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Sign up todayTHE JACK BENNY PROGRAM Vol. 1
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Learn moreBorn in Chicago, February 14, 1894, Benjamin Kubelsky would later become known as Jack Benny. As a boy, he was encouraged by his Jewish immigrant parents from Poland to become a concert violinist. He learned to play quite well and hit the vaudeville stage, where he played popular songs and honed a suave-but-fragile personality, telling self-deprecating jokes. Benny guested on Ed Sullivan’s radio show March 19, 1932 and was an instant success. Canada Dry signed him to a contract that same year and soon Jack Benny was broadcasting each week on CBS. His career included several seasons on NBC and then a return to CBS through his final radio days. His all-star supporting cast included his wife Mary Livingstone, Eddie “Rochester” Anderson, Dennis Day, Phil Harris, Mel Blanc, Frank Nelson, and announcer Don Wilson. As Jerry Seinfeld would emulate years later on Seinfeld, Benny’s cast received the best jokes—many pointed at the show’s star. Expertly-crafted scripts constantly reminded listeners of Benny’s portrayal of himself as a lovable, vain, miser, concerned about his receding hairline and insistence that he was no older than thirty-nine. His sponsors over the years included Canada Dry, General Tire, General Foods, and the American Tobacco Company. The Jack Benny Program made a successful transition to television with his entire supporting cast in tow. Benny’s radio and television shows entertained audiences for more than three decades and is generally regarded as the high-water mark in twentieth century American comedy.
2/20/49 - “The Horn Blows at Midnight w/ Fletcher Markle and Jack Warner”9/11/49 - “Bus Tour Introduces the Cast”9/18/49 - “Edward My Son”10/16/49 - “Recovering from a Cold”10/23/49 - “Jack is Recovering from Nose Surgery”11/20/49 - “Jack Goes to Rehearsal w/ Ed Wynn”12/11/49 - “Texas Benefit w/ Frank Leahy”1/8/50 - “Drear Pooson Fluff w/ Rosalind Russell, Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly”3/5/50 - “Buck Benny Rides Again w/ Sarah Churchill”3/19/50 - “The Champion”3/26/50 - “From Palm Springs w/ Bob Hope”4/2/50 - “From Palm Springs w/ Al Jolson”4/16/50 - “Jack Gets the House Pained w/ Frank Fontaine”5/7/50 - “Jack Buys a New Suit”11/26/50 - “Tries to Buy Tickets to the USC-UCLA Game”12/10/50 - “Murder at the Racket Club”
Hollywood 360 is a syndicated radio show heard every Saturday evening on radio stations throughout the United States. Hollywood 360 showcases a wide variety of audio entertainment, from the golden age of Hollywood to today’s most current headlines.
Jack Benny (1894–1974) was an American comedian; vaudevillian; radio, television, and film actor; and violinist. Widely considered to be one of the top entertainers of the century, Benny portrayed his character as a miser, playing his violin badly. In character, he would claim to be thirty-nine years of age, regardless of his actual age. Benny was known for his impeccable comedic timing and the ability to create laughter with a pregnant pause or a single expression. His radio and television programs, popular from the 1930s to the 1970s, were a major influence on the sitcom genre.
Dylan Thomas was born in Swansea, Wales on 27 October 1914. In 1934 his first book of poetry, Eighteen Poems appeared, followed by Twenty-five Poems in 1936, Deaths and Entrances in 1946 and in 1952 his final volume, Collected Poems. He also published many short stories, wrote filmscripts, broadcast stories and talks, did a series of lecture tours in the United States and wrote Under Milkwood, the radio play.
During his fourth lecture tour of the United States in 1953, a few days after his 39th birthday, he collapsed in his New York hotel and died on November 9th at St. Vincent's Hospital. His body was sent back to Laugharne, Wales, where his grave is marked by a simple wooden cross.
In June 1994, his wife, Caitlin Thomas, died in Italy, where she had spent most of the years of her life after the death of Dylan Thomas. Her body is buried next to his.
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