50 Years of American Comedy
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JACK BENNY PROGRAM, THE – Jack Opens a Beverly Hills Office
Air Date/Released | Sunday, March 25, 1956 |
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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 Opens a Beverly Hills Office” is self-explanatory, and as anyone familiar with Jack’s character can guess, Benny does it on the cheap by sharing an office with an interior decorator (Joe Besser) who winds up trashing the office. MGM studio head Dore Schary plays himself.
Crew: Ralph Levy (Director, Executive Producer), Hilliard Marks (Producer), Sam Perrin, George Balzer, Hal Goldman, Al Gordon (Writers), Mahlon Merrick (Musical Conductor)
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