The Best of Jack Benny

"Well!..."
MILL CREEK box sets offer good-to-average-quality audio and video transfers of public domain material at a most reasonable price.

The Jack Benny Program aired on radio from 1932 to '55. Many of that show's scripts were recycled for television, beginning in 1950. Benny's CBS-TV series ran until 1965. The core cast (on radio and TV) changed little over the decades: Dennis Day replaced tenor Kenny Baker early on; Bob Crosby (Bing's younger brother) took over for bandleader Phil Harris in 1952.

At one time or another, almost every Hollywood, radio and TV star guested on Jack's show. This four DVD set offers only a fraction of Benny's 258 television episodes, yet the viewer is provided an excellent illustration of his popularity within the "Showbiz" community.

An unrelated highlight of this collection is a 1943 documentary about Hollywood's war efforts. Among the 58 cameo appearances here are: Benny, W.C. Fields, Louis Armstrong, Bette Davis, Errol Flynn,...

Best of Jack Benny
An excellent collection. Although some of the episodes are available elsewhere, about half aren't, including some real rarities. I hadn't seen the HONEYMOONERS sketch before, with both Jack and Dennis Day doing credible impressions of Ralph and Ed. Besides Jack's own shows, there are other appearances like 2 TV plays he starred in, an TV special TELEPARADE OF STARS and a BING CROSBY SHOW he guested on. At it's very reasonable price, it is worth getting for the more unusual items, even if you have the more common ones. For the newcomer, this is the perfect introduction to Jack, with classics like HOW JACK MET MARY and the CHRISTMAS SHOPPING show, which has a wonderful performance from Mel Blanc.
Having said this of course, what we really need for all 50's U.S. comedy classics like Jack, BURNS AND ALLEN, BOB CUMMINGS and BILKO are complete season by season sets like has been done so well with I LOVE LUCY...and how about a complete collection of Jack's later hour specials, like the...

Absolutely delightful
When I ordered this, I was expecting excerpts from Jack Benny programs. Instead, to my surprised delight, there are entire programs, most complete with Lucky Strike cigarette commercials. LSMFT. Young people don't know what those letters stand for (thank goodness), but if you are old enough to be a Benny fan, the letters are indelible in your brain.

There are some very funny bits and the great characters associated with Benny: Rochester, Mary Livingston, Don Wilson, Mr. Kietzel, Mel Blanc, the race track tout, etc. etc. And then there are the guests, Fred Allen, Eddie Cantor, Johnny Ray singing "Cry," Marilyn Monroe, Vincent Price, Liberace, Humphrey Bogart--a veritable who's who of show business stars in the 1950s.

The programs hold up very well. They are still funny. They are still warm and wonderful.

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