This Day In Jack Benny

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!