Shows / The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
Jack Benny ruled the airwaves for over two decades, from 1932 to 1955, anchoring one of radio's most beloved comedies with a persona built on vanity, stinginess, and a permanent age of 39. Backed by a whip-smart ensemble — wife Mary Livingstone, blustery announcer Don Wilson, bandleader Phil Harris, singer Dennis Day, and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson as his sharp-tongued valet — Benny turned everyday squabbles and running gags like his terrible violin playing into a blueprint for the modern…
Episodes
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
A Fifteen-Cent Movie Date (and a Guest Star Named Stanwyck)
Aired: Apr 10th, 1949. Jack's big night out with Mary hits the usual snags — Rochester nicks him with the razor, Phil Harris shows off a locket with a surprise…
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
Jack Packs His Bags: New York or Bust
Aired: Apr 3rd, 1949. Jack's off to New York to emcee an American Heart Association benefit at the Copa Cabana, but not before Mary and Rochester turn his…
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
Spring Cleaning and the Cow on the Ceiling
Aired: Mar 27th, 1949. Spring has arrived in Beverly Hills, and Rochester tackles the annual house-cleaning while dodging a feather duster-obsessed parrot and…
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
Van Johnson Crashes the Double Date
Aired: Mar 20th, 1949. Van Johnson joins the gang for a Saturday rehearsal that spirals into chaos when Rochester dials a fish market instead of the guest…
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
Jack Bombs at Santa Anita
Aired: Mar 13th, 1949. Fresh off his TV debut, Jack Benny gets ribbed by the whole gang for his less-than-flattering small-screen appearance — but the real…
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
Jack Benny's Bumpy Road to Santa Anita
Aired: Mar 6th, 1949. Jack piles into his jalopy with Rochester and Mary Livingstone for his once-a-year trip to the races, and naturally nothing goes smoothly…
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
The Case of the Missing Violin
Aired: Feb 27th, 1949. Jack's long-suffering violin teacher, Professor LeBlanc, arrives for another torturous lesson only to find the star instrument has…
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
Phil Harris Wants $2,000 (And a Fur Coat in the Freezer)
Aired: May 15th, 1949. Jack and Rochester tackle a marathon refrigerator-cleaning session that somehow produces thirty pounds of leftover hash and a fur coat…
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
Jack Reads the Riot Act (and a Generous Secret)
Aired: May 8th, 1949. Fresh off a shaky broadcast of their "Treasure of Sierra Madre" parody, Jack keeps the whole cast on stage after the theme song fades to…
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
The Shoe That Got Away
Aired: May 1st, 1949. Jack threatens to fire longtime announcer Don Wilson over a stale introduction, Mary reads a wonderfully absurd letter from her mother…
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
Rochester's Wallpaper Rescue and the Trade-In Itch
Aired: Apr 24th, 1949. Jack wakes up battered from a secret dancing lesson gone wrong, sorts through a mailbag of debt notices and mash notes, and stumbles on…
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
An Easter Diary Confession
Aired: Apr 17th, 1949. It's Easter Sunday in Beverly Hills, and while Jack primes himself for a stroll down Wilshire Boulevard, Rochester can't resist sneaking…
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
Jack's Ford Theater Ambitions
Aired: Feb 20th, 1949. Jack preps for his 'Ford Theater' guest spot with a dressing room full of chaos, as Rochester bungles yet another sandwich order and…
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
Jack Turns 40 (Again): The Birthday That Never Gets Old
Aired: Feb 13th, 1949. It's Valentine's Day eve, which means it's also Jack's birthday — and the whole gang is determined to remind him, whether he likes it or…
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
Held Hostage for a Contract
Aired: Feb 6th, 1949. Jack locks announcer Don Wilson in a room and refuses to feed him until he signs his new contract, sparking a full-cast mutiny from Mary…
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
Jack's Big CBS Debut (and the Cop Who Wouldn't Give Him a Ticket)
Aired: Jan 2nd, 1949. It's January 2, 1949, and Jack Benny is making his nerve-wracking leap from NBC to CBS — and he has not slept a wink. On the drive to the…
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
Don Wilson Locked in the Den
Aired: Jan 30th, 1949. Jack Benny takes hostage-negotiation tactics to a new low, barricading announcer Don Wilson in the den until he signs his contract…
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
Don Wilson Holds Out for a Raise
Aired: Jan 23rd, 1949. Jack Benny locks horns with announcer Don Wilson over a stubborn contract negotiation, refusing to budge on salary while Don refuses to…
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
A Cup of Flour from the Colmans
Aired: Jan 16th, 1949. Jack sends Rochester out for scrapbook paste, only to discover the household is out of flour after an epic raisin-bread binge. That…
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
Spilled Water and Stolen Rolls at the Brown Derby
Aired: Jan 9th, 1949. Jack and Mary crash Jimmy Stewart's quiet lunch at Hollywood's famous Brown Derby, and chaos follows in classic Benny fashion —…
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
Fame Magazine, Page 29
Aired: Dec 26th, 1948. In his final broadcast for NBC before jumping ship to CBS, Jack basks in a magazine honor that Don Wilson can't help but undercut with…
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
The $40 Wallet: Jack Benny's Christmas Shopping Spree
Aired: Dec 19th, 1948. It's five days before Christmas, and Jack drags Mary along to the department store to finish his shopping list — for himself. When Mary…
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
Jack's Day Off Goes Terribly Wrong
Aired: Dec 12th, 1948. Jack Benny finally carves out a Monday to relax at home, but between Rochester's backscratching duties, a runaway ottoman spring, and…
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
The Runaway Violin Lesson
Aired: Dec 5th, 1948. Jack's weekly torment resumes as the excitable Professor LeBlanc arrives to give him a violin lesson, complete with dodged traffic…
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
Jack's Ad Agency Runaround
Aired: Nov 21st, 1948. Jack tries to squeeze in a phone call to his tongue-twisting ad agency, Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn, before heading off to the big…
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
Rochester's Wild Ride to NBC
Aired: Nov 14th, 1948. Jack Benny's chauffeur-driven commute to the studio turns into a minor traffic disaster when Rochester clips a vintage electric car at a…
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
The Echo Chamber Blues
Aired: Nov 7th, 1948. Jack can't shake a mysterious echo that's haunting him day and night, even creeping into his dreams. Along the way, Rochester battles a…
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
Trick or Treat with the Beavers Club
Aired: Oct 31st, 1948. It's Halloween in Beverly Hills, and Jack tags along with the neighborhood kids' club as their trick-or-treating mascot, spinning wild…
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
Beans, Napkins, and a Very Nervous Parrot
Aired: Oct 24th, 1948. Jack's throwing a fancy dinner party for Ronald and Benita Colman, but his bank-vault-tight budget turns the evening into a comedy of…
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
Sorry, Wrong Jokes: Barbara Stanwyck Calls
Aired: Oct 17th, 1948. Mary Livingston fields a call from movie star Barbara Stanwyck, who's plugging her new thriller "Sorry, Wrong Number" while trading…
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
How the Gang Spent Thanksgiving
Aired: Nov 28th, 1948. Jack preps for a formal Thanksgiving dinner at Mary's, but a moth-eaten tuxedo, a chatty party line full of nosy neighbors, and a visit…
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
Rochester Reads the Diary
Aired: Oct 10th, 1948. Jack returns from a whirlwind European tour and Rochester can't resist sneaking a peek at his diary, uncovering tales of London…
- The Jack Benny Program — Broadcaster Transition (1948–1949)
Homeward Bound on the Queen Mary
Jack Benny returns from his summer tour of Europe in this 1948 season premiere, opening with wry scenes of London and Paris audiences reacting to his Palladium…