The Jack Benny Program was a variety show in which Jack played a lovable cheapskate version of himself in one or two comedy skits per show and he also might have a musical guest that would make a solo performance - I remember in particular Peter, Paul, and Mary appearing. In the early days of the show Jack's wife Mary would play his girlfriend, and one of the funniest shows is where Jack dreams of life if he married Mary. In that particular show Jack's daughter appeared also playing herself. Later though Mary succumbed to terrible stage fright and therefore no longer appeared on the show. Just about every star of the 50's and 60's showed up on Jack's show, and as was common during the early days of TV, the commercials were often embedded into the show itself. There was usually just a single sponsor, and in the case of the Jack Benny Program the first ten years of the show were sponsored by Lucky Strike cigarettes. I remember watching reruns during the 70's and thinking how ironic it was to see Humphrey Bogart plugging cigarettes during an episode in which he appears just a few years before the same product takes his life.
Especially fun are the guest appearances by Mel Blanc and Bob Hope - Benny just can't resist breaking up during their routines. Then there was an episode entitled "Jam Session" in which a number of stars including Kirk Douglas, Fred MacMurray, Dan Dailey, and Dick Powell join Jack in his living room for an impromptu musical session. The group, in need of refreshment, find a number of vending machines placed throughout the room to dispense cold apples and soft drinks at a price, of course. They've obviously been to Jack's house before.
There is also a running gag through the shows about the failure of Jacks's 1940's film "The Horn Blows at Midnight". I don't know if it failed in the 40's, but if you ever get a chance to catch it on TV, give it a try - it really is pretty good, just not what you're probably expecting from a Jack Benny performance.
As for the controversy over Rochester, I'd say his role in TV was groundbreaking. Benny treats Rochester more as a member of the family than a servant, and several times Rochester's ingenuity and wisdom save Benny from himself. More importantly, Rochester's ingenuity saves himself from Benny's cheapskate ways more than once, and when that's not possible at least Rochester gets off a wisecrack at Benny's expense. It's not at all the painful portrayal of racial stereotypes you see in some of the films of the 1940's and before.
This show is currently widely available on public domain DVD packages, but there is no restored complete release. That's a shame because if poor quality reality TV shows rate a DVD release, classic comedy like this should find a sponsor somewhere. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to see the king of comic timing at his best, a classy guy who didn't mind who got the laughs as long as people were laughing - Jack Benny.
Especially fun are the guest appearances by Mel Blanc and Bob Hope - Benny just can't resist breaking up during their routines. Then there was an episode entitled "Jam Session" in which a number of stars including Kirk Douglas, Fred MacMurray, Dan Dailey, and Dick Powell join Jack in his living room for an impromptu musical session. The group, in need of refreshment, find a number of vending machines placed throughout the room to dispense cold apples and soft drinks at a price, of course. They've obviously been to Jack's house before.
There is also a running gag through the shows about the failure of Jacks's 1940's film "The Horn Blows at Midnight". I don't know if it failed in the 40's, but if you ever get a chance to catch it on TV, give it a try - it really is pretty good, just not what you're probably expecting from a Jack Benny performance.
As for the controversy over Rochester, I'd say his role in TV was groundbreaking. Benny treats Rochester more as a member of the family than a servant, and several times Rochester's ingenuity and wisdom save Benny from himself. More importantly, Rochester's ingenuity saves himself from Benny's cheapskate ways more than once, and when that's not possible at least Rochester gets off a wisecrack at Benny's expense. It's not at all the painful portrayal of racial stereotypes you see in some of the films of the 1940's and before.
This show is currently widely available on public domain DVD packages, but there is no restored complete release. That's a shame because if poor quality reality TV shows rate a DVD release, classic comedy like this should find a sponsor somewhere. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to see the king of comic timing at his best, a classy guy who didn't mind who got the laughs as long as people were laughing - Jack Benny.