Lowered The Boom - Dennis Day Make With The Kisses - Phil Harris and Mary Livingstone Night and Day - Kenny Baker Button Up Your Overcoat (Lucky Strike) - The Sportsmen One-sy, Two-sy - Phil Harris & Daughter April Showers - Dennis Day Love Love Love - Phil Harris and Mary Livi...

Kathy Fuller-Seeley is a media history professor at University of Texas at Austin and a Jack Benny fan club member. She is currently writing book called Jack Benny and the Golden Age of American Radio Comedy . This is Part 1 of 2.

July 20, 1934 - A real episode of the Jack Benny Program. A real early episode. Not the best sound quality. At least Mickey Mouse is mentioned in this episode. I can't wait for the new season in the fall. 

I talk to my Grandmother about listening to Jack Benny on the radio at age 5 and watching him on TV as a teenager. Plus Inner Sanctum Mysteries, Lux Theater, the vault, Guildersleve, smoking Lucky Strike, Jennifer Aniston, Anaheim, Azusa and Cucamonga.  

The Jack Benny / Fred Allen Feud started with an ad lib in 1936 and continued until Allen's death in 1956. These are some one the highlights!

Jim Bennie is the man behind the Tralfaz Blog . He is a very knowledgeable fan of Jack Benny along with many other old time media, especially the classic cartoons.