This Day in Jack Benny

January 2, 1944 - Fun banter at the beginning of the episode as always. After Dennis Day's song they look back on 1943 with the allegory of The World Series: The Axis vs The Allies.

December 25, 1949 - This episode was broadcast live on Christmas day. They flash back to Christmas Eve where Jack Benny is putting lights on his Christmas tree. Stay tunes after the show for a portion if the Phil Harris show where Jack dresses up as Santa.

December 15, 1946 - Jack Benny tries to exchange the gift of shoelaces that he got Don Wilson for Christmas. Mary Livingstone is replaced last minute and Phil Harris and Dennis Day have their own shows. Plus the Silex Coffee Maker and the new 1947 Studebaker Starlight Coupe.

December 8, 1946 - The first of the classic Jack Benny Christmas shopping episode with Mel Blanc. They later took this basic concept and made it into a timeless Jack Benny television episode.

December 4, 1938 - Live from New York! They mention Mayor La Guardia, Grover Whelan, and Fred Allen. Jack Benny investigates a murder at the movie theater for the skit in this episode. Plus, ladies hats are in fashion.

November 25, 1951 - Dennis Day's movie "Golden Girl" is in theatres. It was a scary time for the movies. With the popularization of TV it seemed that movies were doomed. Why go out when you can watch a show at home? Jack Benny was on television, but not every week. Plus, references to stage comedians, popular magazines and hospital insurance.

November 17, 1946 - Guest Ronald and Benita Coleman live next door to Jack Benny in the show. This episode has another guest, Leo Durocher, loud-mouth manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

November 7, 1943 - Jack Benny and the gang dodge aircraft tests on location at the Marine Corps Air Station in Mojave, California.

November 1, 1953 - Jack benny gets a call from an all-night DJ. They mention 86 year old bodybuilder Barnarr MacFadden, Brew 102 Beer and Mary Livingstone does an impression of Marilyn Monroe. This episode was later done for TV.

October 30, 1938 - Jack Benny is broadcasting from a new NBC studio. Big Crosby's "Pocket Full of Dreams" is a hit song. Sally Rand dances with a bubble in the movie "The Sunset Strip Case". Meanwhile in Russia, Stalin rule of terror is at it's height.

October 20, 1940 - FDR has announced the first ever peace time draft. Jack Benny goes to trade in his old Maxwell for a new Packard Convertible.

October 17, 1948 - "Sorry Wrong Number" is the most acclaimed radio drama of all time! In this episode Barbra Stanwick guest stars to re-create the role she plays on the big screen. Then Jack Benny gets his own wrong number.

October 4, 1936 - It's the first show of the season and the first ever episode with Phil Harris. During the break the JELL-O program was taken over by Don Wilson! Plus references to Shirley Temple, Fred MacMurray and a record-breaking transatlantic flight.

September 27, 1953 - Listen as Mel Blanc does the jingle for Papermate Pens as Polly the parrot. With references to Liberace, Benny Goodman, Lady Esther Cosmetics, The Bob Crosby Television show and the Jack Benny Television Show. Plus a weighing machine, a phone booth and Los Angeles Smog.

September 23, 1951 - Jack Benny does his version of the Gregory Peck movie "Captain Horatio Hornblower". Plus they talk about popular music like Rosemary Clooney's "Come On-A My House" and Nat King Cole's "Too Young".

September 16, 1951 - Jack Benny is back from his tour entertaining the troops in Korea along with Errol Flynn and a host if others. Plus references to Dagmar's Canteen, and Disney's Alice in Wonderland.

September 14, 1952 - The first show of the season. Phil Harris has been replaced by Bob Crosby.

John Henderson talks with filmmaker, movie podcaster and Jack Benny fan Zach Eastman about the Jack Benny Movies from To Be or Not To Be (1942) to The Horn Blows at Midnight (1945).

John Henderson talks with filmmaker, movie podcaster and Jack Benny fan Zach Eastman about the Jack Benny Movies from Transatlantic Merry Go Round (1934) to George Washington Slept Here (1942).

October 20, 1940 - Jack Benny was the guest star on "The Gulf Screen Guild Theater" radio show with Claudette Colbert and Basil Rathbone.

John Henderson talks with Chuck Schaden, from SpeakingOfRadio.com and who interviewed Jack Benny for "Those Were The Days", an Old Time Radio nostalgia broadcast started in 1970.

June 19, 1940 - Jack Benny is a guest on Town Hall Tonight, Fred Allen's radio show. Everyone at this time knew that Fred Allen and Jack Benny hated each other (as a gag on the radio). In this episode Jack and Fred pretend not to recognize each other as they make cutting jabs.

Dan Einstein talks about the Jack Benny Collections at the UCLA Film and Television Archive. Plus Jeanette Berard from the Thousand Oaks Library American Radio Archive talk about their collection of Jack Benny Scripts.

January 19, 1940 - Bob Hope, Baby Snooks, Fibber McGee and Molly and Jack Benny team up for this variety program to promote Radio Guide Magazine's new explanation into movies.

Larry Gassman from The Society To Preserve and Encourage Radio Drama, Variety and Comedy talks about the good old days of old time radio nostalgia, plus meet-ups, conventions and OTR celebrities!

January 30, 1940 - Jack Benny appears with Eddie Cantor on The March of Dimes special Committee for the Celebration of the President's Birthday. The program was in support of the fight against polio. Plus an interview with Jack's writers, producers and the guy who plays "The Knocking Man".

John Henderson interviews Elva Green about the book she wrote about her father Eddie Green. The book is called "Eddie Green: The Rise of an Early 1900s Black American Entertainment Pioneer". We also talk about Rochester and her family's personal connection.

November 21, 1940 - Jack Benny is the guest on The Maxwell House Coffee Time featuring Baby Snooks and Daddy.

My interview with Caleb Daven a very young Jack Benny fan.

Part 2 of my interview with Steve Darnall of Nostalgia Digest magazine. We talk all about the Jack Benny supporting characters. Plus vintage clips!

Part one of an interview with Steve Darnall of Nostalgia Digest a magazine about old things vintage, from old radio to classic Hollywood and more.

December 17, 1940 - Jack Benny and Fred Allen Star in the movie Love Thy Neighbour. This is a radio preview of the movie.

Jack Benny was guest star on Orson Welles' dramatic program The Campbell's Playhouse for the play "June Moon".

John Henderson talks with Ben Dooley of Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear about his live adaptations of old time radio shows.

The Jack Benny show was on hiatus during the summer, so podcast host John Henderson it interviewing some great guests. It's the summer Jackstravaganza preview. This year look forward to Ben Dooley, Steve Darnall, Caleb Daven, Elva Green, Larry Gassman and Dan Einstein. Plus learn about Forever 39 The Jack Benny Story

Paramount is on the air with Jack Benny in "Artists and Models" and Mary Livingstone in "This Way Please". Listen to these extended movie previews.

June 25, 1939 - From Jack Benny's home town of Waukegan for the opening of his movie "Man About Town". They mention Palm Beach suits, racoon coats, Marcelled hair, Tarzan, The Glow Worm song and The Aldrich Family.

June 20, 1937 - This is the very first episode with Rochester! In the episode they mention Albert Einstein, WC Fields, and the Maxwell House Showboat.

June 20, 1948 - From Cleveland with guests Bob Hope, Marilyn Maxwell and pitcher Bob Feller. It is an uproarious episode with a great crowd.

June 13, 1937 - Andy Devine is in this early Jack Benny episode talking about his upcoming movie with Bing Crosby. They also mention Fred MacMurray, Gary Cooper and Marlene Detrick. But the star is Mary Livingstone and her first (and possible last) movie "This Way Please".

June 13, 1948 - The Jack Benny Show is #1! The Hooper Ratings listed the top rated radio shows based on millions of telephone interviews through the year. This episode is from Detroit and they mention a number of cars including the 1948 Cadillac, the vehicle to start the tail fin craze. Don Wilson's weight is also discussed in this episode.

June 11, 1939 - Jack first does a parody of gossip columnist Jimmy Fidler. He mentions a number of old Hollywood stars including youngsters like Mickey Rooney and Bobby Breen. Plus The Cisco Kid, Dr.Kildair, Charlie Chan and most of all Sherlock Holmes. Also this day, from "Seein' Stars" in the Sunday comics June 11, 1939

June 6, 1948 - A fun train station episode. Mel Blanc does Porky pig and his famous woody woodpecker laugh. And we explain what "Which Twin Has The Toni?" means.

June 4, 1939 - Jack Benny is compared to dramatic actors Paul Muni and Spenser Tracy. But it's really just a rib. Jack Benny is Sherlock Holmes in the preview to "The Hound of the Baskervilles".

May 31, 1942 - After 8 years with JELL-O the Jack Benny Show is changing sponsors (it's still the parent company General Foods). They are doing a clips show or "A Cavalcade of Last 8 Years with JELL-O". Clips include: How Jack met Rochester, Buck Benny Rides Again, Andy Devine, Jack saves Fred Allen's life, Lost Horizon, Dennis Day's first appearance, Mary's mother, Carmichael the Polar Bear and the gas man, Mr. Billingsley, Don's wife, and the New Year's Eve fantasy.

May 28, 1939 - Not only to they spoof the movie "The Story of Alexander Graham Bell", they also talk about Jack Benny's movie "Man About Town". Plus the FBI director J. Edger Hoover.

May 21, 1944 - Jack Benny and the gang discuss split personality, and later Jack realizes he has a split personality. They reference the death of Flattop from the Dick Tracy comic strip. Plus Phil Harris and his wife Alice Faye just had a baby. Jack turns on the radio and hears a commercial for "Sympathy Cough Syrup" (very funny spoof).

May 21, 1939 - In this episode of the Jack Benny program, Phil Harris inflicts the worst torture imaginable on Jack...baby talk! Plus we learn about Eleanor Roosevelt's radio show and the NY World's Fair. Plus the second half of "Gunga Din".

May 14, 1944 - Jack at the gang are at Camp Adair, Corvallis, Oregon performing for the infantry. Don starts off the episode by listing other programs you can hear through the week: Monday - Cavalcade of America Tuesday - Bob Hope Wednesday - Eddie Cantor Thursday - Bing Crosby Friday Amos 'n Andy Saturday - Truth or Consequences Sunday - Jack Benny

May 14, 1939 - It's mother's day and Jack Benny and the gang spoof a movie in the theatres about a water bearer in British occupied India called "Gunga Din" part 1.