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JACK BENNY PROGRAM, THE - The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show

Air Date/Released Sunday, November 19, 1961
Station/Studio CBS / J&M Productions
Featuring Joe Besser (Solo)

Jack Benny adapted his long-running 1930s - 1950s radio show to television in 1950, with the characters and characterizations that made his show a Sunday night favorite for decades. As the TV show progressed thru the 1950s, some of the regular cast retired, e.g., Jack's real-life wife Mary 'Livingstone' Benny, and the show focused more on Jack's "on-air variety show" adventures with guest stars. Regardless, Benny's vain and cheap characterization never changed, and radio cast members Mary, Dennis Day, Phil Harris, Bob Crosby, Artie Auerbach, Sheldon Leonard and The Sportsmen Quartet continued to make guest and cameo appearances. Don Wilson, Mel Blanc and Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson were supporting mainstays throughout its run, and Jack's television program remained a quality, comedy classic until it ended in 1965.

Jack is shocked to learn that guest star Tennessee Ernie Ford is not in the studio, but will appear via remote transmission from Ford's farm in Lake Port CA. Accommodating this are two incompetent broadcast engineers played by Joe Besser and Eddie Ryder. Ford sings John Henry.


Filmed May 12, 1961.

Although Producer Fred De Cordova was never camera shy during his producing tenure on Johnny Carson's TONIGHT SHOW, character actor Ross Elliott portrayed him in this episode.

Cast: Jack Benny (Himself), Tennessee Ernie Ford (Himself), Don Wilson (Himself), Ross Elliott (Fred De Cordova), Joe Besser (Joe, engineer), Eddie Ryder (Engineer), Jane Burgess (Li' 'ol pea-picker), Jackie Searle (Pogo stick man)

Crew: Fred De Cordova (Producer, Director), Sam Perrin, George Balzer, Al Gordon, Hal Goldman (Writers), Mahlon Merrick (Musical Conductor & Arranger)
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