Carmichael is Sick
March 12, 1939 - Don Wilson celebrates his anniversary. Jack Benny got polar bear for his birthday and it is sick.
Mar 12, 2017•36 min
This Day in Jack Benny
The Jack Benny Show AKA The Jello Program AKA The Lucky Strike Program aired from the 1930's right through to the 1950's. Each week your host, John Henderson, brings an episode from that week 60-80 years ago. It's old, yet still as funny as ever.
"The Jack Benny program, starring Jack Benny with Mary Livingstone, Phil Harris, Rochester, Dennis Day, and yours truly Don Wilson"
Episodes
Snows of Kilimanjaro (1936 Clip)
March 8, 1953 - Jack and the gang parody the movie "The Snows of Kilimanjaro". Plus Buck Rogers was re-released, Hank Williams has a hit song, and Marilyn Monroe's famous calendar.
Mar 08, 2017•29 min
Jesse James Part Two
March 5, 1939 - Just after "The Richest Horse Race in the World" the Santa Anita Handicap, Jack and the gang discuss the bets they placed. Then they continue their 2-part play Jesse James .
Mar 05, 2017•32 min
Taquitz Falls (Navajo)
March 2, 1941 - The Jack Benny show is on location in Palm Springs. They spend some time swimming then go on a hike with an "Indian" guide to Taquitz Falls. Let's just say the true history of the Navajo people is much more dynamic than the joke characterization in this episode.
Mar 01, 2017•32 min
Jesse James Part 1
February 26, 1939 - Jack Benny and Fred Allen are at it again. But Jack still has time to put on his rough and tough cowboy voice as Jesse James. The episode takes place just after the Academy Awards when Spencer Tracy won the Best Actor Oscar for "Boys Town" which won Best Picture.
Feb 26, 2017•32 min
Groucho Marx
February 20, 1944 - Special guest star Groucho Marx visits Jack at his home. Then, in a bonus segment Jack visits Groucho on his program sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer.
Feb 22, 2017•37 min
Carmichael (Mr.Wong)
February 19, 1939 - Jack Benny's new polar bear gets a name. It's also Oscar season for films made in 1938. Who will win for Best Actor - James Cagney, Spencer Tracy...or Jack Benny??? We also talk a bit about the stereotypical views of Chinese immigrants and Boris Karloff's portrayal of Mr.Wong in a series of movies of the time.
Feb 19, 2017•32 min
The Life of Bing Crosby
February 15, 1953 - Bing Crosby joins his brother Bob (now a regular member of the Jack Benny Show cast) in Palm Springs, Jack was also a guest on Bing Crosby's show that week.
Feb 15, 2017•37 min
Surprise Party
February 13, 1955 - Happy Birthday Jack Benny! In this episode they let Jack's real age slip, but he still insists he's 39. They also make reference to the Good Humor man and The Jackie Gleason Show which would soon become the classic 39 episodes of The Honeymooners.
Feb 12, 2017•30 min
Steak Ride (English Horse)
February 8, 1953 - A lively episode from Palm Springs! Mel Blanc does his now famous impression of an English Horse.
Feb 08, 2017•32 min
Jack's Fight Training
February 5, 1939 - Jack Benny does some boxing practice just in case his feud with Fred Allen comes to blows. They reference Tarzan and "Oliver Twist" and the Queen Mary, a ship which took some time at dock for repairs that year.
Feb 05, 2017•32 min
The Horn Blows at Midnight
January 30, 1944 - The Mills Brothers song "Paper Doll" was at the top of the charts. In this episode Jack Benny is promoting his upcoming movie "The Horn Blows at Midnight" by visiting the studio lot. It is a whole lot of fun. Too bad the movie would end up bombing at the box office.
Feb 01, 2017•32 min
Jack's Bodyguard (Mata Hari)
January 29, 1939 - Jack Benny is in the midst of this feud with Fred Allen. In this episode the reference the Western movie series "Hopalong Cassidy" which ran through they 1930s and 1940s. They also make a few very old references. The comedy recording "Cohen on the Telephone" from 1913 (and 1916) and the real life exotic dancer and WWI spy Mata Hari .
Jan 29, 2017•32 min
Train to Hollywood (Kubelsky?)
January 25, 1948 - Jack Benny has not his real name. His real name was was Benny Kubelsky. In this is a very fun episode where the cast is on a train home after a trip.
Jan 25, 2017•34 min
Jack Saved Fred Allen (Fink's Mules)
January 22, 1939 - They make a very early reference to television in this episode. But it's mostly about Jack Benny telling how he saved Fred Allen's life back in the days of Vaudeville. There is an obscure reference to the animal stage act "Fink's Mules".
Jan 22, 2017•32 min
City of Conquest (Jack in Jail)
January 19, 1936 - "JAIL-O again" Jack is in Jail for speeding. Unfortunately the audio quality is really bad. So instead... January 19, 1941 - Jack spoofs the James Cagney boxing movie "City of Conquest" plus they talk about him getting his feet in the forecourt of Grumman's Chinese Theater.
Jan 18, 2017•32 min
Jack's Screen Performance
January 15, 1939 - On Jack's Screen Guild Performance with Joan Crawford he tries to prove he can make love on screen as well as any other actor. The Cast doesn't buy it. Plus a fun sitcom style opening with Jack ordering lunch at the local diner. A great episode!
Jan 15, 2017•32 min
The Don Wilson Story (Zsa Zsa)
January 10, 1954 - The episode celebrates Jack Benny's announcer Don Wilson with a joke biography. That day a real biography of Jack appeared in Parade Magazine. Also on news stands you could read the latest gossip on Zsa Zsa Gabor.
Jan 11, 2017•32 min
Snow White
January 8, 1939 - This is the second time Jack and they gang performed this parody of Snow White on the air. It is a lot of fun. Listen after the episode for a clip from the Screen Guild Show starring Jack Benny from that same night.
Jan 08, 2017•37 min
Golden Boy
January 7, 1940 - Barbra Stanwyck guest stars to reprise her role in "Golden Boy", only things don't go exactly as planned. This is also just after the 1940 Rose Bowl. Jack won a bet with Phil Harris and he is giddy about getting paid off. A great episode!
Jan 04, 2017•32 min
No Date for Jack
December 31, 1939 - Gladys Dissapoints Jack on New Year's Eve. This episode has a few old references. Alexander Woollcott was an author and critic. Sally Rand was a Burlesque dancer, and Ginger Rogers was an actress. This is a light hearted and fun episode.
Dec 31, 2016•32 min
1947 Review (New Look)
December 28, 1947 - This is a sort of year in review for 1947. Princess Elizabeth gets married. The new look in fashion is a style that includes longer shirts. Perry Como's "Chi-Baba, Chi-Baba" is a hit as well as Phil Harris' "That's What I Like About The South". In This episode of the Jack Benny Show they do a fantasy skit personifying the year 1947 as an old mat at the end of his year. The New Tenant is a young 1948. Listen after the show for a selection from Phil Harris' other Show "The Fitc...
Dec 28, 2016•36 min
Christmas Open House
December 24, 1939 - It's Christmas Eve and Jack invites the gang over. This is in 1939 at the end of the Great Depression. Listen after the show for a Christmas clip from The Aldrich Family.
Dec 24, 2016•35 min
English Butler
December 23, 1945 - Newsreel of Christmas shopping for dolls and hobby horses in 1945. The US is working on withdrawing troops from Europe after WWII. In this episode Ronald Coleman has a touching speech about Christmas after wartime.
Dec 21, 2016•31 min
Christmas Shopping for Perfume (East vs West)
December 17, 1939 - The Jack Benny Program was broadcast live each week, so they did it twice. Once for the east coast time zone, once for the west coast time zone. There are two versions of this episode, listen to what changed from one to another.
Dec 18, 2016•35 min
Jack is Recovering (Toot-Toot-Tootsie)
October 9, 1949 - Mel Blanc sings does his Al Jolson impression "Neyyyaa" singing along with the Sportsmen quartette. He also just made a record imitating Jolson singing "Toot-Toot-Tootsie Goodbye". Meanwhile Jack is recoverying from nose surgery and accidentally impersonates the Fisk Tire boy.
Dec 14, 2016•33 min
Football Murder Mystery Part 2
December 10, 1939 - Jack finishes the Murder on the Gridiron episode which is less gridiron and more murder mystery. They have some great double-talk nonsense voices. They also mention the movie "The Private Life of Henry VIII" starring Charles Laughton.
Dec 11, 2016•31 min
Christmas Shopping for Paints
December 5, 1954 - This is the last of the great Christmas Shopping episodes on The Jack Benny radio show. Jack Buys oil paints for Don for Christmas. Dennis Day had many vinyl records.
Dec 07, 2016•32 min
Football Murder Mystery Part 1
December 3, 1939 - Jack Benny AKA Buck Benny the cowboy joins other western stars for the Santa Claus Lane Parade. Meanwhile in cinema, Spencer Tracy won the Oscar that year for "Boys Town". The skit in the episode is part one of "Murder on the Gridiron" where they spoof college football.
Dec 04, 2016•32 min
Playing Cards (Baby, It's Cold Outside)
November 27, 1949 - Dis you know Ricardo Montalban & Esther Williams sang the first recorded version of the holiday hit "Baby, It's Cold Outside"? Or was it Red Skelton? In this episode Jack spends and evening playing bridge. How could something so average wind up so crazy?
Nov 30, 2016•32 min
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android
Open in Metacast