| Ep |
№ |
Title |
Original air date |
| 1 |
5 |
"Dorothy Shay" |
4 November 1951 (1951-11-04) |
|
Special guests: Dorothy Shay and Frank Remley.
Jack's monologue is interrupted by Bob Crosby singing a song, Don Wilson arriving late, and cabbie Mel Blanc bringing in Don's briefcase. Dorothy Shay sings "Beverly Hills", then introduces Zeke Benny and his Mad Mountain Boys from the Ozarks. The hillbilly band, consisting of members of Jack's studio orchestra (including Frank Remley, Wayne Songer, Charlie Bagby and Sammy Weiss, whom Jack often referred to), performs "You Are My Sunshine" and "Fascinating Rhythm", and Zeke (Jack) introduces a young, preteen vocalist as his wife. |
| 2 |
6 |
"Helene Francois Show" |
16 December 1951 (1951-12-16) |
|
Special guest: Helene Francois.
After aq monologue about Christmas presents for his cast and crew, Jack introduces Helene Francois, a French singer he found in a New York nightclub. Don tries to impress her by wearing a beret and a velvet coat. Lynette Bryant, who played the under-aged hillbilly wife in the previous show, comes back for a chat with Jack. A jujitsu expert, who claims he can throw anyone within 12 seconds, faces six big men from the gym, who promptly beat the heck out of him. |
| 3 |
7 |
"Gaslight" |
7 January 1952 (1952-01-07) |
|
Special guest: Ray Noble.
In the monologue Jack discusses his film career. Pianist Ray Noble performs "Good Night Sweetheart." The sketch is a parody of the movie Gaslight: Bella's husband, a jewel thief, is trying to make her think she's crazy by turning the pictures upside down and putting a horse in the closet. A Scotland Yard inspector comes to her rescue. |
| 4 |
8 |
"Gracie Bit" |
9 March 1952 (1952-03-09) |
|
Special guests: George Burns and Gracie Allen.
It's ten minutes to air time and Gracie is missing; George talks Jack into dressing in drag and filling in for Gracie. After being made-up by Frank Nelson, Jack performs a standard Burns & Allen routine with George. Gracie arrives and, not recognizing Jack, thinks that George is fooling around with Tallulah Bankhead and storms off. Later, Don says that he needs his girdle back so he can fit into his car. |
| 5 |
9 |
"Isaac Stern Show" |
20 April 1952 (1952-04-20) |
|
Special guest: Isaac Stern.
Dennis wants to do his Johnnie Ray impression on the show, but Jack wants to do a classy number instead. Isaac Stern performs "Introduction and Rondo capriccioso" by Saint-Saëns; Jack joins him for a duet of "Flight of the Bumblebee." In Stern's honor, Jack introduces Dennis performing "Sweetheart" from Maytown backed by ten violinists in tails. Day promptly launches into Johnnie Ray's hit "Cry." |
| 6 |
10 |
"Jack Prepares for a Trip to England" |
1 June 1952 (1952-06-01) |
|
Special guest: Ronald Coleman.
Jack and Rochester are packing for Jack's summer concert tour of England and Scotland. Jack's doctor chases him down to give him an inoculation shot; Don drops by with wax fruit and the Sportsmen, who sing "Bye Bye Benny"; Jack's agent auditions a supporting act for Jack's show, the Landrews Sisters, who perform "Did You Ever See a Dream Walking?" Throughout it all, Ronald Coleman's butler, Sherwood, reclaims everything Jack has borrowed from them; when he's through, the Benny house is bare. |
| Ep |
№ |
Title |
Original air date |
| 1 |
11 |
"Bob Crosby's Contract" |
5 October 1952 (1952-10-05) |
| New cast member Bob Crosby refuses to sing until his contract is signed; Bob finally performs "You Belong to Me", and Jack invites him over over to sign the contract after the show. Before Bob arrives, Jack and Rochester wreck the house and make it look like a shabby hovel, to make Bob think that Benny's broke and agree to sign for only $50 a week. Bob has a trick of his own, parading his kids in as starving, shabbily-dressed waifs. Jack bites and agrees to sign Bob for $500 a week. |
| 2 |
12 |
"Buck Benny Rides Again" |
2 November 1952 (1952-11-02) |
|
Special guests: Dinah Shore, Hank Mann, and James Flavin.
In a cowboy sketch, Dinah's forced to sing in a saloon to raise $2,000 to pay off her mortgage or she'll have to marry bad guy Tombstone Harry. In a filmed segment, "Buck" Benny competes in a rodeo for the money, but loses. Angry Dinah tries to shoot Benny with his own screwy gun, but kills Harry instead. |
| 3 |
13 |
"Jack Gets Robbed" |
30 November 1952 (1952-11-30) |
| In the opening monologue, Jack is pestered for an autograph by a little girl claiming to be Margaret Truman from Washington, D.C.. Bob Crosby sings "Peter Pan" with an assist from the child. At home, Jack tries to fall asleep but is awakened by a leaky bathroom faucet. Rochester comes and fixes it, then rocks Jack to sleep in his bed/crib. As he snoozes, two thieves come in the bedroom window and encounter booby traps in his dresser drawers and a live tiger in his safe. |
| 4 |
14 |
"Cafe Skit" |
28 December 1952 (1952-12-28) |
|
Special guests: James Stewart and Gloria Stewart.
Jimmy and Gloria Stewart plan a romantic New Year's Eve at a French restaurant. Their night is destroyed by a self-invited Jack and his uncouth date, telephone operator Mabel Flapsaddle (Bea Benaderet). Jack and Mabel make a spectacle of themselves by dancing like goons, tripping waiters and fighting with other patrons. Mable causes Jimmy to squirm when she serenades him with a loud rendition of "You Belong to Me." The evening is made when her pal from work, Gertrude Gearshift (Sara Berner), shows up with her doltish boyfriend who has been in high school nine years. |
| 5 |
15 |
"60 Piece Orchestra Skit" |
25 January 1953 (1953-01-25) |
|
In an interview in his dressing room, Jack tells a reporter how he would rather have been a concert violinist than a comedian. In flashbacks, Jack, as a small boy and as a teen, does nothing but practice his violin. He imagines that he is soloist with a philharmonic orchestra. To the cheers of the audience and his fellow musicians, he wows them with his rendition of "Love in Bloom."
In the epilogue, Jack invites Ann Sothern up from the audience to plug her series Private Secretary which airs three out of four weeks with Benny. |
| 6 |
16 |
"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" |
22 March 1953 (1953-03-22) |
| The sketch is a take-off of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, with Jack playing both of the title roles. Bob Crosby, as a medical student, performs "A Foggy Day in London Town." The good doctor's new potion turns him into a murderous madman who recycles one of his patients into a teaching skeleton. Hyde is finally brought down by another patient who is pumped up with vitamins. |
| 7 |
17 |
"Fred Allen Show" |
19 April 1953 (1953-04-19) |
|
Special guests: Fred Allen and Eddie Cantor.
Jack is in the lobby of his sponsor's office to renew his contract option. Meanwhile, inside Mr. Lewis' office, Fred Allen is trying to convince Lewis to put Jack "out to pasture" and hire Fred for the show. Allen hides in a closet as Jack enters. When Mr. Lewis says he wants a few days to think it over, Jack smells a louse. Leaving, Benny opens the wrong door, finds Allen and hits the roof. After the pair have reconciled, Eddie Cantor pops out of another closet and pitches Mr. Lewis on making him the star of the show. |
| 8 |
18 |
"Visit to the Vault" |
17 May 1953 (1953-05-17) |
|
Special guest: Gisele MacKenzie.
Jack prepares a dinner party to celebrate the end of the TV season. Bob Crosby and Gisele MacKenzie arrive before the other guests and sing a Lucky Strike commercial. Jack still owes Gisele money for a previous concert engagement she did with him, so he takes her down to his fabled vault. (Bob passes since he's already seen the vault of his brother Bing.) The pair dodge various security contraptions including a moat containing an alligator, a camera that takes photos of everyone who enters, sirens, and Ed (Joseph Kearns), the guard who hasn't been above ground in decades. |
| Ep |
№ |
Title |
Original air date |
| 1 |
19 |
"Honolulu Trip" |
13 September 1953 (1953-09-13) |
|
Special guest: Marilyn Monroe.
Jack tells the audience about the trip he took with Rochester to Hawaii when a travelogue announcer (Paul Frees) takes over the story. On the return cruise home, Jack encounters "Dr. Masters" (of sex study fame) and Mr. Kitzel. Falling asleep in a deck chair, Jack dreams the heavyset woman (Maxine Gates) beside him is Marilyn Monroe and that she finds him irresistible. She coos the song "Bye Bye, Baby" to Jack and agrees to meet him for dinner. He chases after her, being awakened by a huge kiss from the chubby woman.
In the epilogue, Jack thanks Marilyn for making her TV debut with him, and plugs her new movie How to Marry a Millionaire. Jack mentions his infamous film, The Horn Blows at Midnight. |
| 2 |
20 |
"Jack as a Child" |
4 October 1953 (1953-10-04) |
| A reporter is writing Jack's biography, and Jack flashes back to his childhood: Young Benny argues with his father (played by Jack), who wants him to play violin for the love of music rather than for the money, a notion that shocks the child. The Benny family's friends and relatives gather for the weekly Sunday musicale. |
| 3 |
21 |
"Humphrey Bogart Show" |
25 October 1953 (1953-10-25) |
|
Special guest: Humphrey Bogart.
In the sketch, Detective Benny is interrogating Baby Face Bogart, who says that he knows nothing about the murder of Blinky Mason. Benny tries to get tough with him, but Baby Face keeps slapping him back. During the interrogation Baby Face sings the Lucky Strike commercial, after which he pulls a gun on Benny, who runs from the building.
In the epilogue, Jack thanks Bogart and plugs his new movie, Beat the Devil. |
| 4 |
22 |
"Johnny Ray Show" |
15 November 1953 (1953-11-15) |
|
Special guests: Johnnie Ray and Danny Thomas.
Johnnie Ray's contract to appear on the show arrives at Jack's home, and Jack's horrified by the $10,000 fee. He goes to Ray's home and tries to offer him $250 instead. Johnnie sings "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone" and "Cry" for Jack, and his performance is so devastating that Jack is turned into a helpless bowl of jelly; he pays Johnnie $15,000.
At the end of the show, Danny Thomas makes a guest appearance to plug his show, Make Room for Daddy. |
| 5 |
23 |
"Irene Dunne Show" |
6 December 1953 (1953-12-06) |
|
Special guests: Irene Dunne, Vincent Price, and Gregory Ratoff.
Jack reads that Gregory Ratoff is planning a new movie starring Irene Dunne and Vincent Price. Thinking that he would be perfect for the lead role, Jack calls both Ratoff and Dunne, trying to persuade them to replace Price with him. When that fails, he invites himself to the rehearsal and disrupts it by cracking walnuts and blowing the small part they give him to read.
Note: this was the first filmed episode of the series; from here on, Jack appeared in both live (after 1959, videotaped) and several filmed episodes each season. |
| 6 |
24 |
"Reminiscing About Last New Year's" |
27 December 1953 (1953-12-27) |
| In the monologue, Jack talks about his Christmas and recalls how he spent New Year's: In the sketch, Jack has a big night planned with his girlfriend Gloria, but calls to cancel at the last minute. After wandering the streets alone, Jack stops for coffee in a cafe, where Gloria is working as a waitress. Later, Jack comes home to find Rochester preparing to go out and celebrate; Rochester won't leave Jack all alone on New Year's Eve, so he stays home with Jack and they ring in the new year together. |
| 7 |
25 |
"Liberace Show" |
17 January 1954 (1954-01-17) |
|
Special guest: Liberace.
Jack goes to Liberace's candelabra-filled home, where even the gardener wears a tuxedo. Liberace asks Jack to fill in for his brother George at a concert he's giving that evening. At the concert Liberace performs a solo, and then he and Jack play "September Song", with Jack on violin. |
| 8 |
26 |
"Jack Dreams He's Married to Mary" |
7 February 1954 (1954-02-07) |
| Jack thinks Mary is coming over to accept one of his numerous marriage proposals, but instead she gives him a lecture about his stinginess. Jack then dozes on the couch and dreams that he and Mary get married; later in the dream, it's their 21st anniversary and Jack is a failed radio actor and a house husband, and Mary is still working at the May Company. Even in the dream, Mary starts laying into Jack for being a cheapskate. |
| 9 |
27 |
"Helen Hayes Show" |
28 February 1954 (1954-02-28) |
|
Special guest: Helen Hayes.
Jack wants to perform in legitimate theater, so he goes to New York and seeks out Helen Hayes to teach him to be a dramatic actor. He gets his big break when one of Helen's student's falls ill and can't be in the class performance that night. It turns out to be a children's play, and Helen has Jack hopping around in a bunny suit. |
| 10 |
28 |
"Goldie, Fields and Glide" |
21 March 1954 (1954-03-21) |
|
Special guests: George Burns, Bing Crosby, and Bob Hope.
Jack wants George Burns and Bing Crosby to re-create their old vaudeville routine on his show; George, Bing, and Jack used to be a (less-than-successful) song and dance team called "Goldie, Fields, and Glide." George and Bing say they'll do it, but Bing wants $10,000 more than Jack is prepared to pay. Bing finds himself stuck in a tree, where he meets Bob Hope, another star who made the mistake of asking for too much money. |
| 11 |
29 |
"Burns and Allen Show" |
11 April 1954 (1954-04-11) |
|
Special guests: George Burns and Gracie Allen.
This is a remake of the episode "Gracie Bit" (№ 8). |
| 12 |
30 |
"David Niven Show" |
2 May 1954 (1954-05-02) |
|
Special guests: David Niven and Margaret Hayes.
The sketch is an English drawing-room farce, in which Jack plays handsome British screen lover Cecil Frothingham. He's having a secret affair with Lady Milbank; news of it reaches Lord Milbank (Niven), but he's more interested in his stamp collection. When Cecil finds out how valuable it is, he becomes more interested in it too. |
| 13 |
31 |
"Road to Nairobi" |
23 May 1954 (1954-05-23) |
|
Special guests: Bob Hope, Dean Martin, and Jerry Lewis.
In the prologue, Bob steals Jack's pants from his dressing room so that Bob can do the monologue instead. Jack comes out wearing Don's oversized pants, and Don is later stuck wearing Jack's too-small pants. In the sketch, Jack and Bob are explorers in Africa who are attacked by cannibals and thrown into a huge stew pot. The natives can't light the fire, but Martin and Lewis run in with a match. |
| Ep |
№ |
Title |
Original air date |
| 1 |
32 |
"Entire Cast Show" |
3 October 1954 (1954-10-03) |
| Jack falls asleep during the monologue, and Don tells the audience why: Jack had been extremely nervous about the first show of the new season, and had encountered one disaster after another. Don had called in a doctor (Frank Nelson) to calm Jack down; after telling Jack how lousy he was last season, the doctor gave him something that would make him sleep... for 10 hours. |
| 2 |
33 |
"Jam Session at Jack's" |
17 October 1954 (1954-10-17) |
|
Special guests: Dick Powell, Tony Martin, Fred MacMurray, Kirk Douglas, and Dan Dailey.
In the monologue, Jack reads the newspaper reviews of critics who liked his season premiere, while skipping the ones who didn't. Jack then hurries home for his weekly jam session with Tony (on clarinet), Fred (saxophone), Dick (trumpet), Dan (drums), and Kirk (banjo). They avail themselves of the coin-operated vending machines in Jack's living room [including the one stocked with his sponsor's cigarettes]. The band plays "Basin Street", but Kirk keeps going into "Bye Bye Blues", the only song he knows. |
| 3 |
34 |
"How Jack Found Mary" |
31 October 1954 (1954-10-31) |
| A writer visits Jack at home and hears the story of how Jack found Mary Livingstone in the fall of 1932: A brash, young Jack goes into the May Company department store to buy a shirt when hosiery counter clerk Mary catches his eye. He flirts shamelessly with Mary while she and her co-worker Sally give him a hard time. Finally, she agrees to meet Jack that evening for dinner, and the rest is history. While Jack is posing for photos with the writer, Don and the Sportsmen Quartet drop by; Rochester joins them for a song and dance number. |
| 4 |
35 |
"The Giant Mutiny" |
14 November 1954 (1954-11-14) |
|
Special guests: Leo Durocher, Beans Reardon, Chuck Dressen, Fred Haney, and Bob Lemon.
Jack stages a baseball version of The Caine Mutiny: Benny is Alvin Dark, captain of the New York Giants. During the fourth game of the World Series, Dark stands up to tyrannical Durocher and is court-marshalled. Haney, Reardon, Dressen, and Lemon are the judges, and Durocher (as the Queeg character) rubs two baseballs together. |
| 5 |
36 |
"The Life of Jack Benny" |
28 November 1954 (1954-11-28) |
| Rochester is typing the script for next week's show: Jack Benny's life story. Jack auditions people for the various roles, including a beautiful young woman to play his first girlfiend, and his actual first girlfriend to play his mother. He passes on a young boy who auditions to play Jack as a boy, instead choosing the pushy young boy who acts as the first boy's agent. |
| 6 |
37 |
"Shopping Show" |
12 December 1954 (1954-12-12) |
| Rochester, after winning a crooked card game, takes the day off and leaves Jack stuck with the household chores. Jack then sticks Don with the work so that he himself can do some holiday grocery shopping. At the store, Jack encounters a surly fruit vendor, a racetrack tout, Mr. Kitzel, and an insulting clerk (Frank Nelson). After having had enough of Jack's inability to find anything, Nelson throws him into a shopping cart and pushes him around the store. |
| 7 |
38 |
"San Diego Naval Training Center Show" |
26 December 1954 (1954-12-26) |
| This show was broadcast live from the Naval Training Center in San Diego. Jack delivers a monologue full of military jokes, then he and Don talk about having been in the Navy. A gown-clad WAVE walks across now and then to "recruit" future sailors. Mel Blanc appears as Sy. Finally, Jack and several band members perform on the stage while Rochester sings. |
| 8 |
39 |
"Bedroom Burglar" |
9 January 1955 (1955-01-09) |
| The main sketch in this episode is a remake of the one in the episode "Jack Gets Robbed" (№ 13), including the bed/cradle and the live tiger in the safe. |
| 9 |
40 |
"Jack and Gisele MacKenzie's Violin Duet" |
23 January 1955 (1955-01-23) |
|
Special guest: Gisele MacKenzie.
Jack chats with Gisele MacKenzie, who sings "Mr. Sandman." Jack rushes backstage to his dressing room to find his missing violin; Rochester has hidden it in the air vent. Benny's attempt to tell a joke is interrupted by Don Wilson, who's leading a CBS tour across the stage. One man mistakes Benny for Ann Sothern. After showing she can play the violin, Gisele is challenged to do a duet with Jack. The two perform "Getting to Know You" and a reprise of "Mr. Sandman." |
| 10 |
41 |
"Four O'Clock in the Morning Show" |
6 February 1955 (1955-02-06) |
| Jack is awakened at 4 a.m. by a phone call from Hank, the all-night DJ, who asks him an inane trivia question. Unable to get back to sleep, Jack is drowsy by the afternoon when Mary takes him to buy a new suit at a store managed by Frank Nelson. Falling asleep on his feet, Jack is mistaken for a mannequin, and he wakes up later to find himself in a window display, re-dressed and holding a fishing pole. When Jack finds out that Frank advertises on Hank's all-night radio show, he goes straight for Nelson's throat. |
| 11 |
42 |
"Jack's Lunch Counter" |
20 February 1955 (1955-02-20) |
|
Special guest: George Raft.
Dennis interrupts Jack's monologue because he's upset that George Raft got his dressing room. After a loud crash, Dennis' mother (Verna Felton) walks out to say that the room is now Dennis'; she just threw Raft out of it.
In the sketch -- Death Across the Lunch Counter or Dial M for Mustard -- Jack plays a diner owner who's nervous because murderers are on the loose in the area. Three suspicious men come in and two of them (Raft and Day) start to intimidate Jack, although they dance when the jukebox plays "Papa Loves Mambo." Jack shoots Day and Raft (who does a hammy death scene), and discovers that the third man is an interior decorator Jack had hired.
Note: this sketch was originally performed on radio in 1946 (with Edward G. Robinson) and 1950 (with Richard Widmark). |
| 12 |
43 |
"Jack Takes Beavers to the Fair" |
6 March 1955 (1955-03-06) |
| In this color episode, Jack takes a group of boys called the Beverly Hills Beavers (one of them is young Harry Shearer) to the fair. Things get off to a bad start; he has to be shot down when he holds too many helium balloons, he falls off the merry-go-round, and he succeeds in ringing the bell at the top of the strength meter only after one of the Beavers sticks a pin in his backside. Several times they run into Mr. Kitzel, who's a "utility player" working wherever he's needed. At one point, Jack steps into a lion cage, thinking the animal is Mr. Kitzel in a costume; it isn't. As Benny and the boys leave, they pass a hula girl show -- and the girl is Mr. Kitzel! |
| 13 |
44 |
"Gary Crosby Show" |
20 March 1955 (1955-03-20) |
|
Special guest: Gary Crosby.
Jack goes to Bing Crosby's mansion to see if Bing will be on his show, even though he won't pay Bing's $10,000 fee. Bing's son Gary is at home, and he sings "I've Got the World on a String." Impressed, Jack wants Gary for the show, especially since he'll perform for $150. Bing (voice only) hears about Jack's scheme and puts a stop to it. Desperate, Jack grabs their butler and takes him to the studio. |
| 14 |
45 |
"You Bet Your Life" |
3 April 1955 (1955-04-03) |
|
Special guest: Groucho Marx.
When Jack reads that Groucho is giving away $3,000 on You Bet Your Life, he becomes determined to win it. He disguises himself in a wavy wig and mustache, and comes on the show claiming to be a musician named Ronald (and sometimes Rodney) Forsythe {Groucho ad-libs, "It was Rodney during rehearsal"}. When told that the "secret word" is something found in the home, Jack ignores Groucho's questions and names everything he can think of in his house. Thanks to a smart teammate (Irene Tedrow), Jack is only one question away from the jackpot... but the question is, "Just how old is that lying bum, Jack Benny?" |
| 15 |
46 |
"Preparing for New York Trip" |
17 April 1955 (1955-04-17) |
|
Jack and Rochester are driven to the train station by a cab driver (Mel Blanc) who keeps crying because he can't bear to say goodbye; he even follows Jack inside and buys him candy and flowers. In the station, Jack encounters Mr. Kitzel in a kilt, a young couple who won't stop kissing, a racetrack tout who tells him which train he should take, a PA announcer making ridiculous announcements, and Frank Nelson at the ticket window.
In the epilogue, Jack brings Mel Blanc out and gives him his paycheck; Mel starts crying again. |
| 16 |
47 |
"Jackie Gleason Show" |
1 May 1955 (1955-05-01) |
|
Special guest: Jackie Gleason.
Jack and Rochester are in New York, relaxing in the penthouse suite of the luxurious St. Regis Hotel. They're staying free, masquerading as painters; whenever the doorbell rings, they put on painters' caps and toss drop cloths around the room.
Jack's awaiting Jackie Gleason for a business meeting. Before Gleason enters the room, the June Taylor Dancers prance in and give him a huge introduction. Gleason and Benny are forming a production company to make movies. Jack thinks the films will star him, but Jackie has heard about The Horn Blows at Midnight and has different ideas. When the hotel manager calls to say he's coming up, Rochester starts throwing out the drop cloths and paint buckets; Benny puts a cap on Gleason and tells him he's the foreman. |
| Ep |
№ |
Title |
Original air date |
| 1 |
48 |
"Jack Goes to Dennis' House" |
25 September 1955 (1955-09-25) |
| After Dennis sings "The Yellow Rose of Texas", Jack flashes back to the previous day: Jack is about to start a new season, and everyone is badgering him with suggestions and demands, such as Don Wilson's wife insisting that Jack stop making jokes about Don's weight. When Jack drops by Dennis Day's house to discuss a song, Dennis' mother (Verna Felton) starts saying that Jack isn't giving her son the treatment and exposure he deserves. |
| 2 |
49 |
"Massage and Date with Gertrude" |
9 October 1955 (1955-10-09) |
| After a show Jack hopes for a relaxing massage, but the masseuse is Frank Nelson, who rubs him down with chicken fat. Later, Jack takes Gertrude (Bea Benaderet) to a dumpy French restaurant that's crowded with Paris sewer workers. A pair of Apache dancers perform too close to Jack's table, and Jack finds himself literally pulled into the act. The restaurant owner crams another guest at Jack's table, who tells Jack that he smells like chicken fat. |
| 3 |
50 |
"Peggy King and Art Linkletter" |
23 October 1955 (1955-10-23) |
|
Special guests: Peggy King and Art Linkletter.
During the monologue, Jack is heckled by audience member Franque Finque (Mel Blanc), who wants to win a refrigerator.
Jack introduces Peggy King, a cast member of The George Gobel Show, who says that George is funnier than Jack; she sings "When Love Walks Out, Brother." Art Linkletter hosts a segment from his show House Party, where he interviews children; after talking to actual children, he brings out another batch of "kids" played by Don, Peggy, Jack, and Rochester. The sketch ends when Franque Finque takes the stage demanding his refrigerator. |
| 4 |
51 |
"Isaac Stern Boosts Jack's Morale" |
6 November 1955 (1955-11-06) |
|
Special guest: Isaac Stern.
When Jack's latest violin lesson causes Professor LeBlanc to attempt suicide, Jack becomes depressed. Rochester comes up with a scheme to boost Jack's confidence: he tricks Jack into thinking that music being played by Isaac Stern (who's hiding in the closet) is actually a recording of Jack's violin playing. Delighted, Jack hurries to a recording studio to cut a record, but his music destroys the equipment. After discovering the truth, Jack thanks Rochester for his efforts.
For an encore, Stern and pianist Alexander Zakin perform "Polonaise No. 1 in D Major" by Wieniawski. |
| 5 |
52 |
"Jack Gives Johnny Carson Advice" |
20 November 1955 (1955-11-20) |
|
Special guest: Johnny Carson.
Johnny Carson says that Jack is his idol, but has some constructive criticism for him, which he doesn't take well. In the sketch, Jack is being stalked by someone in a trench coat; it turns out to be Dennis Day, who's angry because he wasn't on tonight's show. In the epilogue, Dennis sings "Love and Marriage" (with a new verse about "Jack and Money"). Jack also plugs Johnny's CBS variety show, which ended four months later. |
| 6 |
53 |
"Jack Hunts for Uranium" |
4 December 1955 (1955-12-04) |
| Jack believes he can make big money by looking for uranium in the desert. After stopping at a camping supply store (where Frank Nelson works), Jack, Mary, and Rochester head into the desert and set up camp. Later, Jack overhears a group of men talking about digging nearby the next day; believing they're also uranium hunters, Jack gets up early the next morning and start digging in the spot they were talking about. He digs a six-foot-deep hole before he discovers that they're just repairing a gas pipeline. |
| 7 |
54 |
"Frances and Edgar Bergen" |
18 December 1955 (1955-12-18) |
|
Special guests: Edgar Bergen and Frances Bergen.
After the Sportsmen Quartet perform a Christmas musical number (which segues into a middle commercial), Jack goes to Edgar Bergen's house to talk about being on the show; while he waits for Edgar, Frances sings a song. Jack then discovers that Edgar's dummies, Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd, are alive and can walk around. When Edgar arrives, he has Jack sit on his knee while they discuss the show. |
| 8 |
55 |
"New Year's Day Show" |
1 January 1956 (1956-01-01) |
|
Special guests: Henry Russell Sanders, Charles Herbert, Duffy Daugherty, and Gene Twambley.
Jack reads fake telegrams wishing him a Happy New Year, then chats with the coaches from tomorrow's Rose Bowl Game, Sanders of UCLA and Daugherty of Michigan State.
For the last 12 years, Jack has done a New Year's piece on the radio called The New Tenant in which the Old Year steps aside for the New Year; tonight they re-stage it for the camera, essentially doing a radio show on TV. |
| 9 |
56 |
"Don Invites Gang to Dinner" |
15 January 1956 (1956-01-15) |
| Jack blames his nasty cold on Don Wilson, and wants to fire him. He tells the story in a flashback: Don had invited Jack and the gang to his house for dinner but, despite Jack's repeated advice, didn't call his wife to let her know about it. Once they were at Don's house, Don decided to tell his wife that some people from work might drop by, and then have the others "arrive" one at a time. Jack was the last one left, and he was detained by a burglar in the rain (during which they did the famous "Your money or your life" routine). In the present, Jack decides not to fire Don because Jack feels guilty about how little he's paying him. |
| 10 |
57 |
"How Jack Met Rochester" |
29 January 1956 (1956-01-29) |
|
Special guest: Sarah Churchill.
Jack tells his guest Sarah how he met Rochester: Jack was making his big move from New York to Hollywood, and Rochester, who was a porter on the train Jack was taking, discovered that Jack was smuggling Don and Dennis in his berth. Rochester promised to keep it quiet, but the conductor found out and fired Rochester on the spot; feeling badly about this, Jack offered him a job as his butler and nursemaid. |
| 11 |
58 |
"William Holden / Frances Bergen Show" |
12 February 1956 (1956-02-12) |
|
Special guests: William Holden, Frances Bergen, and Mervyn LeRoy.
Jack introduces Holden, Bergen, and LeRoy in the audience, and has Frances come on stage and talk about a film offer she's had. When she tells Jack that the reason he doesn't get drama roles is that he has no sex appeal, he tries to prove her wrong by improvising a lame love scene with her. Holden comes onstage to show Jack how it's done; after a kiss from Holden, Bergen goes limp. |
| 12 |
59 |
"Rochester Sleeps Through Jack's Show" |
26 February 1956 (1956-02-26) |
| Jack relies on Rochester, his toughest critic, to give him an honest evaluation of the show, but when Rochester accidentally sleeps through the program, he tries to cover up with evasive answers to Jack's questions. At first Jack is angry when he discovers the truth, but later he sees Rochester packing and is afraid that he's leaving (unaware that Rochester is simply getting ready for a camping trip). Jack offers him extra days off — even Labor Day — and makes him a steak dinner, and Rochester milks the situation for all it's worth. |
| 13 |
60 |
"Jack Drives to Palm Springs" |
11 March 1956 (1956-03-11) |
| Jack, Rochester, and Polly the parrot head to Palm Springs for vacation. Upon arrival, Jack heads straight for the pool and jumps off the diving board, unaware that the pool's been drained for cleaning. Jack spends the rest of his vacation in bed, putting up with the hotel doctor (Frank Nelson) and comments from Rochester, Mary, and Don. |
| 14 |
61 |
"Jack Opens Beverly Hills Office" |
25 March 1956 (1956-03-25) |
|
Special guest: Dore Schary.
Jack opens a business office in Beverly Hills, and cuts expenses by sharing the suite with an interior decorator and hiring a surly drugstore waitress as a receptionist. Dore Schary, the head of MGM, comes to talk to Jack about a movie role, but Jack's not thrilled with the part or the money. Dore makes an offer to the decorator instead. |
| 15 |
62 |
"Gisele MacKenzie Show" |
8 April 1956 (1956-04-08) |
|
Special guest: Gisele MacKenzie.
Gisele MacKenzie chats with Jack and sings "Poor People of Paris." Don and Lois Wilson beg Jack to give their son Harlow (Dale White) one more chance to do the commercial; Lois says that Harlow fouled it up last time because Don had yelled at him. Harlow does the commercial, and does so badly that Lois loses her temper and smashes Jack's violin over Harlow's head.
Once again, Jack and Gisele perform their violin duet, "Getting to Know You." |
| 16 |
63 |
"Jack Tries to Get a Passport" |
22 April 1956 (1956-04-22) |
| Preparing for his European vacation, Jack is at the passport office. He get shuffled from window to window; his picture is taken by Mel Blanc, who hands everyone the same photo of Rock Hudson; and he encounters bureaucrat Frank Nelson, who's not wearing any pants. Everyone gives Jack a dirty look when he repeatedly claims to be 39. |
| Ep |
№ |
Title |
Original air date |
| 1 |
64 |
"Alfred Wallenstein Show" |
23 September 1956 (1956-09-23) |
|
Special guest: Alfred Wallenstein.
In the season premiere, Jack is nervous about a violin concert he's giving at Carnegie Hall. Trying to do some last-minute practicing, he distracted by a pair of locksmiths he called to open his basement vault; Jack has lost the only key. Alfred Wallenstein, the conductor of the Philharmonic Orchestra for Jack's performance, comes by to offer pointers. He hears little because of all the sawing and grinding coming from the vault. When the locksmiths resort to blasting, Jack plays on, oblivious to all the plaster and debris falling around him. |
| 2 |
65 |
"George Burns / Spike Jones Show" |
7 October 1956 (1956-10-07) |
|
Special guests: Spike Jones and George Burns.
Recalling his Carnegie Hall performance, Jack has jitters before the show. Spike Jones drops in backstage because he couldn't believe Jack Benny was really playing there. Trying to relax, Jack dreams that Felix Mendelssohn compliments his violin playing. In a nightmare, the Devil (George Burns) offers to make Jack the greatest violinist of all time; naturally, there's a catch. Jack begins to play with the orchestra, but the conductor is replaced by Spike Jones. The orchestra begins playing wildly and Jack has to be carried offstage on a stretcher, still playing his violin. |
| 3 |
66 |
"George Gobel / Red Skelton Show" |
21 October 1956 (1956-10-21) |
|
Special guests: George Gobel and Red Skelton.
Jack and George are opposing candidates for the presidency of the Beverly Hills Beavers; George, who has a nephew in the group, became a candidate when he heard Jack was running. In the end, Jack and George each get only one vote; the winner is another celebrity who has a nephew in the group. |
| 4 |
67 |
"Jack Is Invited to the Ronald Colmans" |
4 November 1956 (1956-11-04) |
|
Special guests: Ronald Colman and Benita Hume.
In a flashback, Rochester recalls the time Jack went to Ronald and Benita Colman's house for dinner; an invitation meant for the Colmans' friend Jack Wellington wound up on Jack Benny's doorstep. Mr. Benny showed up in gaudy white tie and tails; when Mr. Wellington showed up in a sweater and casual slacks, Benny thought that Wellington was an under-dressed party crasher. |
| 5 |
68 |
"Jack's Maxwell Is Stolen" |
18 November 1956 (1956-11-18) |
| Rochester informs Jack that his Maxwell automobile has been stolen. Unable to phone the Beverly Hills Police Department (because their number is unlisted), Jack goes to the station; the receptionist asks if he has an appointment. The police hounds are French poodles, and the dispatchers play pop records between radio announcements; every time a Lawrence Welk tune plays, a bubble machine turns on and everyone dances. |
| 6 |
69 |
"Jack Locked in the Tower of London" |
2 December 1956 (1956-12-02) |
| In the first of four episodes filmed on location in Europe, Jack and Mary visit London. While admiring the Crown Jewels, Jack is accidentally locked in the Tower of London overnight. Jack dreams he's in the 16th century, and that Henry VIII has mistaken him for Anne Boleyn's lover. The king plans to get revenge on Jack in the torture chamber, but Jack defeats the guards single-handedly and wins a sword fight. |
| 7 |
70 |
"The Mikado" |
16 December 1956 (1956-12-16) |
| Dennis want to do an Elvis Presley number, but Jack says no; he wants to class up the show by performing a condensed version of The Mikado. Jack plays the Lord High Executioner, and Dennis is Nanki-Poo. Instead of singing the Japanese love song he's supposed to, Dennis starts doing his Elvis number while in costume. |
| 8 |
71 |
"Talent Show" |
30 December 1956 (1956-12-30) |
|
Special guest: Jayne Mansfield.
Jack's monologue is interrupted by Don, who has a purse found by an usher. Jayne Mansfield comes out of the audience to claim it, saying that the usher had snatched it from her and that it was a sneaky way to get a guest star (she later appeared on Jack's Shower of Stars special on January 10, 1957).
The main sketch is a talent show: Stanley Gropff (Mel Blanc) does animal impressions, the Landrews Sisters sing and dance to "Did You Ever See a Dream Walking," and Judo champ Leon Salvadore (Leon Lontoc) takes on and is beaten up by six big men. (The last bit was done before in episode № 6, "Helene Francois Show.") |
| 9 |
72 |
"Jack and Mary in Rome" |
13 January 1957 (1957-01-13) |
| The second of the European episodes: Arriving in Rome, Jack is upset that the rush of adoring fans isn't for him but for opera singer Vittorio Rizetti. After a day of sightseeing with Mary, Jack seems to hear another man singing opera in the hotel room next to his. Thinking he'll make a fortune with an undiscovered singer, Jack quickly signs the man to a tour in the United States, not realizing that the man was simply listening to a record of Vittorio Rizetti. |
| 10 |
73 |
"The Fiddler" |
27 January 1957 (1957-01-27) |
|
Special guest: Harry von Zell.
Don introduces fellow announcer Harry von Zell who's in the audience. Jack, impressed with Harry's voice, asks him to do the commercial, which causes Don to quit and storm off.
After Dennis sings "On the Street Where You Live", the main sketch starts: Jack plays "The Fiddler" (a parody of "The Whistler"). Dennis plays an air-headed husband who doesn't realize his wife is cheating on him with his best friend. "The Fiddler" comments on the action and encourages murder and mayhem from the players. The sketch, originally performed on radio in 1946 and 1952, was later reused in episode № 232. |
| 11 |
74 |
"Goodwin Knight / George Jessel Show" |
10 February 1957 (1957-02-10) |
|
Special guests: Goodwin Knight and George Jessel.
Jack discusses his upcoming birthday, February 14. California Governor Goodwin Knight comes out and chats about the benefit he's attending with Jack as guest of honor. The Sportsmen Quartet sing a birthday song, and do the commercial.
In the sketch, George Jessel visits Jack at home to discuss details of the Friars Club banquet honoring Benny. Jessel, who will be toastmaster, reads Jack the text of his speech. When a reporter calls asking for details of the event, George ends up talking only about himself. |
| 12 |
75 |
"Hope and Benny in Agent's Office" |
24 February 1957 (1957-02-24) |
|
Special guest: Bob Hope.
Jack's monologue on his Emmy Award nomination is interrupted by Bob Hope. The two exchange insults and reminisce about their days as a vaudeville team. In the sketch, the two are a song and dance act auditioning in an agent's office for a gig. Benny plays "Tea for Two" while he and Hope exchange corny jokes. They take a job in Akron, Ohio working for nothing.
In the epilogue, Bob and Jack do a special version of Hope's "Thanks for the Memories." |
| 13 |
76 |
"Jack Falls Into a Canal in Venice" |
10 March 1957 (1957-03-10) |
| The third of the European episodes: Jack tells Rochester about his trip with Mary to Milan and Venice. In the flashback, Jack got to play a Stradivarius, but his terrible playing caused its value to instantly drop. Jack and Mary joined a tour group in a gondola, but Jack kept disrupting the guide's lecture with his rude behavior and his accidental falls into the canal; at one point he even tossed another American into the water. |
| 14 |
77 |
"Jack in Paris" |
24 March 1957 (1957-03-24) |
|
Special guest: Maurice Chevalier.
The last of the four European episodes: Jack and Mary visit Paris. Jack gets the hotel waiter to give him French lessons, but doesn't pay him; the waiter gets back at him by teaching Jack to introduce himself by saying (in French), "I am Jack Benny. I drive a garbage truck."
After visiting the Eiffel Tower, Jack and Mary run into Maurice Chevalier, who invites them to join him for an evening on the town. In his usual clueless way, Jack embarrasses Mary and Maurice at a fancy restaurant. At a nightclub, the bandleader asks Maurice to sing, and he performs "Happy."
At the end of the night, Jack and Mary catch a ride back to their hotels on a garbage truck. |
| 15 |
78 |
"Mary's May Company Reunion" |
7 April 1957 (1957-04-07) |
| Mary hosts a reunion luncheon for her old co-workers at the May Company. In a flashback within a flashback, Mary says that Jack had first proposed to her after they'd been dating for only six weeks, but he backed down when he found out how much the ring would cost. After hearing how cheap Jack was, the co-workers throw the salad at him. |
| 16 |
79 |
"Visit from the IRS" |
21 April 1957 (1957-04-21) |
|
Special guests: Dorothy Kirsten, Marge Champion, and Gower Champion.
Opera star Dorothy Kirsten, who will be performing in a benefit show with Jack next week, sings "I'll See You Again." Marge and Gower appear to promote their own series, which briefly alternated with Jack's that spring.
Jack is visited by IRS agents who want to go over his return; they can't believe that he spent only $17 on entertainment last year. Jack decides he may be too tight, and tells everyone to loosen up and spend more on themselves; he figures people will pay good money to hear him lecture on the subject. |
| Ep |
№ |
Title |
Original air date |
| 1 |
80 |
"First Show of the Season" |
22 September 1957 (1957-09-22) |
| After Jack's monologue, Dennis sings "Around the World in 80 Days." Don starts to do the commercial, but Jack tells him that he doesn't want the show to have a middle commercial this week. Instead, Mel Blanc plays music on bottles filled with alcohol, and he get progressively drunk as he tunes them. Later, Don's wife forces Jack to explain to the sponsor that cutting the commercial wasn't Don's idea. |
| 2 |
81 |
"The Airport" |
6 October 1957 (1957-10-06) |
|
Special guest: Robert Culp.
Jack's trying to catch a flight to New York so he can be on The $64,000 Question, but at the airport he has the usual troubles: the loopy PA announcer, a racetrack tout with advice on chewing gum, an encounter with Sy (Mel Blanc), and Frank Nelson as a clerk who wants to sell Jack a one-way ticket out of town.
Jack did appear as a "gag contestant" on The $64,000 Question on October 8th; after answering the first question, he insisted on taking his winnings ($64) and leaving the program. This is referred to in the next episode. |
| 3 |
82 |
"Hal March Show" |
20 October 1957 (1957-10-20) |
|
Special guest: Hal March.
The president and secretary of the Jack Benny Fan Club, Pasadena Chapter, interrupt the monologue to get better seats, and pull on Jack's hair to see if it's real. After Don and Harlow do the commercial (performing Ted Lewis's signature number, "Me and My Shadow"), Hal March, the host of The $64,000 Question, comes on to answer questions, as payback for Jack's recent appearance on his show. Because Jack's personally putting up the money, he asks Hal impossible questions and puts him in a spinning isolation booth that makes Hal queasy. |
| 4 |
83 |
"Ginger Rogers Show" |
3 November 1957 (1957-11-03) |
|
Special guest: Ginger Rogers.
Jack wants Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers to appear on his show. When he goes to invite Ginger, she makes sure not to tell Jack that she's going to a party, because she doesn't want him to crash it. On the show, Astaire is a no-show, so Jack fills in for him, and the results are just as bad as Ginger had expected. |
| 5 |
84 |
"John Forsythe Show" |
17 November 1957 (1957-11-17) |
|
Special guests: John Forsythe and Mary Costa.
During the monologue, Jack introduces John Forsythe (who'd just begun appearing on alternate Sundays in Bachelor Father) in the audience. Mary Costa sings "One Fine Day" from Madame Butterfly. Jack has forgotten an important business obligation and can't take Mary out as promised; Forsythe takes her out to an exotic restaurant. While there, they discover Jack working as a Gypsy violinist.
In the epilogue, Jack plugs an album by his orchestra: Music for Playboys to Play By. |
| 6 |
85 |
"Jack's Life Story" |
1 December 1957 (1957-12-01) |
|
Special guests: Van Johnson and Buddy Adler.
When Jack hears that 20th Century Fox is making a movie about his life story, he heads to the studio, expecting to produce, direct, and star in the film. At the studio Jack meets the director of his own infamous film, The Horn Blows at Midnight; the man is now a parking lot attendant. Buddy Adler, the head of production, tells Jack that what they have in mind doesn't involve him. Jack won't even play "Jack"; Van Johnson will. However, they do offer Jack a role: his own father.
Originally performed on radio, with Danny Kaye (and the studio as Warner Bros.), in 1944 and 1955. |
| 7 |
86 |
"Christmas Shopping Show" |
15 December 1957 (1957-12-15) |
| This is the television debut of the traditional Christmas shopping show from the radio program. Jack and Rochester shop for gifts in a department store, where Jack has run-ins with floorwalker Frank Nelson and buys lingerie from a clerk who doesn't have the nerve to touch it with his bare hands. In a running gag, Jack has clerk Mel Blanc repeatedly re-wrap the wallet Jack bought for Don because he keeps wanting to change the card inside; after one re-wrap too many, Mel loads a pistol and shoots himself. |
| 8 |
87 |
"Jack Goes to the Rose Bowl" |
29 December 1957 (1957-12-29) |
| In a flashback, Jack's ex-girlfriend Zelda explains why she stopped dating the cheapskate: At Jack's suggestion, the two of them stood in line at the stadium all night and got the last two tickets to the Rose Bowl Game. Zelda went inside while Jack looked for coffee. A man offered to buy Jack's $5.50 ticket for $10; Jack sold it to him, and asked him to tell Zelda that he'd stolen the ticket from Jack. |
| 9 |
88 |
"Jack Takes a Beaver to the Dentist" |
12 January 1958 (1958-01-12) |
| Mrs. Miller, the den mother of the Beverly Hills Beavers, asks Jack to take her two sons to the dentist. When one of the boys complains about having to have a tooth pulled, Jack lectures him about the importance of dental health; he then gets into the chair himself and lets the dentist look into his mouth, to show that it's no big deal. When the dentist finds big problems in Jack's mouth, however, Jack sings a whole new tune. |
| 10 |
89 |
"Honeymooners Show" |
26 January 1958 (1958-01-26) |
|
Special guest: Audrey Meadows.
Jack introduces Dennis Day, who's upset because he hasn't been on the show in five months. After claiming his loyalty (while insulting Jack), Dennis sings "The Twelfth of Never."
The sketch is a parody of The Honeymooners, with Audrey Meadows as Alice, Jack as Ralph, and Dennis as Norton. Ralph accuses Alice of stealing his bowling ball money to buy dresses, and says that he'll get his own dinner. He and Norton eat what they think is tuna salad; Alice doesn't tell them that it's cat food. When the bowling ball she bought for Ralph arrives, he has to tell her, "Baby, you're the greatest!" In the epilogue, Audrey compares the hotel Jack put her up in to the run-down apartment on The Honeymooners. |
| 11 |
90 |
"Jack at the Races" |
9 February 1958 (1958-02-09) |
| Jack and Mary go to the racetrack; Dennis, who's suing Jack for calling him stupid, tags along. Dennis explains his insane system for picking which horse to bet on, but Jack is determined to make a $5 bet on Speedy Girl. At the track, Jack runs into his sponsor, Mr. Lewis, who's betting on another horse; Jack convinces him to change his bet to Speedy Girl. Jack, however, changes his mind and bets on Lewis' original choice. Lewis loses $100, and Jack is such an insufferable winner that he get punched out — by Mary. |
| 12 |
91 |
"Violin Competition with Gisele MacKenzie" |
23 February 1958 (1958-02-23) |
|
Special guest: Gisele MacKenzie.
Because Jack feels that a TV show should have an exciting opening, this show begins with a guest getting his head chopped off. Gisele chats with Jack and sings a song. When Jack tries to tell a joke, an audience member (Mel Blanc) interrupts to complain about Jack's smog jokes; the complainer then hacks and coughs from the Los Angeles air. Don and Harlow perform a weird song and dance about Siam. For the finale, Jack invites the band members (and their parole officer) on stage to back him and Gisele on their duet, "Sweet Georgia Brown." Jack's attempt at a solo on "Tea For Two" causes Blanc to return, confiscate the violin, and lead the band offstage. |
| 13 |
92 |
"Academy Awards" |
9 March 1958 (1958-03-09) |
|
Special guests: James Stewart, Jerry Wald, and George Seaton.
Jack's upset because he wasn't asked to be one of the emcees of the upcoming Academy Awards. He hassles George Seton, the president of the Motion Picture Academy, and then Jerry Wald, the producer of the telecast. To placate Jack, Wald says that if one of the five emcees doesn't show, Jack will be the first one he calls. Jack then pays a visit to Jimmy Stewart, who's one of the emcees; Stewart is shooting a film, and Jack destroys several takes. Finally, Jack takes over Jimmy's role and shows him how it's supposed to be done.
Partially remade as № 210. |
| 14 |
93 |
"Railroad Station Show" |
23 March 1958 (1958-03-23) |
| Jack, Don, and Rochester are going to go to New York to meet with the sponsor, but they can't leave until Chuck the plumber (Mel Blanc) finishes working on Jack's pipes, and Chuck keeps getting calls from his girlfriend about their impending elopement. At the train station, Jack encounters Mr. Kitzel, the loopy PA announcer, and a clueless Information Desk clerk. He also finds that his compartment has been given away to the daughter of clerk Frank Nelson, who gives Jack a live turkey that he'd just won in a raffle. On the train, Frank's daughter and Chuck are married, and Jack plays the violin for the ceremony. |
| 15 |
94 |
"Ronnie Burns Show" |
6 April 1958 (1958-04-06) |
|
Special guest: Ronnie Burns.
Jack's guest is Ronnie Burns, the son of George Burns, and Ronnie and George each claim to have given the other his first break in show business. Ronnie sings his unsuccessful single, "Kinda Cute." Don is upset because his son Harlow wasn't featured on the show, so he sulks through the commercial and storms off. Later, Jack goes to Don's house to demand an apology for his tantrum; to show Jack Harlow's talent, Don and his son duet on "Sonny Boy." |
| 16 |
95 |
"Hillbilly Act" |
20 April 1958 (1958-04-20) |
| Jack is angry because his writers don't have a script for the next show; saying that he's been working too hard, Jack skips rehearsals and goes to play golf. In a flashback, the agent tells Jack's secretary the ridiculous story of how he discovered Jack: "Zeke" Benny was once a fiddle-playing hick in Arkansas, with a shabby band called the Ozark Hillbillies. They perform "You Are My Sunshine", "Fascinatin' Rhythm", and "Puttin' on the Ritz." A partial remake of episode № 5. |
| Ep |
№ |
Title |
Original air date |
| 1 |
96 |
"Gary Cooper Show" |
21 September 1958 (1958-09-21) |
|
Special guest: Gary Cooper.
Jack drops in on Gary Cooper at a rehearsal for a Western film, hoping to audition for the part of Gary's twin brother; he shows up in a ridiculous cowboy outfit with six-inch elevator shoes. Jack changes his mind when he learns that his character gets beaten up in a barroom brawl. In the epilogue, Jack introduces Gary's wife and daughter in the studio audience.
Remade, with Clint Walker, as № 208. |
| 2 |
97 |
"Phil Harris Show" |
5 October 1958 (1958-10-05) |
|
Special guest: Phil Harris.
Jack is reunited with the band leader from his radio show, Phil Harris, who leads the band while singing "That's What I Like About the South." Jack interrupts the song, demanding that Harris make sense of the goofy lyrics. Jack orders Phil not to sing the foolish tune, so Phil sings "Poker Club" instead. |
| 3 |
98 |
"The Millionaire" |
19 October 1958 (1958-10-19) |
|
Special guests: Marvin Miller and Jan & Arnie.
Marvin Miller, as his character Michael Anthony from The Millionaire, goes to Dennis Day's house and gives him a check for one million dollars.
After the monologue, Jack introduces Dennis, but rock 'n' roll duo Jan & Arnie come out and sing instead. Jack goes to Dennis' house and finds Dennis in a polo outfit, his mother expensively dressed, and Rochester working as his butler. Michael Anthony returns and takes back the check after discovering that "Dennis Day" is just a stage name.
Jan & Arnie perform "The Beat That Can't Be Beat." |
| 4 |
99 |
"Stars' Wives Show" |
2 November 1958 (1958-11-02) |
|
Special guests: Bob Hope, David Niven, Dolores Hope, and Jeanne Martin.
Jack hires a painter (Mel Blanc) who likes to paint to music; when Jack learns that the painter charges 50¢ and hour, he puts on the fast side of an album.
The Committee for the Improvement of Beverly Hills, a group made up of the wives of big stars, is meeting with the mayor; they want to get rid of Jack's "moving eyesore", i.e. his Maxwell car, and decide to hold a raffle. Bob Hope and David Niven appear in a cameo at the end. |
| 5 |
100 |
"Bachelor TV Lives" |
16 November 1958 (1958-11-16) |
|
Special guest: George Burns.
Jack is driving to New Orleans for a benefit concert, and George Burns wants to ride along and perform; George demonstrates his singing ability while Jack and Rochester pack. Benny's newspaper ad asking for riders gets a response from a pair of robbers who want to be picked up in front of a bank, and a bickering couple who fight over the front seat. Frank Nelson is the rude mechanic who brings Jack's car back from the garage. The Benny home erupts into chaos when another twenty people show up wanting to ride; all the while, Burns is still singing.
In the epilogue, Jack parades the huge cast across the stage to the theme from The Bridge on the River Kwai. |
| 6 |
101 |
"Jack Goes to the Doctor" |
30 November 1958 (1958-11-30) |
|
Special guest: Oscar Levant.
Jack is so agitated and irritable that guest Oscar Levant suggests that Jack go see Oscar's psychiatrist. While they wait for the doctor to finish with another patient, Oscar pinpoints the cause of Jack's anxiety: Frank Nelson. Jack is so upset about running into Nelson wherever he goes that he hides under the carpet. Coincidentally, the doctor's patient has the same problem — except that it's Jack who's tormenting him. |
| 7 |
102 |
"Jack and Gisele MacKenzie" |
14 December 1958 (1958-12-14) |
|
Special guests: Gisele MacKenzie and Red Skelton.
In his monologue, Jack talks about what Christmas gifts to give members of his cast. He and Gisele discuss her recent trip to Europe and she sings the Italian song "Non Dimenticar."
With Jack backstage, Don introduces his son Harlow to Gisele. She allows him do the commercial, which he constantly interrupts to make passes at her. Dennis Day plugs his new holiday album Christmas Is for the Family. Jack and Gisele do another violin duet, "Czardis." Gisele prepares to play a piano, when a "surprise guest" pops out of the instrument: Red Skelton. |
| 8 |
103 |
"Christmas Gift Exchange" |
28 December 1958 (1958-12-28) |
|
Special guest: Chuck Callahan.
High-strung department store clerk Herman (Mel Blanc) is trying to finish his inventory first to win tickets to the Rose Bowl. He's almost finished when in walks Jack, the man who drives him to insanity every holiday season. Jack, with his secretary Barbara, has come to return a sweater he didn't need. As usual, Jack is indecisive, repeatedly changing his mind about wanting a store credit or a check. Benny finishes Herman's inventory after having turned the poor man into a whimpering heap. Herman's in no shape for a football game, so Jack takes his tickets and leaves. |
| 9 |
104 |
"Autolight" |
11 January 1959 (1959-01-11) |
|
Special guest: Barbara Stanwyck.
Jack is sweeping the set; he explains that anything he saves he can keep. He has Mary running the spotlight and Bob Crosby building sets. During his monologue on his movie career, a girl cartwheels across the stage; Jack says he promised the girl's father he'd get her TV work. She turns up again during the later sketch. Bob Crosby sings "I Don't Care If the Sun Don't Shine."
The main sketch, a parody of the movie Gaslight, is a remake of the one in episode № 7, "Gaslight"; Stanwyck plays the wife who's being driven insane by Jack.
Jack had filmed this episode several months before, but was unable to present it until he legally settled with MGM over the right to satirize Gaslight (they filed an injunction against him, claiming his parody was too close to the original version of their film). |
| 10 |
105 |
"Ernie Kovacs Show" |
25 January 1959 (1959-01-25) |
|
Special guest: Ernie Kovacs.
In his monologue, Jack makes jokes about finally being able to show the Gaslight sketch on his show. Ernie shows Jack his mustache collection, and has Jack tries some of them on; they all look ridiculous. Don delivers the middle commercial as a "beatnik" musical number, with members of Los Angeles' "Billy Barnes' Revue".
The main sketch is in a cushy prison in the future year of 1970; inmates Killer Kovacs and Benny the Louse play golf and have the warden shine their clubs. Kovacs is about to be released, but he doesn't want to leave the prison's gourmet room service, hi-fi, and cha-cha lessons; the guards have to physically throw him out. |
| 11 |
106 |
"Jack Goes to a Nightclub" |
8 February 1959 (1959-02-08) |
|
Special guest: Danny Thomas.
Jack's nervous because it's contract renewal time, and the sponsor doesn't seem to like cut-rate talent Jack hired. Jack takes the sponsor representative to a nightclub, carefully picking one where the talent is no better than a puppet show so that Jack won't be outshone. However, they wind up at a club where Danny Thomas is performing, and Jack squirms while Danny's act goes over big with the sponsor rep. |
| 12 |
107 |
"Airport Sketch" |
22 February 1959 (1959-02-22) |
|
Dennis takes over the show while Jack tries to get back to the studio; Jack is held up at the airport because he flew back on cut-rate "IOU Airlines." Dennis talks about the fringe benefits of working for Jack, sings "Let There Be Love", and joins Don for a dance routine.
At the airport, Jack and Rochester try to find their lost luggage in the hangar, and Jack has disagreements with various clerks and the loopy pilot. At the end of the program, the pilot files across the stage on a camera boom. |
| 13 |
108 |
"Panel Discussion Show" |
8 March 1959 (1959-03-08) |
|
Special guests: Vincent Price, Pamela Mason, and June Levant.
Rochester washes pieces of Jack's Maxwell car in the house; it fell apart when he turned the hose on it. Jack thinks he'll look smart if he appears on a panel discussion program, but matching wits with panelists Vincent, Pamela, and June (wife of Oscar Levant) proves to be harder than he'd expected. When the topic turns to finances, however, they can't shut Jack up.
Later remade, with Price, as № 258. |
| 14 |
109 |
"Edgar Bergen Show" |
22 March 1959 (1959-03-22) |
|
Special guests: Edgar Bergen and Frances Bergen.
This is a remake of episode № 54, "Frances and Edgar Bergen." |
| 15 |
110 |
"Ed Sullivan / Genevieve Show" |
5 April 1959 (1959-04-05) |
|
Special guests: Ed Sullivan and Genevieve.
Jack discusses being back in New York in his monologue. Genevieve sings a French song about Paris.
The sketch is a courtroom drama with Jack playing the prosecutor and Ed as defense attorney Gentleman Jim Sullivan. Ed represents a beautiful French girl, Genevieve, accused of murdering her husband. Sullivan reverts back to his usual self and picks out celebrities in the courtroom to stand for applause. Don Wilson is the courtroom commentator. Later remade as episode № 211. |
| Ep |
№ |
Title |
Original air date |
| 1 |
111 |
"The Jack Benny Program 30 Years in the Future" |
4 October 1959 (1959-10-04) |
| The series' 10th season debuts with everyone trying to adjust to changes; Jack misses the opening of his show, having fallen asleep in his dressing room because of the late hour. Don and the Sportsmen Quartet can't break their habit of doing commercials for Lucky Strike rather than their new sponsor, Lux Soap. Dennis Day performs "While We're Young." In the sketch, Jack imagines The Jack Benny Program 30 years in the future. Everyone looks much older — except Jack. |
| 2 |
112 |
"Harry Truman Show" |
18 October 1959 (1959-10-18) |
|
Special guest: Harry S. Truman.
Because the show is short on time, Jack has the Sportsmen Quartet do the minute waltz during the commercial in 40 seconds, rather than remove a mention about his blue eyes.
In the main sketch, Benny does a benefit concert in Kansas City, and Truman invites him on a tour of the Harry S. Truman Library in Independence, Missouri (videotaped on location). Harry asks Jack to tell his real age in front of a portrait of George Washington. Jack's thrilled that the presidential seal if made of solid gold. At the close, Truman's secretary cracks his office door to eavesdrop and hears a piano and squeaky violin playing. |
| 3 |
113 |
"Jack Webb Show" |
1 November 1959 (1959-11-01) |
|
Special guest: Jack Webb.
During the monologue, Jack Benny brings out Jack Webb and demands to know why they paid Webb $5,000; he doesn't sing, dance, or play music, and he's not even a real cop! After the commercial, Benny says that Dragnet is just like a Charlie Chan movie, which leads to a sketch called Dragon-net: Benny plays Charlie, and Webb is Number One Son. It features a take-off of Edd "Kookie" Burns from 77 Sunset Strip as well as jokes about many of the other detective shows on the air.
George Gobel makes a cameo to plug his series, which aired on alternate weeks with the Benny program. |
| 4 |
114 |
"Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Stewart Show" |
15 November 1959 (1959-11-15) |
|
Special guests: James Stewart and Gloria Stewart.
In his monologue, Jack informs the audience that Jimmy and Gloria Stewart begged him to come to their anniversary party. However, Jimmy is seen explaining to his wife that he couldn't stop Jack from inviting himself. Benny and his irritating girlfriend Mildred crash the intimate dinner party at a swanky Beverly Hills restaurant and drive the Stewarts to drastic measures. |
| 5 |
115 |
"Jack Paar Show" |
29 November 1959 (1959-11-29) |
|
Special guests: Jack Paar and Joyce Davidson.
As a result of the quiz show scandals, Jack says in the monologue that he's going to follow the new CBS policy of honesty, and admits that he's not really 39. Joyce Davidson (who later became Mrs. David Susskind) tries to do the commercial, but Don and Jack keep interrupting her.
Jack Paar asks Benny to fill in for him as host of The Tonight Show while Paar goes to Honolulu. Benny is hesitant, so Paar offers to show him how it's done. Dennis imitates Paar's frequent guest Charlie Weaver. In a running gag, every time someone says something interesting, Paar interrupts for a commercial. |
| 6 |
116 |
"Jack Goes to a Pasadena Fan Club Meeting" |
13 December 1959 (1959-12-13) |
| After Dennis' performance of "Sinner Man", Jack is invited to a meeting of the Jack Benny Fan Club, Pasadena chapter, by the club's president and secretary; when Jack learns that they want him to play his violin, he gladly accepts. The club is made up of little old ladies, and Jack sits in the rocking chair of honor. The women swoon and faint with excitement when he plays "Love in Bloom." The gals have put together their own swingin' jazz band and join Benny in "Swanee River / When the Saints Come Marchin' In." |
| 7 |
117 |
"George Burns Show" |
27 December 1959 (1959-12-27) |
|
Special guest: George Burns.
George Burns drops by to visit Jack and Rochester. Benny and Burns both hate their Christmas gifts from Don Wilson — shotguns — and they call the announcer at home and complain. Don recalls, in a flashback, the time he took the two comedians duck hunting: The pair were helpless in the wild and had nothing but problems, including a visit from game warden Frank Nelson. |
| 8 |
118 |
"Ben Blue Show" |
10 January 1960 (1960-01-10) |
|
Special guest: Ben Blue.
Jack tells how he discovered "Chandu the Magician" in Ben Blue's restaurant and got him on his show. Jack puts Chandu (played by Blue) out of commission, making it necessary for Jack to put on the hokey costume and masquerade as the magic man. The act is a total disaster, thanks in no small part to Jack's inept assistant, Dennis Day. |
| 9 |
119 |
"Maurice Gosfield / Amateur Show" |
24 January 1960 (1960-01-24) |
|
Special guest: Maurice Gosfield.
Jack searches for the stars of tomorrow with another amateur talent show. The (lack of) talent that tests Benny's patience includes a tuba-playing boy who won't play, a sweet little lady who does a strip routine, and Howard McNear as mind-reader Fletcher Quill.
Pvt. Duane Doberman (Maurice Gosfield) from The Phil Silvers Show does impersonations of Alfred Hitchcock, Charles Boyer, and Bette Davis. |
| 10 |
120 |
"George Gobel Show" |
7 February 1960 (1960-02-07) |
|
Special guests: George Gobel and Molly Bee.
Needing an ego boost, Jack has Rochester conduct a telephone survey to determine his popularity. Molly Bee plays one of the hicks who are questioned. George Gobel is a Kentucky hillbilly who, it turns out, is the only person in the U.S. who watches Jack, and that's only because Benny is the only thing that comes in on his TV. Don does the commercial as a Shakespearean soliloquy accompanied by Jack on his violin. Molly Bee sings "Have You Heard?" |
| 11 |
121 |
"Jack Is Arrested" |
21 February 1960 (1960-02-21) |
|
Jack, who's been playing his violin at 2 a.m., is arrested for disturbing the peace. He's taken to the Los Angeles jail (one needs an appointment for the Beverly Hills hoosegow), where the other inmates think he has the beautiful hands of a safecracker. Rochester brings a lawyer he found sitting behind a desk on a street corner: Frank Nelson. Jack fires him.
In court, the judge is very cranky because he was kept up all night by "some jerk playing the violin". Frightened to tell the truth, Jack confesses to cracking a safe. |
| 12 |
122 |
"Natalie Wood / Robert Wagner Show" |
6 March 1960 (1960-03-06) |
|
Special guests: Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner.
Jack badgers network executives into letting him direct an episode of their prestigious drama series Playhouse 90. Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner are the unlucky stars who endure Jack's ridiculous instructions on how to play the scenes. The crew is not nearly so gracious; they quickly grow tired of Jack's foolish orders, walk out, and leave him hanging — from a microphone boom. |
| 13 |
123 |
"Slogan Contest" |
3 April 1960 (1960-04-03) |
| Jack is convinced he's a shoo-in to win a product slogan contest he enters. When he doesn't win the first prize money, he decides to sue the company sponsoring the product. Benny goes to a lawyer's office and finds the place is overrun with lunatics like Mel Blanc and Dennis Day. Frank Nelson plays the contest promoter. |
| 14 |
124 |
"Easter Show" |
17 April 1960 (1960-04-17) |
| Jack and his loud and pushy girlfriend Mildred walk in the Beverly Hills Easter Parade. Along the route they meet up with many of Jack's usual agitators: Dennis Day, who sings "Easter Parade"; Don Wilson, dressed as an old lady in an Easter bonnet for the Lux commercial; Professor LeBlanc, Jack's old violin teacher; the two old women who head the Pasadena chapter of Jack's fan club; and photographer Frank Nelson. |
| 15 |
125 |
"Final Show of the Season" |
1 May 1960 (1960-05-01) |
|
Jack has just returned from a tour of the Far East, so he has Don bring him onstage in a rickshaw. He says that in Japan they are watching American shows that are three years old. Benny didn't have the heart to tell them The $64,000 Question was rigged. Dennis Day sings "A Woman in Love."
In the skit, Jack meets with his sponsor's reps to renew his contract. The execs believe that it's Dennis Day who's getting all the laughs on the show. They want to replace Jack with a look-alike dummy that slowly turns his head like Jack does during one of his takes. Benny tells the dummy about all the problems it will have with the cast. |
| Ep |
№ |
Title |
Original air date |
| 1 |
126 |
"Nightbeat Takeoff" |
16 October 1960 (1960-10-16) |
|
Special guests: George Burns, Robert Wagner, Tony Curtis, Mike Wallace, and Johnny Green.
To advertise the fact that The Jack Benny Program will now be shown weekly, Jack's publicity agent has hired trucks to run over people, leaving a tire imprint that reads, "Watch Jack Benny every week."
At the country club, Jack overhears Burns, Wagner, and Curtis questioning if Benny has the stamina for a weekly show. Feeling tired, Jack goes home and takes a nap, during which he dreams that he's on Night Beat being questioned by Wallace about his decision to go weekly. |
| 2 |
127 |
"Dick Clark Show" |
23 October 1960 (1960-10-23) |
|
Special guests: Dick Clark, Susan Silo, Bobby Darin, Lorraine Wilson, and the Mills Brothers.
Jack asks Dick Clark how he can get more teenagers to watch his show, and Dick suggests he hire a rock band like the Sabres (who proceed to perform "Flip, Flop, and Fly"). Not wanting to pay the Sabres' $5,000 fee, Jack decides to form his own band; he, Don, and Dennis dress up as the Sabres and sing the same song on the show. |
| 3 |
128 |
"Milton Berle Show" |
30 October 1960 (1960-10-30) |
|
Special guest: Milton Berle.
Jack and Milton Berle meet in a restaurant and discuss comedy. Now that Benny is on every week, Berle offers his idea of what it takes to sustain a weekly series. In no time, he has remade Jack into his own image. They do a show together with Milton as the straight man and Jack, in a clown suit, delivering corny jokes and getting a pie in the face. |
| 4 |
129 |
"Hong Kong Suit" |
6 November 1960 (1960-11-06) |
|
Special guest: Gisele MacKenzie.
Jack goes to Andre's Barber Shop, but no barber, manicurist, or shoe shine man wants to work on him; they all grouse about how he's stiffed them on tips in the past. On stage, Jack brags about the suit he's wearing; it only cost $12 in Hong Kong. He introduces Gisele, who plays piano and sings "Smile." Later, the violins come out and they duet on "Fascination / Puttin' on the Ritz." As they perform a classical number, Jack's cheap suit begins to fall apart. |
| 5 |
130 |
"John Wayne Show" |
20 November 1960 (1960-11-20) |
|
Special guests: John Wayne, Jaye P. Morgan, Betty Furness, and Frank Fontaine.
This is a remake of episode № 84, "John Forsythe Show," with John Wayne taking Jaye P. Morgan to the restaurant. |
| 6 |
131 |
"Joey Bishop Show" |
27 November 1960 (1960-11-27) |
|
Special guests: Joey Bishop and Diana Trask.
In a show taped in New York, guest vocalist Diana Trask performs. Don and Jack go to the Copacabana to catch Joey Bishop's nightclub routine. Jack is impressed and suggests to Joey that they should team up as an act. Bishop isn't interested; he doesn't "dig" Benny's comedy. |
| 7 |
132 |
"Lunch Counter Murder" |
4 December 1960 (1960-12-04) |
|
Special guest: Dan Duryea.
This is a remake of episode № 42, "Jack's Lunch Counter." |
| 8 |
133 |
"Jack Goes to a Concert" |
11 December 1960 (1960-12-11) |
|
Special guests: James Stewart and Gloria Stewart.
Jack takes his girlfriend Mildred to a black-tie violin recital, even though she would rather go see a boxing match. At the concert, Jack spies the Stewarts below and tries to get their attention by pelting them with peanuts; the Stewarts leave. Bored with the recital, Mildred listens to the fight on her transistor radio, which clears out the theater. |
| 9 |
134 |
"Jack Goes Christmas Shopping" |
18 December 1960 (1960-12-18) |
| This is a remake of episode № 86, "Christmas Shopping Show." |
| 10 |
135 |
"Amateur Show" |
25 December 1960 (1960-12-25) |
|
Special guest: Nanette Fabray.
Jack discusses his holiday: the band gave him a 5-carat ring, but the cops took it back; Rochester went out with the Mills Brothers; and Dennis gave him a mackerel on a fish hook.
The first amateur act is a lousy musical group, the Tijuana Troubadors, with Mel Blanc. Mel and Jack do their "Sí/Sy/Sue" routine. In the Lipton Tea commercial, Don plays piano while his son Harlow sings "One of These Days" as Sophie Tucker. Jack runs Harlow off his stage. Using her married name, Nanette Fabray shows up with a violin case; she pulls out a saw and plays it as Jack accompanies her on "April Showers."
At the close, Jack introduces Mel Blanc, and congratulates Nanette on her new series, and Harlow on his Sophie Tucker impression; Harlow says he was doing Nelson Eddy. |
| 11 |
136 |
"Jack Casting for Television Special" |
1 January 1961 (1961-01-01) |
| This is a remake of episode № 36, "The Life of Jack Benny." |
| 12 |
137 |
"Jack Goes to the Vault" |
8 January 1961 (1961-01-08) |
| During his monologue, Jack gets a phone call from two Treasury agents who want to meet him at his home in an hour. Jack's sure he's about to be charged with tax evasion, so he leaves the show to Don and races home. The agents are actually from Fort Knox and they've come to study his legendary vault. Jack leads the government men on the dangerous path underground where they encounter his man-eating plant, Edwin. Still watching the vault is the long-suffering guard who tells Jack that he's never seen smog, but hopes President Washington will do something about it. |
| 13 |
138 |
"Don's 27th Anniversary with Jack" |
15 January 1961 (1961-01-15) |
|
Special guests: Roy Rowan, Bill Baldwin, and John Charles Daly.
Jack salutes Don Wilson over his 27th anniversary of working with him, and he gives Don a crown, a cape, and a throne (which collapses under Don's weight); the Sportsmen Quartet serenade Don with a special rendition of "Down Yonder". In flashbacks, Jack remembers how Don came to work for him: Jack's radio sponsor, the Universal Corset Co., holds auditions for an announcer for Jack's program. Don is awful — he's only there to complain about a corset he bought — but he's the only one who laughs at Jack's stale jokes. Jack sends Don to elocution lessons and a dance school where he becomes a ballerina.
John Daly presents Don with a plaque for his achievements in broadcasting and congratulates him on saving the Benny show when it was "down." Don agrees that the show was a flop without him. An insulted Jack breaks the plaque over Don's head. |
| 14 |
139 |
"Jack at the Supermarket" |
22 January 1961 (1961-01-22) |
| This is mostly a remake of episode № 37, "Shopping Show," complete with the crooked card game. In one memorable gag, a woman is handing out free samples of cake; when she leaves the table unattended, Jack takes all the cake, the "FREE" sign, and the tablecloth. |
| 15 |
140 |
"Jack Is Hypnotized" |
29 January 1961 (1961-01-29) |
| Jack and his secretary, Miss Gordon, go to a nightclub to see the Sportsmen Quartet, who sing "When My Sugar Walks Down the Street." He then scoffs at the next act, a performance of hypnotism by Professor Colini. The Professor soon makes Jack a believer when he convinces the old cheapskate that he's Diamond Jim Brady; Jack complies by tipping the waiter $50. Unhappy about his new spending tendency, Jack comes back to Professor Colini, who now makes him think he's Bob Hope. |
| 16 |
141 |
"Jack Goes to a Gym" |
5 February 1961 (1961-02-05) |
|
Special guest: Norman Alden.
To impress an attractive receptionist at the studio, Jack decides he needs some muscles. He joins a gym and, to keep from paying full price for membership, he talks Don into joining with him. After getting a look at Jack's lousy physique and bird legs, the gym operators aren't sure they can do anything to help him. While Jack struggles hopelessly with the various weight devices, Don sits on a machine that beats his bottom while he munches on a big sandwich. Jack's ultimate solution: football shoulder pads under his jacket.
Alan Hale, Jr. plays one of the gym instructors. |
| 17 |
142 |
"Death Row Sketch" |
12 February 1961 (1961-02-12) |
|
Special guest: Mamie Van Doren.
Guest Mamie Van Doren charms Jack into letting her sing on the show; she and Dennis sing "You Make Me Feel So Young."
Jack starts reading a book titled Life in the Death House, or My Last Meal Had No Appeal, leading to a dream where he's a condemned man telling his story to the warden. It seems he had a gorgeous wife (Mamie) who made him do all the housework and care for their idiot son (Dennis) while she lavished her attention on their boarder. |
| 18 |
143 |
"Musicale" |
19 February 1961 (1961-02-19) |
| Jack's monologue is about freeways. The sketch, which is a remake of the one from "Jack as a Child" (№ 20), is a flashback to Jack's childhood: Young Jack (Barry Gordon) argues with his father (Jack) about money and about playing his violin in a string quartet. |
| 19 |
144 |
"Jack Becomes a Surgeon" |
26 February 1961 (1961-02-26) |
| Jack and Rochester are cleaning Jack's attic, but Jack keeps finding excuses to keep everything. Rochester finds a box of papers that contains Jack's application to medical school. Rochester daydreams about what Jack would have been like as a surgeon: Dr. Von Struneheimer (Mel Blanc) comes from Vienna to watch the great Dr. Benny perform an appendectomy. After numerous mix-ups, the imminent surgeon gets to work. |
| 20 |
145 |
"Detective Story" |
5 March 1961 (1961-03-05) |
|
Special guest: Frank Fontaine.
Dennis Day sings "It's Almost Like Being In Love" and bothers Jack with his squeaky shoes. In the sketch, Jack plays a big ciy police detective with his assistants Don and Dennis. He's hot on the trail of a murderer, with a bizarre parade of suspects including John L. C. Sivoney (Fontaine), an old-time gangster, and a shoplifter with a bizarre taste in merchandise. |
| 21 |
146 |
"Children's Version of the Show" |
12 March 1961 (1961-03-12) |
|
Dennis and Don attend the play put on by the third grade class of Beverly Hills Elementary School. The kids perform their version of The Jack Benny Program.
In the State Farm commercial, a man who has just had an accident comes to Jack's door and asks to use the phone. He then makes a long distance call to their home office in Michigan. |
| 22 |
147 |
"Jack Goes to Las Vegas" |
19 March 1961 (1961-03-19) |
|
Special guests: The Mills Brothers.
Cheapskate Jack hires only two of the Mills Brothers for his show. The other two come out, free of charge, and all four perform "Opus One" and "Up the Lazy River."
Jack tries to make a reservation in Las Vegas. The hotel clerk falsely tells him they're full because he remembers Jack's previous visit years earlier, which is shown in flashback: When Jack arrives at the hotel, Don tells him he cleaned up at the tables — the buffet tables. Benny balks at paying $28 dollars a night, saying that $28 a week is too much. The hotel's manager agrees to rent him Room 13, underground, for $4 a night. Unable to resist temptation, Jack puts a nickle in a slot machine and wins the super jackpot. With his pockets full of nickles, he claims not to have any change for the bellhop. |
| 23 |
148 |
"Dance Contest" |
26 March 1961 (1961-03-26) |
|
Special guest: Al Jarvis.
Rochester wants to compete in a TV dance contest, but Jack tells him he's already used his night off this month. However, Jack is excited by the $500 grand prize, so he cancels dinner with the Wilsons and enters with a woman he just met. After the contest, Jack shows up at the Wilsons' at 2 a.m. for dinner, then complains about the food. |
| 24 |
149 |
"Variety Show" |
2 April 1961 (1961-04-02) |
|
Special guests: Ann-Margret, Francis Brunn, and George Burns.
Jack introduces newcomer Ann-Margret, and George Burns comes out; since Jack saw her in Burns' Vegas show, George wants to introduce her. She performs "I Ain't Got Nobody." Burns demands a park setting for her next number, so Jack brings out a park bench he found complete with a couple on it necking. She sings "Have a Good Time."
Jack dresses as Ben Franklin to settle a bet for George. Don Wilson does the Lipton Tea commercial with the couple from the park bench getting into an argument. Juggler Francis Brunn performs and Jack, in a tight outfit, tries to join the act. Things don't go well and Benny exits on a stretcher. |
| 25 |
150 |
"Main Street Shelter" |
9 April 1961 (1961-04-09) |
| Jack waits for all the tardy channel switchers to tune in before he begins his monologue. In the sketch, Jack returns from a three day hike with the Beverly Hills Beavers to find that Rochester has given an old sports jacket of his to the Main Street Shelter. Jack rushes down to retrieve it since it has $200 sewn in the lining. In his camping clothes, and with a three-day beard, he is taken for a transient himself. When he finally gets his coat and $200 back, his "alter ego" makes him donate the cash to the shelter. |
| 26 |
151 |
"English Sketch" |
16 April 1961 (1961-04-16) |
|
Special guests: Peter Lawford and Diana Dors.
Benny's guests are Peter Lawford and Diana Dors. Jack's monologue is interrupted by two photographers from "What's New in Television" magazine, who want to take his picture. Benny talks with Lawford about being between pictures; for Jack, it's been a long, long wait.
The sketch is a remake of the one in episode № 30, "David Niven Show," with Jack again playing Cecil Frothingham. |
| Ep |
№ |
Title |
Original air date |
| 1 |
152 |
"Season Premiere" |
15 October 1961 (1961-10-15) |
|
Special guests: Phil Silvers, Betty Johnson, Jack Paar, Alan King, and Garry Moore.
After the monologue, in which Jack and Phil trade insults, Betty sings "My Kind of Guy." The sketch is a remake of the one from episode № 17, "Fred Allen Show": Silvers tries to get Jack's agent to replace Jack with Phil, then hides in the closet when Jack arrives to talk about renewing his contract. When Jack opens the closet door, he finds Silvers, Paar, King, and Moore; they're all after his job! |
| 2 |
153 |
"Waukegan Show" |
22 October 1961 (1961-10-22) |
| This episode was recorded in Jack's hometown of Waukegan, Illinois during a recent celebration of its famous former citizen. Don Wilson shows the construction of the brand new Jack Benny Junior High School; Dennis Day's not impressed, because there are "day schools" everywhere. The mayor of Waukegan presents Jack Benny items to be sealed into the school's cornerstone, including his first toy — a cash register — and a broken baton from his first violin lesson. A captain from the Great Lakes Naval Training Station reads highlights of Jack's Navy career, discovers Benny was never discharged, and has him hauled away to complete his duty. |
| 3 |
154 |
"Jack on Trial for Murder" |
5 November 1961 (1961-11-05) |
|
Special guest: Raymond Burr.
Jack receives a summons because his rooster is bothering the neighbors. Jack consults a lawyer — Frank Nelson — who learned law by watching Perry Mason. He advises that Jack plead insanity. Later, Jack dreams that he's on trial for murdering the rooster, and his lawyer is Perry Mason (Raymond Burr). Perry does a lousy job, and says that it's because Jack's writers aren't as good as his. |
| 4 |
155 |
"Jack Takes the Stewarts to a Play" |
12 November 1961 (1961-11-12) |
|
Special guests: James Stewart and Gloria Stewart.
Don and his wife cancel plans to join Jack and his girlfriend for a play. Not about to waste tickets, Jack calls his old friends Jimmy and Gloria Stewart to ask if they'd like to go; mistaking Jack Benny for Jack Lemmon, they're delighted to attend. When Benny's free passes turn out to be invalid on weekends, the Stewarts plan to ditch Jack by claiming they need to buy a lamp. Jack takes them to a sleazy auction which features a striptease, an elephant leg stool, an obnoxious auctioneer, and free doughnuts. |
| 5 |
156 |
"Tennessee Ernie Ford Show" |
19 November 1961 (1961-11-19) |
|
Special guest: Tennessee Ernie Ford.
No one bothered to tell Jack that his guest, Tennessee Ernie Ford, would be appearing via live remote from his farm in Lakeport, California. The two chat about farming and Ernie sings "John Henry" at his barn before the picture goes black. When the picture comes back, it's an attractive woman; Ernie says it's one of his "pea pickers." Ford also displays the square egg he's developed. The technology goes haywire when they attempt a split-screen fiddle duet of "Sweet Georgia Brown." Finally, things go berserk and Jack ends up in Ernie's barn and Ernie on Jack's studio stage. Don does the State Farm commercial with a man on a pogo stick. |
| 6 |
157 |
"Jack Plays Golf" |
26 November 1961 (1961-11-26) |
|
Special guest: Eric Monti.
No one at Hillcrest wants to play golf with Jack because he's such a cheat. Members, including Don, now golf at sunrise to avoid him. He manages to make up a foursome with golf pro Eric Monti and two unsuspecting out-of-towners. Jack talks them into a high-stakes wager: ten cents for the game. On the course, Jack cheats repeatedly, irritating the visitors to the point that they quit. Monti arranges to get an "important call" to get out of playing. When it's just Jack and the caddy, Jack hits a hole in one. He's delighted until he remembers that it's tradition to buy free drinks for everyone in the clubhouse. |
| 7 |
158 |
"Jack Is Followed Home" |
3 December 1961 (1961-12-03) |
|
Special guests: Bobby Rydell.
Guest star Bobby Rydell sings "Sitting on Top of the World," and "Toot Toot Tootsie Goodbye." After the show, Jack is followed home, and a rock is thrown through his window. The rock thrower turns out to be Dennis Day, who is mad at Jack because Bobby sang instead of Dennis. Jack decides to take the law into his own hands, when he punishes Dennis. A remake of episode № 52. |
| 8 |
159 |
"Jack Goes to the Cafeteria" |
10 December 1961 (1961-12-10) |
|
Special guest: Jane Morgan.
Taking the bus to the studio, Jack asks the man beside him to help him rehearse a scene from the show. The two attract unwanted attention playing an arguing husband and wife. While waiting for Jack to arrive, Jane Morgan sings "The Second Time Around." When he finally gets to work, Jack flirts with Jane and invites her to lunch at a cafeteria. After arguing with every employee working the food line, he and Jane rehearse the "arguing couple" sketch. The others in the cafeteria think they're actually fighting and begin to take sides. Soon, a full-fledged brawl breaks out. |
| 9 |
160 |
"Jack Writes a Song" |
17 December 1961 (1961-12-17) |
|
Special guest: Dimitri Tiomkin.
Jack has written a song entitled "When You Say 'I Beg Your Pardon,' Then I'll Come Back to You," which is so bad that windows fly open whenever he sings it. He hopes to get film composer Dimitri Tiomkin to arrange the tune for him. Meanwhile, locksmiths are trying to open Jack's vault for him. When Jack starts playing the song on his violin, the locksmiths start blasting, the windows fly open, plaster starts falling, and Dimitri makes a dash for the door.
This is the beginning of a recurring gag on the show, as Jack tries to get other musicians to put his song to music in later episodes. |
| 10 |
161 |
"Christmas Party" |
24 December 1961 (1961-12-24) |
|
To prove he's not a cheapskate, Jack throws a Christmas party for his cast and crew, and even hands out surprise gifts. Frank Nelson, suspicious of Jack's sudden generosity, uncovers the secret behind it.
In the finale, Jack welcomes Mel Blanc, making his first appearance since his near-fatal car accident the previous January. He exchanges a few quips with Jack and does some of the voices he's performed on the show, including Sy and Professor LeBlanc. |
| 11 |
162 |
"New Year's Eve" |
31 December 1961 (1961-12-31) |
| This is a remake of episode № 24, "Reminiscing About Last New Year's." |
| 12 |
163 |
"Jack Does Opera" |
7 January 1962 (1962-01-07) |
|
Special guest: Roberta Peters.
Jack's guest is Metropolitan Opera star Roberta Peters, who sings "Shadow Song" from Dinorah. At home after the show, Rochester makes a fried egg sandwich for Jack without leaving the living room, using an extendable hand. Jack listens to a record Roberta gave him and dreams he's singing in La traviata with her. |
| 13 |
164 |
"Dennis Day's Surprise Birthday Party" |
14 January 1962 (1962-01-14) |
| Hiding in one of Benny's closets, Dennis overhears Jack's plans to throw a surprise costume birthday party for him. It's obvious it's not a secret when Dennis arrives at the party dressed as a leprechaun. Dennis' protective mother gives Jack the usual earful. Don's middle commercial consists of impressions he performed at a recent State Farm convention. |
| 14 |
165 |
"Jack Gets a Passport" |
21 January 1962 (1962-01-21) |
| In the monologue, Jack claims the musicians' union has given him a one-way ticket to Australia to play violin concerts there. Dennis sings "Make Someone Happy." Don enters with the messenger delivering Jack's passport. Jack recalls the trouble he had years earlier trying to get a permit to work in London; he was caught in endless red tape, and his attempts at humor with the British bureaucrats only garnered blank stares. |
| 15 |
166 |
"How Jack Met Rochester" |
28 January 1962 (1962-01-28) |
| This is a remake of episode № 57, also titled "How Jack Met Rochester." |
| 16 |
167 |
"Police Station Show" |
4 February 1962 (1962-02-04) |
| This is a remake of episode № 68, "Jack's Maxwell Is Stolen." |
| 17 |
168 |
"Ghost Town Western" |
11 February 1962 (1962-02-11) |
|
Special guest: Gisele MacKenzie.
Jack and Gisele take a shortcut while driving from Phoenix to L.A., get lost, and stop in a diner in a ghost town for directions. The cafe owner tells them a story about bad guy Tombstone Harry and Cactus Kid (Benny), who have a gunfight over saloon singer Tess. Gisele sings "Buttons and Bows" for the cowboys. The Cactus Kid, unfortunately, can't shoot straight.
A partial remake of episode № 12. |
| 18 |
169 |
"Rock Hudson Show" |
18 February 1962 (1962-02-18) |
|
Special guests: Rock Hudson and Hugh Downs.
Benny's monologue is interrupted by the audience with their chants of "We want Rock!" Hudson and Benny compare the effects of their kisses on a blindfolded young lady.
In the sketch, Jack does an impressive impression of Jack Paar in a takeoff of The Tonight Show. Paar's actual announcer/sidekick Hugh Downs appears as himself. Dennis impersonates Paar's orchestra leader José Melis. Benny/Paar brings out his first guest, young harmonica-playing, Twist-teaching dance instructor Irving Hudson. Jack suggests he change his name to Rock: Irving Rock. The sketch ends with everyone learning "The Twist" from Hudson. |
| 19 |
170 |
"Julie London Show" |
4 March 1962 (1962-03-04) |
|
Special guests: Julie London and Toni Marcus.
Supposedly in response to many fan letters, Jack intends to play a complete song on his violin. He starts the tune, only to be interrupted by a 12-year-old girl, Toni Marcus, who wants his autograph. As Jack signs her book, she grabs the violin and beautifully plays the song he was massacring. Julie London performs "Daddy, You Ought to Get the Best for Me," then chats and flirts shamelessly with Jack. She serenades him with "You're Sweet That Way" as he melts like butter. The young girl returns and wants to perform "Getting to Know You" like Jack had famously done with Gisele MacKenzie; the two close the show with a violin duet of the number. |
| 20 |
171 |
"Alexander Hamilton Show" |
11 March 1962 (1962-03-11) |
| The cast has gathered at Jack's house to read through the show's script, but the mimeograph office has mistakenly sent them the script for The Lone Ranger. Later, Jack falls asleep while reading a history book and dreams that he's Alexander Hamilton. "Alex" has happy feet; every time he hears a minuet from Dolley Madison's party across the street, he breaks into dance with whomever's around. Benjamin Franklin (Don Wilson) drops by because his kite's stuck on the roof, as does Aaron Burr (Dennis Day), who challenges Hamilton to a duel. Burr's first shot sends Hamilton's powdered wig flying into the air. |
| 21 |
172 |
"Shari Lewis Show" |
18 March 1962 (1962-03-18) |
|
Special guest: Shari Lewis.
Jack is in his office getting a haircut from Rochester when his director informs him that there are too many acts booked on his annual variety show; there's simply no room for Shari Lewis on the program. Shari and Lamb Chop arrive and Jack finds her so charming that he can't bring himself to bump her. Jack is amazed when the choreographer comes in looking for a piano player and Shari volunteers. He's amazed by her versatility when she also sings, dances, and does magic tricks. Seeing a way to save on his show, Jack hires Lewis and cancels all the other acts. Sheri and Jack perform "Alabamy Bound" on piano and violin. |
| 22 |
173 |
"Crazy Airport" |
25 March 1962 (1962-03-25) |
| Dennis takes over the show because Jack hasn't arrived at the studio. He's running late because of his penny-pinching; he flew in on a cut-rate airline that lands its planes in a pasture instead of at an airport. Jack has nothing but trouble with the nutty pilot, a baggage handler and a farmer. |
| 23 |
174 |
"Jack Goes Back Into Pictures" |
1 April 1962 (1962-04-01) |
|
Special guest: Billy Wilder.
Rochester unsuccessfully tries to calm down his exuberant boss. Jack is giddy because he thinks director Billy Wilder wants him to star in his next picture. |
| 24 |
175 |
"Jack Is a Violin Teacher" |
8 April 1962 (1962-04-08) |
| Dennis Day performs "On the First Warm Day." Following a magazine interview about his life, Jack dreams about what would have happened had he never left Waukegan and become a comedian: As a struggling violin teacher in his hometown, he fails to impress his students, all whom play better than he does. Even offering "bargain rates" on lessons fails to attract much business. With his furniture being repossessed, his shrill wife is threatening to leave him. |
| 25 |
176 |
"Modern Prison Sketch" |
15 April 1962 (1962-04-15) |
|
Special guest: Mickey Rooney.
Mickey Rooney is the guest because Jack gave him tickets to the show and then tricks him into performing. The sketch is a remake of the one from episode № 105, "Ernie Kovacs Show." |
| 26 |
177 |
"Jack Takes in a Boarder" |
22 April 1962 (1962-04-22) |
|
Special guest: Cousin Emmy.
Jack advertises for a boarder and gets a non-stop parade of oddballs. Hillbilly entertainer Cousin Emmy and her kinfolk show up and play with Don on the State Farm commercial. Frank Nelson causes Jack headaches as a representative of the telephone company. |
| Ep |
№ |
Title |
Original air date |
| 1 |
178 |
"Sammy Davis, Jr. Show" |
25 September 1962 (1962-09-25) |
|
Special guest: Sammy Davis, Jr.
Jack opens his 13th season on television with this move to Tuesday nights, marking the first time in 28 years his program hasn't aired on a Sunday. Jack devotes his efforts to making sure the word gets out. His regulars Don Wilson, Dennis Day, and Rochester are on hand, and his "surprise guest" is Sammy Davis, Jr. |
| 2 |
179 |
"Frank Sinatra, Jr. Show" |
2 October 1962 (1962-10-02) |
|
Special guest: Frank Sinatra, Jr.
Jack's guest, Frank Sinatra, Jr., makes his national TV debut and sings "My Kind of Girl." Don brings out his son Harlow to proudly announce it's the boy's 19th birthday; Jack and Harlow snipe at each other while Don does the Jell-O commercial.
After seeing Don with his son, and Frank Jr. performing, Jack imagines what it would be like if he had a boy: Playing his own imaginary son, Jack Benny Jr., he appears with Harlow and Frank Jr. as typical teenagers in a wild spoof of the "Twist" dance craze. The group performs the rock & roll tune "She Has a Wig, Contact Lenses, and a Nose Job." |
| 3 |
180 |
"Phil Silvers Show" |
9 October 1962 (1962-10-09) |
|
Special guest: Phil Silvers.
While Jack is getting a haircut in his dressing room, Silvers swipes Jack's pants and opens the show, going through Jack's pants pockets on stage. Jack finally makes it out wearing Don's huge pants. (This was originally done with Bob Hope in episode № 31, "Road to Nairobi.")
In the sketch, Jack recalls when he first met Phil: Silvers shows up at Jack's house with a note pinned on him from Jack's Aunt Sudie, asking Jack to help the young man get a break in show business. Phil proceeds to mooch off Jack, play the clarinet at 4 a.m., and sell Jack's violin for poker money. When Aunt Sudie comes by and doesn't recognize Silvers, Jack tosses the freeloader out. |
| 4 |
181 |
"Air Force Sketch" |
16 October 1962 (1962-10-16) |
|
Special guest: Raymond Burr.
Guest Raymond Burr confesses his desire to become a comedian and demonstrates his new zany baggy-pants routine for Jack. Benny tells him that almost any drama can be turned into a comedy with a few changes, and he demonstrates by reworking a dramatic scene from one of Burr's old movies. |
| 5 |
182 |
"Lawrence Welk Show" |
23 October 1962 (1962-10-23) |
|
Special guest: Lawrence Welk.
The show opens with Lawrence Welk and his orchestra performing "Row, Row, Row." In their chat, Jack says that conducting is just a "racket" and that anyone can do it. To prove his point, Benny tries out the baton, and the music is a cacophony of noise. Jack confesses that his real reason for having Lawrence on is to get his band to play the sappy song Jack composed: "When You Say I Beg Your Pardon, Then I'll Come Back to You." Jack throws out a violinist and joins the orchestra for their rendition of his tune. Welk thinks it's lousy, so to save the song he turns it into a polka. Couples come onstage to dance, including the President and Secretary of Jack's Pasadena Fan Club. |
| 6 |
183 |
"My Gang Comedy" |
30 October 1962 (1962-10-30) |
|
Special guest: Darla Hood.
Jack welcomes his guest Darla Hood, best known from the Our Gang / Little Rascals comedies. She sings "It's a Most Unusual Day" and tells Jack that his cast reminds her of her old co-stars. The sketch is a takeoff on her old films with "youngster" Jack as Alfie, Rochester as Oatmeal, Dennis as rich kid Rodney, Don as Spunky, and Darla as herself. Rodney says he's entering Fifi in a dog show, so Alfie naturally wants to enter their mascot, Spot. Since the contest is only for French poodles, Alfie decides to glue the fur from his mother's new coat onto their dog. |
| 7 |
184 |
"Jack Plays Tarzan" |
13 November 1962 (1962-11-13) |
|
Special guest: Carol Burnett.
Jack scraps his usual monologue, he claims, to get his money's worth out of expensive guest Carol Burnett. He chats with Carol who, in a running joke, does a "bump and grind" dance whenever "The Stripper" is played. Burnett sings "The Trolley Song."
The two discuss a jungle film they both saw, which leads into a Tarzan spoof. Carol plays Jane, Harlow is their son, and Jack is the ape man, dressed in leopard skin and phony muscles. After 20 years of marriage, Jane is fed up with jungle housekeeping and her shy husband who always jumps when she does her "Tarzan yell." Tarzan gets even by playing his violin which drives the jungle animals insane. |
| 8 |
185 |
"Jack Gives a Dinner Party" |
20 November 1962 (1962-11-20) |
|
Special guests: James Stewart and Gloria Stewart.
Famous cheapskate Jack throws a lavish, black-tie party at his home, complete with hors d'oeuvres and fine dining. This has his guests confused, including Jimmy and Gloria Stuart, who remember one party when bobbing for apples was the meal. They can't figure out what Jack is up to. Finally, one of the waiters lets the secret slip. Jimmy sings and plays "My Blue Heaven" on piano. |
| 9 |
186 |
"Jack Meets a Japanese Agent" |
27 November 1962 (1962-11-27) |
|
Special guest: Jack Soo and Romi Yamada.
Romi Yamada and Jack Soo from Flower Drum Song are the guests. Romi performs a song in Japanese and Jack wants to book her for more appearances — at a very cheap price. Her agent begs to differ. Jack Soo hosts a Japanese version of The Ed Sullivan Show. Guests include the Rocky Fellers playing "Long Tall Sally" with vocalist Jack in a wig and gold lamé suit. Mel Blanc is the mike-boom operator who can't stay awake. |
| 10 |
187 |
"Jack and Bob Hope in Vaudeville" |
4 December 1962 (1962-12-04) |
|
Special guest: Bob Hope.
This is a remake of episode № 75, "Hope and Benny in Agent's Office." |
| 11 |
188 |
"Jack Referees a Wrestling Match" |
11 December 1962 (1962-12-11) |
|
Special guests: Mrs. Milton Berle, Mrs. Groucho Marx, Mrs. Kirk Douglas, Mrs. Phil Silvers, Billy Varga, and Gene LeBell.
A charity event is being planned by the wives of several Hollywood stars, and Jack is disappointed because he hasn't been asked to participate. When he drops by Milton Berle's house, the ladies hide all evidence because they don't want him playing his lousy violin in their show. Refusing to take "No" for an answer, Benny jumps at the chance to replace the canceling Burt Lancaster -- as a wrestling referee. Knowing nothing about the sport, Jack takes a beating when he's caught between burly wrestlers Count Billy Varga and Gene Le Bell. After they've tossed him out of the ring, he gets angry. |
| 12 |
189 |
"Jack and the Crying Cab Driver" |
18 December 1962 (1962-12-18) |
| Jack encounters nothing but headaches trying to make a flight to New York. He catches a taxi from his home and contends with an emotional cabbie who cries uncontrollably because he always hates saying goodbye at the airport. Once inside, he encounters the Mexican Sy (the one with a sister named Sue who sews), a painter who can't spell the sponsor's name correctly, outrageous announcements on the P.A. system, and the always-sarcastic Frank Nelson behind a counter. |
| 13 |
190 |
"The Story of the New Talent Show" |
25 December 1962 (1962-12-25) |
| Jack conducts another of his new talent shows. Mel Blanc appears as Frenchman Franque Finque who does animal impressions. Don Wilson does his impression of Ted Lewis by performing "Me and My Shadow" with his son Harlow. The Renaudi Brothers, one a sharpshooter and the other who claims to be the fastest man in the world, do their amazing act; the "fastest man" dodges three bullets fired by his brother -- before being killed by the last five. Also performing are the Sentimental Sweethearts, an orchestra made up of the little old ladies of the Jack Benny Fan Club, Pasadena chapter. |
| 14 |
191 |
"Jack Attends the Rose Bowl" |
1 January 1963 (1963-01-01) |
| When inviting his sponsors to his New Year's Eve party, Jack recalls the year he invited his gal friend, Zelda, to attend the party. The next day, cheapskate Jack takes her to the Rose Bowl Game and watches every penny he spends. This insures problems with the hot dog vendor and the man at the ticket booth. |
| 15 |
192 |
"Jack Meets Max Bygraves" |
8 January 1963 (1963-01-08) |
|
Special guest: Max Bygraves.
Jack introduces his guest, British comedian/singer Max Bygraves. The pair chat and Bygraves performs a monologue.
In the sketch, Jack recalls his first contact with the comic eight years earlier. Jack was in the audience of a British TV show in which Bygraves was performing, and was stunned by what he saw: Max had stolen his entire act. The comic lied about his age and claimed to be a cheapskate. He had a fat announcer named Don Wilton, a singer named Dennis Knight, and a valet named Manchester. |
| 16 |
193 |
"Twilight Zone Sketch" |
15 January 1963 (1963-01-15) |
|
Special guest: Rod Serling.
Jack hires Rod Serling to work with his two writers to improve the quality of the show. Rod decides he can't write comedy since it doesn't make any sense to him; Jack argues that "Twilight Zone does?" This leads to the sketch where Jack wanders through the fog until he sees the signpost up ahead informing him he's in the Twilight Zone, Population: Unlimited. Jack spots his house and goes in, but Rochester doesn't recognize him. Neither does the home's owner and town's mayor, Mr. Twilight Zone, who thinks he's nuts. He calls over a psychologist, Dennis, who also refuses to believe he's some TV star named Jack Benny. |
| 17 |
194 |
"Peter Lorre / Joanie Sommers Show" |
22 January 1963 (1963-01-22) |
|
Special guests: Peter Lorre and Joanie Sommers.
Jack introduces creepy and villainous Peter Lorre. Lorre claims he's nothing like his movie image, all the while waving a switchblade around. To prove he's adorable, he sings, "I Want a Girl, Just Like the Girl, Who Murdered Dear Old Dad." Joanie Sommers follows with "I'll Never Stop Loving You." Jack says he's been so nervous with Lorre around, he's had nightmares. In his dream, Jack is in a doctor's office when escaped murderer Lorre comes in and demands the doc give him a new face. When the bandages are unwrapped, he looks like Jack! (It's Benny with padding and Lorre's voice dubbed in.) He shoots Jack, planning to take over his identity. The fake "Jack" walks on stage, gets no laughs, and proceeds to shoot crew members and Don Wilson. |
| 18 |
195 |
"Jack Rents His House" |
5 February 1963 (1963-02-05) |
|
Jack's is discussing his shows in New York and Toronto when the Larsons interrupt to get a picture with Jack. They keep inviting relatives to be in the shot until Jack is stuck behind the camera for a family photo.
As Jack and Rochester pack for the trip, Don and Lois interrupt with a domestic tiff over Jell-O. The president and VP of Jack's Pasadena fan club bring a going-away gift: long underwear autographed by the members. Then, travel agent Frank Nelson brings the airline tickets. The Bensons, who are renting Jack's house, almost back out because Jack's had the gas and water turned off and electricity only after dark. A swarm of their relatives barge in -- it's the Larson family from the monologue. |
| 19 |
196 |
"Spanish Sketch" |
12 February 1963 (1963-02-12) |
|
Special guest: Rita Moreno.
Jack welcomes brand new Oscar winner Rita Moreno and tells her West Side Story has too much singing. She performs "Heart Hearted Hanna."
In the sketch, a hot-blooded young woman (Rita), daughter of a cafe owner (Don), is ready to dump her toreador fiance (Dennis) the second she eyes the world's greatest Flamenco dancer, Jose Zecco (Jack). There is much Latin dancing, including a tango between Moreno and Jack, who looks like a bored Rudolph Valentino. Mel Blanc and Jack re-stage their famous "Si/Sy/Sue" routine. |
| 20 |
197 |
"Connie Francis Show" |
19 February 1963 (1963-02-19) |
|
Special guest: Connie Francis.
Jack has some fun with a radio sound effects man. Connie Francis sings "Follow the Boys."
In the sketch, Stephen Foster is a lousy hack songwriter. His wife talks about her old folks at home who live way down along the Swanee River. Meanwhile, he's wasting time with a song that begins "apples are red." She gets an idea on how to inspire him when the butcher comes by to collect on an unpaid bill. It involves a shotgun. |
| 21 |
198 |
"Jack Does the U.S.O. Show" |
26 February 1963 (1963-02-26) |
|
Special guest: Martha Tilton.
Vocalist Martha Tilton reminisces with Jack about the U.S.O. shows they performed together during World War II. This leads to the flashback of one of their wartime performances: Benny does a monologue full of military jokes and Tilton sings "Too Marvelous for Words" and "I'll Remember April." Benny is determined that nothing will keep him from playing his violin for the troops. The soldiers walking out and the enemy attacking do not deter Benny from finishing his number. |
| 22 |
199 |
"Frankie Avalon Show" |
5 March 1963 (1963-03-05) |
|
Special guest: Frankie Avalon.
In his monologue, Jack breaks his glasses in half to please both the people who thinks he looks best with his glasses and those who think without. He introduces Frankie Avalon who sings "Never Say Never Again."
In a flashback to a few weeks earlier, Jack runs into Frankie at the studio and tries to get him to come of the show for free. Jack goes to watch Frankie record "Embraceable You" and ruins take after take making various noises. The irritated producer is ready to throw Jack out until Benny accidentally comes up with their song "gimmick." The two duet on Jack's show: Frankie sings while Jack "plays" the water cooler. |
| 23 |
200 |
"Jack Is Kidnapped" |
12 March 1963 (1963-03-12) |
|
Special guest: George Burns.
Jack is kidnapped when he attempts to help an attractive woman feigning car trouble outside of his house. The woman and two thugs hold him for a $10,000 ransom. When his phone calls to a confused Don and sleepy Dennis fail to raise the money, the kidnappers take Jack to the bank to make a withdrawal. The bank employees are in shock, having never seen Jack Benny take money out of a bank before. He sees George Burns come in and, desperate for his help, begins singing "I Need Your Help"; Burns just thinks Benny's crooning a lousy song. Back at the kidnapper's hideout, they're planning to knock off their abductee since he can identify them to authorities. Police arrive in the nick of time to save Jack. |
| 24 |
201 |
"Jack Fires Don" |
19 March 1963 (1963-03-19) |
| After Jack and Don argue over who said "Don't give up the ship," Jack fires Don and holds auditions for a new announcer. Dennis does the Jell-O commercial as a series of imitations, including James Cagney and John F. Kennedy. Dennis rehearses a sentimental song for Jack, while Don walks back and forth across the set clearing out his office. |
| 25 |
202 |
"The Mikado" |
26 March 1963 (1963-03-26) |
|
Jack talks about raising the standards of television programming, so he's staging a condensed version of the opera The Mikado. Rather than singing the Japanese love song that's planned, Dennis is determined to do an Irish jig. Don has his son Harlow, who's been taking elocution lessons, do the State Farm commercial.
In the sketch, Jack is the Lord High Executioner with Dennis as Nanki-Poo, disguised as a minstrel. The "classy" production falls apart when Dennis does his jig dance. |
| 26 |
203 |
"A Dummy Replaces Jack" |
2 April 1963 (1963-04-02) |
|
Jack returns from Hong Kong and enters via a rickshaw pulled by Dennis. Day sings "I Left My Heart in San Francisco."
The main sketch is a remake of the one in episode № 125, "Final Show of the Season." |
| 27 |
204 |
"Jack Answers Request Letters" |
9 April 1963 (1963-04-09) |
| The premise for this episode is to have Jack answer viewers' letters. One asks about the sound effects on his old radio program, so Ray Erlenborn demonstrates how he made several of them. In the State Farm Insurance commercial, a serviceman from the audience claims State Farm insured his tank in the Battle of the Bulge. Jack's sister Florence asks why Dennis or Don never get to work without Jack, so the pair impersonate Laurel and Hardy in an original sketch. The final request is for Jack play a piece of music seriously; the last-minute accompanist sent by Musicians' Union, however, completely upstages Jack with his antics. |
| Ep |
№ |
Title |
Original air date |
| 1 |
205 |
"Billy Graham Show" |
24 September 1963 (1963-09-24) |
|
Special guests: Billy Graham and Sonny Liston.
Season opener. Don, Jack and Dennis do the commercial as Peter, Paul and Mary. At Billy Graham's request, the skit is redone according to a new formula in which there are no insults to anyone, and everyone is quiet and sweet; Dennis reports that he went to UCLA over the summer. Billy Graham gives a short inspirational message. |
| 2 |
206 |
"Robert Goulet Show" |
1 October 1963 (1963-10-01) |
|
Special guest: Robert Goulet.
Jack makes his entrance from the opposite side of the stage, and stands with his back to the audience out of force of habit. Don rolls out a carpet, and Goulet comes out vacuuming it — he had failed to read the fine print on his contract. Goulet tells about growing up in Canada, tells a Nelson Eddy joke, discusses playing nightclubs with Jack, and sings "This Is All I Ask."
Jack questions Goulet's reputation as a ladies' man, leading into the sketch: In flashback, Jack sees Goulet and his girl at a Hollywood nightclub; Goulet's girl makes a pass at Jack. Later we learn that in fact Jack's girl made a pass at Goulet. |
| 3 |
207 |
"Riverboat Sketch" |
8 October 1963 (1963-10-08) |
|
Special guest: Carol Burnett.
Don, Carol and Jack make their entrance jumping through large doorways covered with paper; Jack can't break through and Carol has to do it for him.
Jack and Carol talk about her desire to become a director, and she makes some suggestions about his show. She sings "Sweet Georgia Brown." In the sketch, Jack, Don, and Carol play riverboat card sharks out to cheat each other. |
| 4 |
208 |
"Tall Cowboy Sketch" |
15 October 1963 (1963-10-15) |
|
Special guest: Clint Walker.
Jack talks about writing his autobiography in the monologue. He brings out guest Clint Walker and they compare what they have in common: both were born in Illinois, were in the Navy, and have blue eyes. To check, Jack climbs up onto Walker to look into his eyes. Clint sings "Navajo Trail."
The main sketch, in which Jack hopes to get a part in Clint's new movie, is a remake of the one from episode № 96, "Gary Cooper Show." |
| 5 |
209 |
"Johnny Carson Show" |
22 October 1963 (1963-10-22) |
|
Special guest: Johnny Carson.
Jack tells guest Johnny Carson he should be more versatile on The Tonight Show, so Johnny does card tricks, plays the drums, sings, and dances to "Ballin' the Jack." They do a mock version of the Tonight Show where we can hear Carson's thoughts about the guest he's interviewing (Benny).
Johnny can't believe how Jack never seems to age. Back in the dressing room, he finds out Jack's secret. The Jack Benny "replacement" dummy makes another appearance. |
| 6 |
210 |
"Jack Directs a Film" |
29 October 1963 (1963-10-29) |
|
Special guests: James Stewart and Gloria Stewart.
Jack hears Jimmy and Gloria Stewart say some nice things about him on a TV talk show and decides to thank them in person. Visiting the couple on the set of the movie they're making, Jack can't help but offer advice on how the couple should play the scene and how the director should film it. Soon, the production is in shambles. |
| 7 |
211 |
"Ed Sullivan Show" |
5 November 1963 (1963-11-05) |
|
Special guests: Ed Sullivan and Monique LeMaire.
The sketch is a remake of the one from episode № 110, "Ed Sullivan / Genevieve Show," with Monique LeMaire as the defendant. |
| 8 |
212 |
"Robinson Crusoe Sketch" |
19 November 1963 (1963-11-19) |
|
Jack tries to get out of paying a 14-cent overdue fine by presenting the librarian with a note from his doctor. Dennis checks out books by Gibbon and Velben so he'll look smart when he walks past UCLA on his way home.
The sketch is a take-off of Robinson Crusoe with Jack as the bearded castaway and Dennis as his man Friday. |
| 9 |
213 |
"Jack Takes a Boat to Hawaii" |
26 November 1963 (1963-11-26) |
|
Special guest: Jayne Mansfield.
Jack is waiting to take a ship back home after vacationing in Hawaii. Schlepperman, a character from Jack's radio days, appears to present Jack with a lei made of chicken livers. Rochester arrives late, having been crowned King Kamehameha VI by the islanders.
On the ship board, Dennis tells Jack he swam all the way to Hawaii, then jumps overboard to swim home. Falling asleep in a deck chair, Jack dreams the heavyset woman sitting beside him is Jayne Mansfield and that she finds him irresistible. He proposes but she's concerned about their age difference. She coos the song "You're Just Too Marvelous for Words" to Jack and agrees to meet him for dinner. He chases after her, and then is awakened by a huge kiss from the chubby woman. |
| 10 |
214 |
"Dennis Drives Jack to the Hospital" |
3 December 1963 (1963-12-03) |
| Jack is trying to work on a Julius Caesar sketch, while being pursued by a female fan. Wanting to take over the show for a few weeks, Dennis hatches a plan to make Jack think he's becoming unhinged. He hires an impressionist to make phone calls, as Benny, to receptionists, doctors — anyone and everyone. Naturally, Jack doesn't recall having talked to any of these people and begins to question his sanity. Upon hearing his own voice, which wasn't coming from his mouth, Jack checks himself into a hospital. |
| 11 |
215 |
"Three Musketeers Sketch" |
10 December 1963 (1963-12-10) |
|
Jack talks about golfing in his monologue. He chats with a TV statistician who has monitored all of Jack's programs and found that Benny has told 80,000 jokes... and only gotten 30,000 laughs. Dennis storms on stage and says he's quitting because Jack has called him stupid 2,000 times.
In the sketch, it's back to the 18th century as Jack, Don, and Dennis play the Three Musketeers. Jack's character gets into a romance with an attractive spy. |
| 12 |
216 |
"George Jessel / Amateur Show" |
24 December 1963 (1963-12-24) |
|
Special guest: George Jessel.
Jack hosts another of his amateur talent contests. Contestants this round include a barefoot tap dancer, a dog act, a drunk acrobat, and a Mexican musical group — The Tijuana Troubadours, led by Mel Blanc. George Jessel accompanies his nephew who's supposedly a great tuba player; the kid gives Jack and George grief all throughout the show. |
| 13 |
217 |
"Jack Alone on New Year's Eve" |
31 December 1963 (1963-12-31) |
| Jack gives the cast the night off and does the show himself. He talks with Mary Livingstone on the phone and takes questions from the audience, some legit, some planted. When asked his age, he responds that everything is marked down after Christmas. Jack has the audience sing "Auld Lang Syne" and read the commercial while he provides sounds effects. He also talks about Dennis Day's Christmas present, his Maxwell, Phil Harris in Korea, and George Burns. |
| 14 |
218 |
"How Jack Met George Burns" |
7 January 1964 (1964-01-07) |
|
Special guest: George Burns.
Old buddies Benny and Burns trade jokes and insults. George needles him about his pettiness in golfing before recalling their first meeting during the vaudeville days. In the flashback, they are each staying in a seedy boarding house when they decide to team up. Their act, full of awful jokes and ridiculous songs, is a flop. Jack, being Jack, demands a raise, even though they aren't making a dime. George claims their problem is Benny; anyone could do Jack's part better — even the landlord's daughter. That girl's name: Gracie Allen. |
| 15 |
219 |
"Peter, Paul and Mary Show" |
14 January 1964 (1964-01-14) |
|
Special guests: Peter, Paul and Mary.
Peter, Paul and Mary sing "Blowin' in the Wind." To show that a folk song can be written from any bit of folklore, they perform "Waukegan", a song they wrote based around Jack's age, cheapness, and other faults.
Jack invites the group to his home and tries to talk them into recording the dreadful tune he wrote, "When You Say 'I Beg Your Pardon', Then I'll Come Back to You." When his his accompanist Ned (Ben Lessey) arrives, he has PP&M sing his composition. As with every previous performer, they want nothing to do with the crummy song. Ned tells Jack it would have been a hit if they'd recorded it. Jack says not to worry; he had a tape recorder hidden in the piano. |
| 16 |
220 |
"Nat King Cole Show" |
21 January 1964 (1964-01-21) |
|
Special guest: Nat King Cole.
Nat King Cole opens the show singing "Day In, Day Out." He exchanges some ribbing with Jack and performs "When I Fall in Love." Jack invites a few musicians from the orchestra to join him in his office to rehearse "Sweet Sue," a number they're going to perform with Cole. A fight between the musicians leaves the drummer out of commission, so Nat promises to have his cousin fill in. On the show, the "cousin" is a five-year-old who can drum louder than Jack's violin solo. |
| 17 |
221 |
"Bobby Darin Show" |
28 January 1964 (1964-01-28) |
|
Special guest: Bobby Darin.
After a huge compliment from Bobby Darrin, Jack is convinced he's the perfect man to play him in the movie of his life. Jack invites him to move in for a few days to get to know the "real" Benny. (Bobby learns that Jack takes in dry cleaning, has a recording studio in his living room, and isn't 39.) By the time they're ready to sign the contract, Bobby has turned into an exact copy of Jack — including the greediness. |
| 18 |
222 |
"Don Breaks His Leg" |
3 February 1964 (1964-02-03) |
|
Special guest: Miss Beverly Hills.
Don pretends to break his leg so that his doofus son Harlow can fill in for him on the show. Harlow reads "Ode to California." Jack's new talent find, Miss Beverly Hills, sings "Only One Man" and then shocks him by launching into her striptease performance. Also, Jack tries to get the upper hand with a change-making vending machine. |
| 19 |
223 |
"How Jack Found Dennis" |
11 February 1964 (1964-02-11) |
|
Jack explains how he manages to look so good on TV after all these years: long shots. In close-ups, he's nothing but wrinkles. Dennis brings out his own palm tree as scenery and performs "Cocktails for Two."
It's Dennis' 24th anniversary of working with Jack. Benny tells his version of how he discovered Day and hired him for his radio show: Jack hears Dennis' demo record and sets out to find him, following him through a parade of jobs (fish market, ice cream shop) from which he was fired. Jack finally locates him working in the kitchen of a Chinese restaurant. |
| 20 |
224 |
"The Final LeBlanc Sketch" |
18 February 1964 (1964-02-18) |
| Jack receives a call from a psychiatrist, Dr. Johnson, asking him to identify a man who keeps repeating Benny's name. The delirious man is Jack's violin teacher, Professor LeBlanc (Mel Blanc). In flashbacks, we witness the crash and burn of Professor LeBlanc as Benny's heinous violin fiddling eventually drives him insane. Jack decides the only way to cure the man is to play his instrument, and for the first time he plays beautifully. Realizing he's not a failure, LeBlanc regains his memory. Jack orders Dr. Johnson not to tell anyone that he's a good violinist; he makes much more money being a bad one. |
| 21 |
225 |
"Jack and Dennis Do Impersonations" |
25 February 1964 (1964-02-25) |
|
Special guest: Danny Kaye.
Jack fulfills viewers' requests. One asks for Dennis to sing "Love In Bloom," but he doesn't know it. Someone asks Jack to give Harlow a break, so Harlow impersonates Sophie Tucker in the State Farm commercial. A woman wants Jack to put her husband's animal on the show; the husband's promptly eaten by his lion. One request is to have Jackie Gleason back on. Complete with two dancing girls, Jack plays Gleason in a take-off Gleason's variety show. Dennis impersonates Crazy Guggenheim. Benny's promise to impersonate Danny Kaye is interrupted by the real Kaye. The final request for Jack to play a classical number on his violin is stopped when the lion chases him from the stage. |
| 22 |
226 |
"Jack Redecorates His House" |
3 March 1964 (1964-03-03) |
| After taking abuse from his card game buddies about a hideous chair he's just had reupholstered, Jack hires a sexy home decorator to update his home. Her ideas involve zebra stripes. |
| 23 |
227 |
"Jack Is a Boxing Manager" |
17 March 1964 (1964-03-17) |
| Jack visits a restaurant owned by an ex-boxer and begins daydreaming about being an old-time fight manager. His protege, Dennis "Kid Dynamite" Day, thinks "Doc" Benny is the best because he lets him fight twice a day. A gorgeous blond, however, stands in the way of Doc making some quick money. |
| 24 |
228 |
"Jack Renews His Driver's License" |
24 March 1964 (1964-03-24) |
| Jack rehearses some Dixieland music with members of his band at the studio. He does a public service announcement for safe driving and finds out his driver's license has expired. On the way to the golf course, Jack and Don drop by the DMV to have it renewed. Renewing should be simple, but Jack has trouble with everyone: A man who doesn't work there accepts his $3 fee and runs, a grumpy guard accuses him of cheating, and the man giving the eye exam can't see. Getting his photo taken is an ordeal as the photographer thinks he's Erich von Stroheim directing a film. |
| 25 |
229 |
"The Lettermen Show" |
31 March 1964 (1964-03-31) |
|
Special guests: The Lettermen.
Jack's monologue is interrupted by Dennis Day who comes out with props, prepared to sing. He's angry to learn that The Lettermen would be doing the songs. The Lettermen perform "Love Is a Many Splendored Thing". As they begin their second number, Dennis picks them off one by one and finishes their song.
Jack imagines what it would be like if he'd gone to college. His roommates are played by The Lettermen; Jack is a freshmen who looks 39. In class, chemistry is taught by a nutty German professor who plays "Yankee Doodle" on his flasks. When he writes the chemical formula for a nuclear bomb on the chalk board, it explodes. Tired of Jack's money-making schemes, the roommates hope to catch him in the act of selling answers to tests. The buyer of the answers is the nutty German professor. |
| 26 |
230 |
"Jack Goes to an Allergy Doctor" |
7 April 1964 (1964-04-07) |
| Jack hold a meeting in his dressing room to grouse at the cast and crew about a sloppy show. He begins to itch and, thinking he's having a reaction to something, goes to see a doctor where the patients scratch and sneeze in unison. Hating needles, Benny marches out mid-exam in search of another specialist. He settles on an odd one who performs some goofy and very unscientific tests on the itching patient. The source of Jack's irritation turns out not to be a "what," but a "who": Dennis Day. |
| 27 |
231 |
"Harlow Gets a Date" |
14 April 1964 (1964-04-14) |
| Don has arranged for Harlow to take the sponsor's daughter on a date. That gives Jack and Don just three days to change his clod of a son into a suave man of the world. Harlow puts his newly-found charms to work for the wrong purposes. |
| 28 |
232 |
"I Am the Fiddler" |
21 April 1964 (1964-04-21) |
|
In his final show for CBS, Jack reminisces about the old days of radio and it's ability to paint pictures in the mind. To assist, Mel Blanc demonstrates his various voices.
The main sketch is a remake of the one from episode № 73, "The Fiddler." |
| Ep |
№ |
Title |
Original air date |
| 1 |
233 |
"NBC Premiere" |
25 September 1964 (1964-09-25) |
|
Special guests: Chet Huntley, David Brinkley, Doug McClure, and Roberta Shore.
The show opens with Huntley and Brinkley doing a newscast on Benny's return to NBC. In his monologue, Jack talks about the move and conducts a press conference with the Marquis Chimps as panelists. Dennis brings his wife and nine children on stage.
Jack meets with NBC executives and finds that his new TV studio is a radio studio. Doug McClure and Roberta Shore from The Virginian make cameos. Jack Performs again with the Marquis Chimps, who are dressed as The Beatles; they sing "I Want to Hold Your Hand" with Jack. |
| 2 |
234 |
"Lucille Ball Show" |
2 October 1964 (1964-10-02) |
|
Special guest: Lucille Ball.
Jack is dressed in a tuxedo to introduce his guest Lucille Ball; she comes out dressed as a hillbilly. Jack praises Lucy's skills as a businesswoman, leading to the sketch about a famous woman from history.
In this version of Paul Revere's famous ride, Jack as Revere tries to explain to his jealous wife Rachel (Lucy) why he's riding all over the countryside. Singing "Hello Dolly" in honor of Dolly Madison doesn't help matters. She's convinced he's seeing another woman and not even George Washington (Don Wilson) can convince her otherwise. After accidentally knocking Paul out, Rachel has to make the famous "midnight ride." |
| 3 |
235 |
"Andy Williams Show" |
9 October 1964 (1964-10-09) |
|
Special guest: Andy Williams.
Guest Andy Williams sings "On the Street Where You Live" for the little old ladies of Jack's fan club. On the premise it will be good for his career, Jack talks Andy into attending a gala grand opening with him. He doesn't tell Andy it's at a meat market. Embarrassed to be at such an affair, he's talked into singing "Moon River." On the upside, he wins a free turkey. |
| 4 |
236 |
"Income Tax Show" |
16 October 1964 (1964-10-16) |
|
Special guests: James Stewart and Gloria Stewart.
IRS agents can't believe that Jack Benny could have earned $375,000, yet only spent $19 on entertainment. On his taxes he claims $3.90 for taking Jimmy and Gloria Stewart to dinner. The agents question the Stewarts and discover that Jack saw them at their favorite restaurant and forced them sit at his table with him and his girlfriend. Benny told them he would pay, but at the end of the meal, he let the Stewarts pick up the tab so they could enjoy the meal as a tax deduction. The $3.90 is what it cost Jack to have his suit cleaned after Gloria dumped a salad on his head. |
| 5 |
237 |
"Jack Makes a Comedy Record" |
23 October 1964 (1964-10-23) |
|
Special guest: Bob Hope.
Jack has his writers working to churn out a script he and Bob Hope can use on a comedy album the pair are doing together. When they go into the recording studio, the two begin to ad-lib instead and Jack tries to bury him in jokes. It quickly becomes a "can you top this" match between the two comedians. |
| 6 |
238 |
"Hillbilly Sketch" |
30 October 1964 (1964-10-30) |
|
Special guest: Connie Francis.
In his monologue, Jack confesses that his producer has been using raffle tickets to get the audience members to stay in their seats through the end of the show. Jack and guest Connie Francis argue about whether it's harder to sing or to get laughs. Francis sings "I Was Born Too Late," and a medley of Al Jolson tunes ("Swanee," "Mammy," and "April Showers").
In the sketch, Jack heads the hillbilly Skinner family who live in a cabin in the Ozarks. His wife (Connie) agrees that they should explain the facts of life to their son, 28-year-old Clem (Dale). Cousin Shem (Don) is in agreement. They perform a parody of "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter." |
| 7 |
239 |
"Jungle Sketch" |
6 November 1964 (1964-11-06) |
|
Special guest: Abbe Lane.
Don opens the program by announcing that the show must go on; Jack is brought out in traction in a hospital bed. Guest Abbe Lane sings "I Believe in You."
In the main sketch, Jack plays an Albert Schweitzer-type scientist working deep in the jungle to develop a non-skid banana peel. His bombshell wife, Lane, is sick of the rain and bored with their marriage. His assistant, Lawrence of Africa, is there to sweep her off her feet. |
| 8 |
240 |
"Jack Loses a Raffle" |
13 November 1964 (1964-11-13) |
|
Special guests: Claudine Longet, Neile Adams, and Jack Pepper.
The women of the Beverly Hills Improvement Committee, spearheaded by the wives of David Janssen, Andy Williams, and Steve McQueen, are trying to rid their community of Jack's Maxwell. They sell him a ticket to a raffle that's rigged for him; the prize is a car to replace his old junk heap. |
| 9 |
241 |
"The Cat Burglar" |
20 November 1964 (1964-11-20) |
|
Special guest: Joey Bishop.
At the poker game at Jack's house with Don, Dennis, and band members Frank and Sammy, cheapskate Benny refuses to open a new deck, forcing the guys to make do with an improvised deck. Much is made of the cat burglar that's been breaking into the homes of Beverly Hills celebrities. Jack warns everyone to lock their doors and stay off the street.
Two criminals are hypnotizing a poor dupe into putting on a cat costume and breaking into the homes of snoozing residents to steal their valuables. The surprise appearance of Joey Bishop allows Jack and Rochester to identify the cat burglar. |
| 10 |
242 |
"Jack Hires a Cook" |
27 November 1964 (1964-11-27) |
| After twenty years, Rochester has finally talked Jack into giving him a week's vacation. He's relaxing with his friend Roy at the Palm Valley Inn when he reads a newspaper ad Jack has placed for a household domestic. Thinking he's being replaced, a panicked Rochester phones Don and Dennis and asks for their help. The pair scheme to get rid of the housekeeper by scaring her off. Jack explains to the guys that it's all a misunderstanding and that Miss Dooley was hired to help Rochester, not replace him. |
| 11 |
243 |
"Wayne Newton / Louis Nye Show" |
4 December 1964 (1964-12-04) |
|
Special guests: Wayne Newton and Louis Nye.
The sketch is a flashback to when Jack discovered Wayne Newton: Benny is performing at a posh garden benefit to send "underprivileged" children of Beverly Hills to camp on the French Riviera. Needing an opening act, Jack gives waiter Wayne a chance to sing, thus giving him his big showbiz break. Comedian Louis Nye emcees the charity event. Newton performs "Falling In Love," "You're Nobody Til Somebody Loves You," and "When the Saints Go Marching In." |
| 12 |
244 |
"Jack Has a Sick Alligator" |
11 December 1964 (1964-12-11) |
|
Special guest: Paul Lynde.
Jack talks an unsuspecting veterinarian into making a house call. He leads the doctor through the dungeon underneath his house, past his ancient security guard, and to the surprise patient: a sick alligator that lives in the moat protecting his vault. The doctor surprises even himself by diagnosing the creature's problem. |
| 13 |
245 |
"Amateur Night" |
18 December 1964 (1964-12-18) |
| Jack conducts another of his salary-saving amateur talent shows. Dennis has been banned from the set, but is determined to get on by impersonating various celebrities; he masquerades as a Japanese man dressed like one of The Beatles singing "I Want to Hold Your Hand." Also performing are Otto Kessler (Mel Blanc) as a whiskey-bottle-player, and The Guire Sisters who are proud of their "commercial" name. |
| 14 |
246 |
"One Man Show" |
25 December 1964 (1964-12-25) |
|
Special guest: Gisele MacKenzie.
In the holiday show, Jack chats informally with the audience. He shows a baby picture of himself at six months of age. The baby has clenched fists; Jack says he's holding a dime in each. Going out into the audience, Jack finds Gisele MacKenzie in the crowd. She's there with an aunt from Toronto who requests Jack translate his jokes into French. He drags MacKenzie onto the stage to do a reprise of their famed violin duet, "Getting to Know You." |
| 15 |
247 |
"Jack Jones Show" |
8 January 1965 (1965-01-08) |
|
Special guest: Jack Jones.
Guest Jack Jones sings "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" and "I Need a Girl." In the sketch, Benny is the principal of Benedict Arnold High School. Because of the lousy salary he pays his teachers, Mr. Jones works four other jobs to pay the bills, Phys Ed teacher Wilson drives a cab and Miss Collins moonlights as a burlesque dancer. Cops show up to arrest Principal Benny for running a bookie operation out of his office. |
| 16 |
248 |
"Jack Adopts a Son" |
22 January 1965 (1965-01-22) |
|
Special guest: Milton Berle.
In his monologue, Jack demonstrates why his Stradivarius is worth $30,000. He introduces Milton Berle and they exchange insults.
In the sketch, Jack plays Jonathan Goodheart, a rich do-gooder who believes there is no such thing as a bad boy. As he "auditions" several young boys to adopt, he encounters one real stinker who makes him rethink his position: Milton, a brat who only wants to inherit Jack's money. |
| 17 |
249 |
"Kingston Trio Show" |
29 January 1965 (1965-01-29) |
|
Special guests: The Kingston Trio.
The Kingston Trio performs "I'm Going Home" and "Tijuana Jail." In the sketch, Jack shares a cell with the Trio in a Tijuana jail. Things become quite crowded when Jack's orchestra is also tossed into the hoosegow, along with the Mexican police captain and his two assistants. |
| 18 |
250 |
"Jack Visits House of Monkeys" |
5 February 1965 (1965-02-05) |
|
Special guests: Lorrae Desmond and Gene Detroy.
The various audience members in line discuss how they got their tickets to the show. Jack's monologue is about his trip to Australia. He introduces Australian singer Lorrae Desmond who performs "Wouldn't It Be Lovely."
In the sketch, Jack recalls his first meeting with the Marquis Chimps after seeing them perform in Las Vegas. He goes to the monkey's home to meet their owner, Gene Detroy, and discuss having the act on his TV show. Jack ends up negotiating with the chimps themselves. |
| 19 |
251 |
"The Stradivarius Story" |
12 February 1965 (1965-02-12) |
|
Special guest: Stuart Canin.
Jack introduces cameraman Charlie Summers and his new wife; she asks Jack why Charlie has never received a raise. During their "feud", Fred Allen presented a 10-year-old violinist on his radio show, Stuart Canin, who played violin better than Jack. He's now a 38-year-old professor of violin at Oberlin. He plays a selection from La vida breve by Manuel de Falla on a Stradivarius.
In the sketch, Jack plays the violin maker Antonio Stradivari, lavishing great care on each instrument. His brother-in-law says customers only care about his signature on them. His wife whines that he could make a lot more money if he cranked out the violins mass production-style. Benny and Canin duet on "The Bee". |
| 20 |
252 |
"Jack Joins Acrobats" |
19 February 1965 (1965-02-19) |
|
Special guests: The Tangiers.
Jack's monologue about TV ratings is interrupted by an audience member from Toledo who wants to take a picture of his family with Jack. Don does the One-A-Day Brand Vitamins commercial with a member of the family. Dennis performs "My Kind of Town (Chicago Is)."
In the sketch, Jack plays a Sultan who visits one of his villages, expecting the natives to award him his weight in treasure; he's in for a disappointment. Sultan Jack is supposed to ride on a "flying carpet," but the crew can't get it to work. To cover, a troop of acrobats, The Tangiers, begin performing. Hating to be upstaged, Jack tries to stop them, but becomes part of their act. |
| 21 |
253 |
"Rainy Day in Palm Springs" |
26 February 1965 (1965-02-26) |
|
In the monologue, Jack explains how he keeps fit. He also says the American Federation of Musicians has given him a one-way ticket to Australia. Rochester explains the rules to the house to their new housekeeper. Rule № 1: You must watch Benny's show. Dennis Day sings the State Farm Insurance jingle, and then "If Ever I Would Leave You" with running commentary from Rochester and the maid.
Rochester fills her in on the time Jack fired Dennis Day. The story flashes back to their radio days: Dennis suggests they all drive to Palm Springs for the weekend and it rains the whole time. |
| 22 |
254 |
"Jack Brings Ed Up from the Vault" |
5 March 1965 (1965-03-05) |
|
Special guest: Burt Mustin.
Jack goes down to his vault to get $10 out and brings up his aging guard, Ed, to show him what modern life is like. It's Ed's first time out in years and he's unprepared for the fast pace of the world. When Ed disappears, Jack calls the police, but it's unnecessary; Ed returns, wanting to go back to the peace and quiet of the vault. |
| 23 |
255 |
"Jack Finds a Double" |
12 March 1965 (1965-03-12) |
| At the show's rehearsal, Jack constantly makes mistakes. He complains of overwork. Network bigwigs have an idea to ease Jack's load: they've found a Benny look-alike (also played by Benny) who could fill in for the busy star. Before trying to pass the fake Jack off on the sponsor, it's decided the double must first past a test: he has to convince Rochester that he's the real man. The double moves into Benny's home, but Rochester is not fooled. He knows the real Jack isn't humble, kind, modest and generous with his cash. |
| 25 |
256 |
"Jack's Navy Buddy Returns" |
19 March 1965 (1965-03-19) |
| Jack is reunited with his first vaudeville partner, old Navy buddy Stub Walker, whom he hasn't seen in 40 years. Stub is retiring from the service and has come to take Jack up on his promise that they would work together again one day. Jack tries him out on the show — the two perform a medley of World War I hits — but Stub can't deliver his lines, and his old routines are out of date. |
| 25 |
257 |
"Dennis Opens a Bank Account" |
26 March 1965 (1965-03-26) |
|
Jack's publicity agent has him posing for ridiculous photos, as a Beatle (for a youthful image), a frogman and a surfer (to show him as a man of action). Dennis sings "There'll Be Music" with Don on the piano.
Jack can't believe Dennis has never had a bank account, or even set foot inside of a bank. With Dennis' piggy bank in hand, Benny takes him to the bank where they crack the pig open, count the change, and open an account. |
| 26 |
258 |
"Jack Appears on a Panel Show" |
2 April 1965 (1965-04-02) |
|
Special guests: Vincent Price, Joyce Brothers, and Angie Dickinson.
This episode is a remake of episode № 108, "Panel Discussion Show." |
| 27 |
259 |
"Jack Has Dog Trouble" |
9 April 1965 (1965-04-09) |
| Benny wears his new expensive, Beverly Hills tailor-made suit to his sponsor's home for dinner. Mr. and Mrs. Lewis have a huge dog, Henrietta, that they treat as a spoiled child. She takes to Jack and destroys his new suit. When Mr. Lewis says they're going on vacation, Jack regrets having said he loved their dog. |
| 28 |
260 |
"Smothers Brothers Show" |
16 April 1965 (1965-04-16) |
|
Special guests: The Smothers Brothers.
The Smothers Brothers introduce the show trying to sing "Love in Bloom." Later, they perform "Boil That Cabbage Down," "I Don't Care," and "I Never Will Marry."
The sketch is set after a 1944 air raid in London when Jack was entertaining troops at the Palladium. He's trapped under an unexploded bomb, and he's discovered by a demolition team, the Brothers. Rather than defuse the bomb, they make him listen to their audition. |