Classic Radio Spotlight: Jack Benny, Vol. 2
About this audiobook
Enjoy eight hours of classic radio episodes starring the incomparable Jack Benny, including several episodes from his regular radio series The Jack Benny Program.
For over half a century, Jack Benny was one of the great comics of stage, screen, radio, and television. On his long-running radio and television programs, Benny was depicted as a miser who hoarded every penny he made. Year after year he denied he was older than thirty-nine while honing his persona of a vain and devious penny-pincher in stark contrast to the warm and generous human being he was in real life. Benny knew he could be funny by following one simple rule: let others deliver the punch lines. He discovered early that it didn’t matter who got the laughs on The Jack Benny Program as long as people were talking about how funny it was.
A staple on NBC radio for sixteen years, Jack Benny made headlines when he signed an unprecedented contract with rival network CBS. In late 1948, CBS hoped to dominate the broadcasting industry by successfully luring Jack Benny away from his long-term NBC contract. They later convinced him to appear on CBS television and by 1953, The Jack Benny Program was a weekly TV fan-favorite.
About the author
Jack Benny (1894–1974) was an American comedian; vaudevillian; radio, television, and film actor; and violinist. Widely considered to be one of the top entertainers of the century, Benny portrayed his character as a miser, playing his violin badly. In character, he would claim to be thirty-nine years of age, regardless of his actual age. Benny was known for his impeccable comedic timing and the ability to create laughter with a pregnant pause or a single expression. His radio and television programs, popular from the 1930s to the 1970s, were a major influence on the sitcom genre.
