The Jack Benny Program

The Jack Benny Program

The Jack Benny Program

Jack Benny

Don Wilson

Rochester Van Jones

Dennis Day

Several episodes were adaptations of plots used on his radio show. Examples of this are the "Christmas Shopping" episode and the "Horse Racing" episode.

A 1952 spoof of Gaslight (1944), entitled "Autolight" and co-starring Barbara Stanwyck proved so popular that Jack Benny wanted to rebroadcast it. Legal wrangling with MGM resulted in this not happening until 1959.

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.

Jack: What do you think of this card I wrote for Don? "To Don from Jacky, Oh golly, oh shucks. I hope that you like it, It cost forty bucks.

Jack: [Pointing to the tiger] He must have gone to a veterinarian in Denmark.

Bob Hope: [finding some coins tied with string in Jack's trousers] When you ask this kid for a loan, and he says his money is tied up, he isn't kidding. This is an obstacle course for pickpockets.