Jack Benny: No Place Like Home

by Jack Benny

Any comedian can be funny in the studio, but domestic comedy is usually considered the province of actors who happen to do comedy. Jack Benny straddled the two roles for most of his career - the suave, witty master of ceremonies standing on stage in front of a curtain one moment; the put-upon householder tormented by a bumptious servant, eccentric friends, and troublesome neighbors the next. Jack, for all his high-flown show-biz pretensions, became everyone's favorite put-upon suburbanite.

Mary Livingstone, Phil Harris, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Dennis Day, and Don Wilson all make regular visits to Jack's place, along with favorites like Mel Blanc, Frank Nelson, Artie Auerbach, and the Sportsmen Quartet - plus, some very special guest stars like Frank Sinatra, Boris Karloff, and Claudette Colbert!

The 16 digitally restored and remastered broadcasts Jack Opens Swimming Pool for the Season, 04-18-43; Jack Offers Frank Sinatra Dennis' Job, 10-08-44; Jack Tries to Break His Contract with the Sportsmen, 11-03-46; I Was Condemned, 01-19-47; Jack Fixes a Phonograph and Buys a Baseball Team, 04-13-47; Jack and The Gang Listen to the World Series, 10-10-48; Jack Tries to Reach His Advertising Agency, 11-21-48; How Jack and The Gang Spent Thanksgiving, 11-28-48; Don Still Won't Sign His Contract 01-30-49; Don Signs a New Contract 02-06-49; Jack Takes Inventory of His Pantry and Has a Memory Loss, 10-02-49; Jack's Memory Is Lost and Found, 10-09-49; Recovering From a Cold, 10-16-49; Trimming the Tree, 12-25-49; Jack Gets the House Painted, 04-16-50; Beverly Wilshire Health Club, 01-30-55.

Audible Audio

Published November 13, 2014

About the author

Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky) was an American comedian, vaudevillian, radio, television, and film actor, and also a notable violinist. Widely recognized as one of the leading American entertainers of the 20th century, Benny played the role of the comic penny-pinching miser, insisting on remaining 39 years old on stage despite his actual age, and often playing the violin badly.
Benny was known for his comic timing and his ability to get laughs with either a pregnant pause or a single expression, such as his signature exasperated "Well!" His radio and television programs, popular from the 1930s to the 1960s, were a foundational influence on the situation comedy genre.