Jack Benny: The Radio and Television Work

this book is sensational. it's very informative and detailed, which is what i like to find in celebrity-driven books. to be fair, i haven't read Irving Fein, Milt Josephsberg, or Mary Livingstone's books about Jack so i won't say this is better than those two. i've got the book that Joan Benny issued in 1990, with 85% of it written by Jack himself, and that's very revealing. this book, "The Radio and Television Work", spotlights all the facets of Jack's career. From vaudeville, to early talking films, to radio, and into TV. Jack's hilarious feud with my other favorite, Fred Allen, is recounted here as is a script from a TV show of Jack's where Fred is the guest star. the action takes place at Jack's sponsor's office. The book also talks about the various long-running gags as well as Jack's false persona he fooled an entire generation with {the bad violin playing; the cheapskate; the braggart; the vault in his basement; always drove a jalopy; kept a pay phone in his house for guests; and why Jack was 39 until the day he died; etc.} as the book departs from the TV series segment, it focuses on his highly-rated TV specials. from the first "Jack Benny Hour" special in the late '50s through "Jack Benny's Second Farewell Special" in the early '70s, everything is captured on paper. Jack's guest appearances on numerous TV shows are also highlighted. the character of "Rochester" is chronicled from his original 1939 stereotypical black servant role on through the humanizing of the character in the mid '40s as an "equal" to Jack and everyone else on the show, despite the obvious fact that he continued to be Jack's butler. This book will also examine Jack's use of pauses and silences. For those who aren't familiar with Jack Benny, he wasn't a joke telling comedian. He was a reactionist to his co-stars hi-jinks plus he made himself the butt of the jokes. The only time Jack would get excited or wordy is when being taunted by Fred Allen or when jumping all over announcer Don Wilson for his weight, which was a long-running gag. this book is written for everybody. long time fans like myself {i'm 26 but i've known of Jack and the gang since the mid '80s, thanks to the repeats of his TV show on PBS} will find this book inseparable and addictive! newcomers who've only heard the name Jack Benny by way of Jay Leno or Kesley Grammer will learn just about everything they always wanted to know after reading the book. long-time fans will know why i titled this review the way i did!

This is a large-format hardcover catalog that was produced on the occassion of a large exhibition devoted to Benny's career at the Museum of Television and Radio, New York, in 1991. It contains several short essays about Benny, synopses of about 150 of his programs, script excerpts and photos on almost every page. If you're interested in Benny's work , track down this book.