Programming Theater History: The Actor's Workshop of San Francisco

Programming Theater History: The Actor's Workshop of San Francisco
Herbert Blau (Author)

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History & Criticism

‘One of the great stories of the American theater..., the Workshop not only built an international reputation with its daring choice of plays and nontraditional productions, it also helped launch a movement of regional, or resident, companies that would change forever how Americans thought about and consumed theater.’ – Elin Diamond, from the Introduction

Herbert Blau founded, with Jules Irving, the legendary Actor's Workshop of San Francisco, in 1952, starting with ten people in a loft above a judo academy. Over the course of the next 13 years and its hundred or so productions, it introduced American audiences to plays by Brecht, Beckett, Pinter, Genet, Arden, Fornes, and various unknown others.

Most of the productions were accompanied by a stunningly concise and often provocative programme note by Blau. These documents now comprise, within their compelling perspective, a critique of the modern theatre. They vividly reveal what these now canonical works could mean, first time round, and in the context of 1950s and 60s American culture, in the shadow of the Cold War.

Programming Theater History curates these notes, with a selection of the Workshop's incrementally artful, alluring programme covers, Blau's recollections, and evocative production photographs, into a narrative of indispensable artefacts and observations. The result is an inspiring testimony by a giant of American performance theory and practice, and a unique reflection of what it is to create theatre history in the present.

• Rank: #643560 in Books
• Published on: 2013-04-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Description #1 by eCrater - backlotmovie:

This is an ORIGINAL British Quad Poster measuring 30 x 40 rolled good shape, some wear on edges, it displays great, it was used in movie theaters in England, for the 1992 Western Mystery Thriller,Thunderheart Director:Michael AptedScreenplay by John Fusco Two men from different worlds. Two cops after the same killer. Together they must uncover the secrets. Together they must discover the truth. An FBI man with Sioux background is sent to a reservation to help with a murder investigation, where he has to come to terms with his heritage. Slowly he rejects the intimidating tactics of his fellow FBI agents, who are not so interested in solving the crime as covering up an incriminating situation with the locals, and as he becomes more tuned to his heritage, the locals begin trusting him. Based on actual Reservation occurrences of the '70s. The entire cast included: Val Kilmer... Ray LevoiSam Shepard... Frank CoutelleGraham Greene... Walter Crow HorseFred Ward... Jack MiltonFred Dalton Thompson... William DawesSheila Tousey... Maggie Eagle BearTed Thin Elk... Grandpa Sam Reaches (as Chief Ted Thin Elk)John Trudell... Jimmy Looks TwiceJulius Drum... Richard Yellow HawkSarah Brave... Maisy Blue LegsAllan RJ Joseph... Leo Fast ElkSylvan Pumpkin Seed... HobartPatrick Massett... Agent MackeyRex Linn... FBI AgentBrian A. O'Meara... FBI AgentIts a great poster for the British Quad Lover, slight edgewear, surface wear, but a great poster! It is part of our in-store inventory from our shop which is located in the heart of Hollywood where we have been in business for the past 36 years!MORE INFO ON SAM SHEPHARD: Sam Shepard (born November 5, 1943) is an American playwright, actor, and television and film director. He is author of several books of short stories, essays, and memoirs, and received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1979 for his play, Buried Child.Born Samuel Shepard Rogers III in Fort Sheridan, Illinois, he worked on a ranch as a teenager. His father, Samuel Shepard Rogers, Jr., was a teacher, farmer, and served in the US Air Force as a bomber pilot during World War II. His mother, Jane Elaine Schook, was a teacher and a native of Chicago, Illinois. After high school Shepard briefly attended college, but dropped out to join a traveling theater group. He avoided the draft during the Vietnam era by claiming to be a heroin addict. The year 1963 found him working as a busboy in Manhattan's Greenwich Village in New York City, New York. During this time Shepard was using illicit drugs. He was also a drummer for the eccentric late-1960s rock band The Holy Modal Rounders, featured in the movie Easy Rider (1969).Shepard became very much involved in New York City's Off-Off-Broadway theater scene, beginning at the age of nineteen. Although his plays were staged at several Off-Off-Broadway venues, he was most closely connected with Theatre Genesis, housed at St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery in Manhattan's East Village. He acted occasionally in those days, but his interests were almost strictly confined to writing, up until the late 1970s. Most of his writing was for the stage, but he had early screen-writing credits for Me and My Brother (1968) and Antonioni's Zabriskie Point (1970). His early science-fiction play, The Unseen Hand, influenced Richard O'Brien's stage musical Rocky Horror Show. After three years of living in England, in 1976 Shepard relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area in California and was named playwright-in-residence at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco where many of his works received their premier productions. Notable work includes Buried Child (1978), Curse of the Starving Class (1978), True West (1980) and A Lie of the Mind (1985). He also continued with his collaboration with Bob Dylan that started with the surrealist film Renaldo and Clara (1978) and co-wrote with Dylan an epic, 11-minute song entitled "Brownsville Girl", included on Dylan's Knocked Out Loaded (1986) album and later compilations.Shepard began his acting career in earnest when he was cast as the handsome land baron in Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven (1978), opposite Richard Gere and Brooke Adams. This led to other important films and roles, most notably his portrayal of Chuck Yeager in The Right Stuff (1983), earning him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. By 1986, one of his plays, Fool for Love, was being made into a film directed by Robert Altman; his play A Lie of the Mind was Off-Broadway with an all-star cast including Harvey Keitel and Geraldine Page; he was living with Jessica Lange; and he was working steadily as a film actor -- all of which put him on the cover of Newsweek magazine. Earlier in his life, during the rebellion of the 1960s, Shepard had vowed famously, "I never want to be on the cover of Newsweek." Things had changed.Throughout the years, Shepard has done a considerable amount of teaching on playwriting and other aspects of theatre. His classes and seminars have occurred at various theatre workshops, festivals, and universities. During the 1970s he served a stint as a Regents Professor at the University of California, Davis.Shepard was elected to The American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1986.In 2000, Shepard decided to repay a debt of gratitude to the Magic Theatre by staging his play The Late Henry Moss as a benefit in San Francisco. The cast included Nick Nolte, Sean Penn, Woody Harrelson, and Cheech Marin. The limited, three-month run was sold out.He performed Spalding Gray's final monologue Life Interrupted for its audio release through Macmillan Audio in 2006.In 2007, Shepard was featured playing banjo on Patti Smith's cover of Nirvana's song, "Smells Like Teen Spirit", on her album Twelve.Although many artists have had an influence on Shepard's work, one of the most significant has been actor-director Joseph Chaikin, a veteran of the Living Theatre and founder of a group called the Open Theatre. The two have often worked together on various projects, and Shepard acknowledges that Chaikin has been a valuable mentor.At the beginning of his playwriting career, Shepard did not direct his own plays. His earliest plays were directed by a number of different directors but most frequently by Ralph Cook, the founder of Theatre Genesis. Later, in San Francisco, Shepard formed a successful playwright-director relationship with Robert Woodruff, who directed the premiere of Buried Child (1978), among other plays. During the 1970s, though, Shepard decided that his vision of his plays required that he should direct them himself. He has since directed many of his own plays, but with a few rare exceptions, he has not directed plays by other playwrights. He has also directed two films but apparently does not see film direction as a major interest.When Shepard first arrived in New York, he roomed with Charlie Mingus, Jr., a friend of his from high school and son of the famous jazz musician. Then he lived with actress Joyce Aaron. He later married actress O-Lan Jones (born O-Lan Johnson, alias O-Lan Johnson Dark, alias O-Lan Barna) from 1969 to 1984, with whom he has one son, Jesse Mojo Shepard (born 1970). After the end of his relationship with the singer and musician Patti Smith, Shepard met Academy-Award-winning actress Jessica Lange on the set of a movie they both starred in, Frances. He moved in with her in 1983, and they have been together ever since. They have two children, Hannah Jane (born 1985) and Walker Samuel Shepard (born 1987). In 2005 Jesse Shepard wrote a book of short stories which was published in San Francisco, and his father appeared together with him at a reading to introduce the book.Although he played the legendary test pilot Chuck Yeager in The Right Stuff, and went through an airliner crash in the film Voyager (1992), Shepard is known for his aversion to flying. According to one account, he vowed never to fly again after a very rocky trip on an airliner coming back from Mexico in the 1960s. However, he allowed the real Chuck Yeager to take him up in a jet plane in 1982 when he was preparing for his role as Yeager in The Right Stuff.MORE INFO ON VAL KILMER: Val Edward Kilmer (born December 31, 1959) is an American actor and possible candidate for Governor of New Mexico.[2][3] Originally a stage actor, Kilmer became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! (1984), then the cult classic Real Genius (1985), as well as blockbuster action films, including a role in Top Gun and a lead role in Willow.During the 1990s, Kilmer gained critical respect after a string of films that were also commercially successful, including his roles as Jim Morrison in The Doors, Doc Holliday in 1993's Tombstone, Batman[4] in 1995's Batman Forever, Chris Shiherlis in 1995's Heat and Simon Templar in 1997's The Saint. During the early 2000s, Kilmer appeared in several well-received roles, including The Salton Sea, Spartan, and supporting performances in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Alexander and as the voice of KITT in Knight Rider. Born in Los Angeles, California. Studied at Hollywood's Professional's School and, in his teens, entered Juilliard's drama program. His professional acting career began on stage, and he still participates in theater; he played Hamlet at the 1988 Colorado Shakespeare Festival. His film debut was in the 1984 spoof Top Secret! (1984), wherein he starred as blond rock idol Nick Rivers. He was in a number of films throughout the 1980s, including the 1986 smash Top Gun (1986). Despite his obvious talent and range, it wasn't until his astonishingly believable performance as Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's The Doors (1991) that the world sat up and took notice. Kilmer again put his good baritone to use in the movie, performing all of the concert pieces. Since then, he has played two more American legends, Elvis Presley in True Romance (1993) and Doc Holliday in Tombstone (1993). In July 1994, it was announced that Kilmer would

Description #2 by eCrater - backlotmovie:

Great ORIGINAL Photograph from PARAMOUNT PICTURES, measuring 8 x 10, it is 70 years old and features MARY MARTIN and WALTER CONNOLLY for the 1939 musical romantic motion picture,The Great Victor Herbert Director:Andrew L. StoneWritten by Russel Crouse & Robert Lively Louise Hall, a choir girl from the small town of Riverford, foresakes her boyfriend, a country doctor, to make her name as a singer in New York. There she meets John Ramsey, star of the Victor Herbert operas. John is so smitten with Louise that he promotes her career, finally making her a star of such magnitude that she eclipses his own. Louise's rise creates a strain on their love, forcing her to give up the stage in order to save her marriage. Soon after, their daughter Peggy is born, but their relation remains tenuous as fatherhood cools the ardor of John's female fans and, finding himself relegated to small parts, he begins to blame Louise for his loss of popularity. Louise finally leaves John and takes Peggy to Switzerland, but there learns of his further decline as an actor and returns to New York. Louise finds John destitute and begins to give singing lessons to support the family. Humiliated, John leaves Louise, who then agrees to perform in a reprise of one of her operettas. However, on opening night, Louise, preoccupied with the dissolution of her marriage, is unable to sing and Peggy takes her place. She performs miserably until John coaches her on stage, imbuing her with a confidence that catapults her to stardom.The entire cast included: Allan Jones... John RamseyMary Martin... Louise HallWalter Connolly... Victor HerbertLee Bowman... Dr. Richard MooreSusanna Foster... PeggyJudith Barrett... Marie ClarkJerome Cowan... Barney HarrisJohn Garrick... Warner BryantPierre Watkin... Albert MartinRichard Tucker... Michael BrownHal K. Dawson... George FallerEmmett Vogan... ForbesMary Currier... Mrs. Victor HerbertJames Finlayson... LamplighterPhoto is in good shape for its age, small corner bend, Press info is stamped on the back! Great for the Hollywood classic film lover!MORE INFO ON MARY MARTIN: Mary Virginia Martin (December 1, 1913 " November 3, 1990) was a prolific Tony Award and Emmy Award-winning actress. She originated many roles over her career including Nellie Forbush in South Pacific and Maria in The Sound of Music. She was named a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1989.Mary Martin's life as a child, as Martin describes it in her autobiography My Heart Belongs, was secure and happy. She had close relationships with both her mother and father, as well as her siblings. Her autobiography details how the young actress had an instinctive ear for recreating musical sounds.Martin's father, Preston Martin, was a lawyer and her mother, Juanita Presley, was a violin teacher. Although the doctors told Juanita that she would risk her life if she attempted to have another baby, she was determined to have a boy. Instead, she had Mary, who became quite a tomboy. Her birth was an event as all of the neighbors gathered around Juanita's bedroom window, waiting for the raising of a curtain to signal the babys arrival.Her family had a barn and orchard that kept her entertained. She played with her older sister Geraldine (whom she calls Sister), climbing trees and riding ponies. Martin adored her father. He was a tall, good-looking, silver-haired, with the kindest brown eyes. Mother was the disciplinarian, but it was Daddy who could turn me into an angel with just one look (p. 19). Martin, who said Id never understand the law (p. 19), began singing outside the courtroom where her father worked every Saturday night at a bandstand where the town band played. She sang in a trio of little girls dressed in bellhop uniforms. Even in those days without microphones, my high piping voice carried all over the square. I have always thought that I inherited my carrying voice from my father (p. 19).She remembered having a photographic memory as a child, making it easy to memorize songs, as well as get her through school tests. She got her first taste of singing solo at a fire hall, where she soaked up the crowds appreciation. Sometimes I think that I cheated my own family and my closest friends by giving to audiences so much of the love I might have kept for them. But thats the way I was made; I truly don't think I could help it (p. 20). Martins craft was developed by seeing movies and becoming a mimic. Shed win prizes for looking, acting and dancing like Ruby Keeler and singing exactly like Bing Crosby. Never, never, never can I say I had a frustrating childhood. It was all joy. Mother used to say she never had seen such a happy child"that I awakened each morning with a smile. I dont remember that, but I do remember that I never wanted to go to bed, to go to sleep, for fear Id miss something (p. 20).As she grew older, Martin dated Benjamin Jackson Hagman while in high school, before being sent to the Ward-Belmont finishing school in Nashville, Tennessee. Besides imitating Fanny Brice at singing gigs, she thought school was dull and felt confined by the strict rules. She was homesick for Weatherford, her family and Hagman. During a visit, Mary and Benjamin convinced Mary's mother to allow them to marry. They did, and by the age of 17, Martin was legally married, pregnant with her first child (Larry Hagman) and forced to leave finishing school. However she was happy to begin her new life. She soon learned that this life was nothing but role playing (p. 39).Their honeymoon was at her parents house, and Martin's dream of life with a family and a white-picket fence faded. I was 17, a married woman without real responsibilities, miserable about my mixed-up emotions, afraid there was something awfully wrong with me because I didnt enjoy being a wife. Worst of all, I didn't have enough to do (p. 39). It was Sister who came to her rescue, suggesting that she should teach dance. Sister taught Martin her first real dance"the waltz clog. Martin perfectly imitated her first dance move, and she opened a dance studio. Here, she created her own moves, imitated the famous dancers she watched in the movies, and taught Sisters waltz clog. I was doing something I wanted to do"creating (p. 44).Wanting to learn more moves, Martin went to California to attend the dance school at the Franchon and Marco School of the Theatre, and opened her own dance studio in Mineral Wells, Texas. She was given a ballroom studio under a certain deal"she had to sing in the lobby every Saturday. Here, she learned how to sing into a microphone and how to phrase blues songs. One day at work, she accidentally walked into the wrong room where auditions were being held. They asked her what key shed like to sing So Red Rose. Having absolutely no idea what her key was, she sang regardless and got the job. She was hired to sing So Red Rose at the Fox Theater in San Francisco, followed by the Paramount Theater in Los Angeles. There would be one catch " she had to sing in the wings. She scored her first professional gig, unaware that she would soon be center stage.Soon after, Martin learned that her studio had been burnt down by a man who thought dancing was a sin. She began to express her unhappiness " she needed to let go and be free. Her father gave her advice, saying that she was too young to be married. Martin left everything behind, including her young son, Larry, and went to Hollywood while her father handled the divorce for her. In Hollywood, Martin plunged herself into auditions"so many that she became known as Audition Mary. Her first professional audition and job was on a national radio network. She sang on a program called Gateway to Hollywood and was told that her job was sustaining. Little did she know that sustaining meant unpaid. Among one of Martin's first auditions in Hollywood, she was determined to give them everything I could do, before announcing her intention to sing in my soprano voice, a song you probably dont know, Indian Love Call. After singing the song, a tall, craggly man who looked like a mountain told Martin that he thought she had something special. He added, Oh, and by the way, I know that song. I wrote it. It was Oscar Hammerstein II (pp. 58-59). This marked the start of her career.Mary Martin struggled for nearly two years to break into show business. As a struggling young actress, Martin endured humorous and sometimes frightful luck trying to make it in the world, from car crashes leading to vocal instruction, unknowingly singing in front of Oscar Hammerstein II, to her final break on Broadway granted by the very prominent producer, Lawrence Schwab.Using her maiden name, Mary Martin began pursuing a performing career singing on radio in Dallas and in nightclubs in Los Angeles. Her performance at one club impressed a theatrical producer, and he cast her in a play in New York. That production did not open, but she got a role in Cole Porter's Leave It to Me!. In that production, she became popular on Broadway and received attention in the national media singing "My Heart Belongs to Daddy". "Mary stopped the show with My Heart Belongs to Daddy. With that one song in the second act, she became a star 'overnight'." Martin reprised the song in Night & Day, (the Hollywood "biographical" movie about Porter) during the film in an audition as herself for Porter (Cary Grant)."My Heart Belongs to Daddy" catapulted her career and became very special to Mary " she even sang it to her ailing father in his hospital bed while he was in a coma. Martin did not learn immediately that her father had died. Headlines read "Daddy Girl Sings About Daddy as Daddy Dies." Due to the shows demanding schedule, Martin couldnt even attend her fathers funeral.She received the Donaldson Award and the New York

Description #3 by eBid - Historical Media:

THE BEST OF JACK BENNY Item Description Comedian Jack Benny appeared on radio for an unbelievable 26 years from 1932 1958. The International Jack Benny Fan Club has an excellent biography for Jack Benny. You can access it by clicking here. It is well worth the read! Benny had been only a minor vaudeville performer, but he became an enormously successful national figure with The Jack Benny Program, a weekly radio show which ran from 1932 to 1948 on NBC and from 1948 to 1955 on CBS, and was consistently among the most highly rated programs during most of that run. The Characters Benny s stage character was a clever inversion of his actual self. Though the character was named Jack Benny, he was also just about everything the actual Jack Benny himself wasn t cheap, petty, vain and self congratulatory. His masterful comic rendering of these traits became the vital linchpin to the Benny show s success. Benny set himself up as the comedic foil, allowing his supporting characters to draw laughs at the expense of his stinginess, vanity, and pettiness. By allowing such a character to be seen as human and vulnerable, in an era where few male characters were allowed such obvious vulnerability, Benny made what might have been a despicable character into a lovable Everyman character. Benny himself said on several occasions I don t care who gets the laughs on my show, as long as the show is funny. The supporting characters who amplified that vulnerability only too gladly included wife Mary Livingstone as his wisecracking and not especially deferential female friend (not quite his girlfriend, since Benny would often try to date movie stars like Barbara Stanwyck, and occasionally had stage girlfriends such as Gladys Obispo) rotund announcer Don Wilson (who also served as announcer for Fanny Brice s hit, Baby Snooks) bandleader Phil Harris as a jive talking, wine and women type whose repartee was rather risque for its time (Harris and Mahlon Merrick shared the actual musical chores of the show) boy tenor Dennis Day, who was cast as a sheltered, naive youth who still got the better of his boss as often as not (this character was originated by Kenny Baker, but perfected by Day) and, especially, Eddie Anderson as valet chauffeur Rochester van Jones who was as popular as Benny himself. And that was itself a radical proposition for the era unlike the protagonists of Amos n Andy, Rochester was a Black man allowed to one up his skinflint, vain boss in more ways than one, with his mock befuddled one liners and his sharp retorts, he broke a barrier down for his race. Unlike many Black supporting characters of the time, Rochester was depicted and treated as a regular member of Benny s fictional household Benny, in character, tended if anything to treat Rochester more like an equal partner than a hired domestic (even though gags about Rochester s flimsy salary were a regular part of the show), while Rochester seemed to see right through his boss s vanities and knew how to prick them without overdoing it. Benny deserves credit for allowing this character and the actor who played him (it s difficult if not impossible to picture any other performer giving Rochester what Anderson gave him) to transcend the era s racial stereotype and for not discouraging his near equal popularity. A New Year s Eve episode, in particular, shows the love each performer had for the other, quietly toasting each other with champagne. That this attention to Rochester s race was no accident became clearer during World War II, when Benny would frequently pay tribute to the diversity of Americans who had been drafted into service. Other cast included character actors Sheldon Leonard (later a hugely successful television producer and creator), Joseph Kearns (best remembered as cantankerous Mr. Wilson on the television version of Dennis the Menace), Verna Felton as Dennis Day s mother (best remembered as the Queen of Hearts in Disney s Alice in Wonderland ), Frank Nelson, singer bandleader Bob Crosby (who succeeded Phil Harris in the early 1950s), and the remarkably versatile Mel Blanc, who provided several characters voices, as well as the famous sound of Benny s aging auto, an early century Maxwell that was always on the verge of collapsing with a phat phat bang! Blanc is probably remembered best, however, as Benny s perpetually frustrated violin teacher, who was as likely to throw his own and Benny s instrument into the fireplace as he was to have a nervous breakdown before he was out the door. Other musical contributions came in later years from a singing quartet known as the Sportsmen. In the early days of the program, the supporting characters were often vaudevillian ethnic stereotypes whose humor was grounded in dialects as the years went by the humor of these figures became more character based. The Situations The Jack Benny Program evolved from a variety show blending sketch comedy and musical interludes into the situation comedy form we know even now, crafting particular situations and scenarios from the fictionalization of Benny the radio star. Anything, from hosting a party to Christmas shopping, to income tax time to a night on the town, was good for a Benny show situation, and somehow the writers and star would find the right ways and places to insert musical interludes from Phil Harris and Dennis Day. (With Day, invariably, it would be a brief sketch that ended with Benny ordering Day to sing the song he planned to do on that week s show.) In 1936, after a few years broadcasting from New York, Benny moved the show to Los Angeles, allowing him to bring in guests from among his show business friends guests as diverse as Frank Sinatra, James Stewart, Barbara Stanwyck, Bing Crosby, Burns & Allen (Benny s best friend in show business was probably George Burns), and many others. Orson Welles, Burns & Allen, and other stars guest hosted several episodes in March and April of 1943 when Benny was seriously ill with pneumonia, while Ronald Colman and his wife Benita Hume appeared frequently in the 1940s as Benny s neighbors. Sponsors In the early days of radio (and in the early television era, often as not), the airtime was owned by the sponsor, and Benny made a point of incorporating the commercials into the body of the show. Sometimes the sponsors were the butt of jokes, though Benny didn t deploy this device as frequently as his friend and rival Fred Allen did at the time, or his cast member Phil Harris later did on his own successful radio sitcom. In fact, the show wasn t officially called The Jack Benny Program for many years usually, the primary name of the show tied to the sponsor. Benny s first sponsor was Canada Dry Ginger Ale from 1932 to 1933, Chevrolet from 1933 to 1934, General Tire in 1934, and Jell O from 1934 to 1942. The Jell O Show Starring Jack Benny was so successful in selling Jell O, in fact, that General Foods could not manufacture it fast enough when sugar shortages arose in the early years of World War II, and the company had to stop advertising the popular dessert mix. General Foods switched the Benny program from Jell O to Grape Nuts and Grape Nuts Flakes cereals from 1942 to 1944, and it became, naturally, The Grape Nuts Show Starring Jack Benny. Benny s longest running sponsor, however, was the American Tobacco Company s Lucky Strike cigarettes, from 1944 to 1955, and it was during Lucky Strike s sponsorship that the show became, at last, The Jack Benny Program once and for all. Writers Benny was notable for employing a small group of writers, most of whom stayed with him for many years. This was very much in contrast to other successful radio or television comedians, such as Bob Hope, who would change writers frequently. Historical accounts (like those by longtime Benny writer Milt Josefsberg) indicate that Benny s role, like that of Fred Allen, was essentially that of both head writer and director of his radio programs, though he was not credited in either capacity. During his early radio shows, Benny adopted a medley of Yankee Doodle Dandy and Love in Bloom as his theme song, opening every show. The latter song later became the theme of his television show as well. His radio shows often ended with the orchestra playing Hooray for Hollywood. I m thinking it over! A master of the carefully timed, pregnant pause, Benny and his writers used it to set up what is popularly believed to be the longest laugh in radio history. In a sketch calling for a street robber to accost Benny, demanding, Your money or your life! Benny paused, and the studio audience knowing his skinflint character laughed loud and long. The robber then repeated his demand Look, pal! I said your money or your life! And that s when Benny snapped back without a break, I m thinking it over! This time, the audience laughed louder and longer than they had during the pause. The punchline came forth almost by accident. During the writing sessions for this episode, Benny and crew agonized over the scene, stuck for a punchline to the second Your money or your life! , when one of the writers prodded another who had been particularly quiet. I m thinking it over, the second writer replied and, at once, Benny and his staff burst out laughing. They had found the perfect skinflint punch line. Despite the popularity of this myth, in actuality, the laugh fell far short of a record, even for The Jack Benny Program. The laugh lasted a mere five seconds. The sketch was reprised the following week, where the laugh garnered a 40% improvement, clocking in at seven seconds. The longest laugh currently known to collectors of The Jack Benny Program lasted in excess of 32 seconds. The International Jack Benny Fan Club reports that at the close of the program broadcast on December 13, 1936 and sponsored by Jell O, guest Andy Devine says that it is last number of the eleventh program in the new Jelly series. The audience, who loved any sort of accidental flub in the live program, is still laughing after 32 seconds, at which point the network cut off the program to prevent it from running overtime. The program broadcast September 16, 1951 is reported to have a laugh lasting 35 seconds, but the IJBFC website has a qualifying footnote that is not explained. The Benny Allen Feud In 1937 Benny began his famous radio feud with rival Fred Allen. Allen kicked the feud off on his own show, after a child violinist gave a performance credible enough that Allen wisecracked about a certain alleged violinist who should by comparison be ashamed of himself. Benny who either listened to the Allen show or was told about the crack answered in kind on his own show, and the two comedians (who were actually good friends in real life) were off. For a decade, the two went at it back and forth, so convincingly that fans of either show could have been forgiven for believing they had become blood enemies. But Benny and Allen often appeared on each other s show during the thick of the feud a very close listening should show that, often as not, when one guested on the other s show the guest usually got the better laugh lines. Perhaps the climax of the feud came during Fred Allen s hilarious (and brilliant) parody of popular quiz and prize show Queen for a Day, which was barely a year old when Allen decided to have a crack at it. Calling the sketch King for a Day, Allen played the host and Benny a contestant who snuck onto the show under an assumed identity. Benny answered the prize winning question correctly and Allen crowned him king and showered him with a passel of almost meaningless prizes, climaxing when a professional pressing iron was wheeled on stage to press Benny s suit properly. The problem Benny was still in the suit. Allen instructed his aides to remove Benny s suit, one item at a time, ending with his trousers, each garment s removal provoking louder laughter from the studio audience. As his trousers began to come off, Benny howled, Allen, you haven t seen the end of me! At once Allen shot back, It won t be long now! The laughter was so loud and chaotic at the chain of events that the Allen show announcer, Kenny Delmar, was cut off the air while trying to read a final commercial and the show s credits. Allen, who was notorious for running overtime thanks to his ad lib virtuosity, had overrun the clock again. The CBS Talent Raid While Benny was top of the proverbial heap on NBC, CBS czar William S. Paley cast a hungry eye upon the comedian. Paley apparently had good reason to believe Benny could be had he learned that NBC refused to deal with Benny in terms of buying Benny s holding company package (a tax break major entertainers usually enjoyed in those years), since Jack Benny was the star s real name. Paley reached out to Benny and offered him a deal that would allow that package buy a tremendous capital gains tax break for Benny at a time when World War II had meant taxes as high as 90% at certain high income levels. But Paley, according to CBS historiographer Robert Metz, also learned that Benny chafed under what he came to see as NBC s almost indifferent attitude toward the talent that brought the listeners. NBC, under the leadership of David Sarnoff, seemed at the time to think that listeners were listening to NBC because of NBC itself. To Paley, according to Metz, that was foolish thinking at best Paley believed listeners were listening because of the talent, not because of which platform hosted them. When Paley said as much to Benny, the comedian agreed. Because Paley also took a personal interest in the Benny negotiations, as opposed to Sarnoff (who had actually never met his top rated star), Benny was convinced at last to make the jump and, in turn, he convinced a number of his fellow NBC performers (notably Burns & Allen and Kate Smith) to join him. To sweeten the deal for a very nervous sponsor, Paley also agreed to make up the difference to American Tobacco if Benny s Hooper rating (the radio version of today s Nielsen ratings) on CBS fell a certain level below his best NBC Hooper rating. But Benny s CBS debut bested his top NBC rating by several points. NBC, for its part, its smash Sunday night lineup now broken up in earnest, became nervous enough to offer prompt and lucrative new deals to two of those Sunday night hits, The Fred Allen Show and The Phil Harris Alice Faye Show (Benny s former bandleader and his singing actress wife now starred in their own hit sitcom), before they, too, got any ideas about jumping ship. The ironic postscript, according to Metz Benny and Sarnoff finally met, several years later, and became good friends, with Benny saying that if he could have had this kind of relationship with Sarnoff all those years earlier, when he was Sarnoff s number one radio star, he never would have left NBC in the first place. This collection of The Best of Jack Benny radio programs features 763 shows on 8 compact discs. Each episode is presented in the .mp3 format. The CD(s) are labeled and provided in highly protective jewel cases. A list of the programs on the disc as well as the date the program originally aired (if known) is also provided.. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR EQUIPMENT WILL PLAY MP3 FORMATTED FILES BEFORE PURCHASING THIS ITEM. IT IS ULTIMATELY THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE BUYER TO ENSURE THAT HIS OR HER EQUIPMENT IS COMPATIBLE WITH THE MP3 FORMAT. A note concerning sound quality. The sound quality for the shows in this collection is very good to good. It is difficult to find perfect recordings from the golden age of radio due to the equipment used for recording and the fact that many of the recordings were made 60, 70 or even 80 years ago. Episode Listing for the Best Of Jack Benny programs included in this collection JB 320502 First Professional Appearance JB 330101 Outstanding Achievements Of 1932 Review (Excerpts) JB 330122 Bertha The Sewing Machine Girl JB 330331 She Done Him Right JB 330421 Guest Edward G. Robinson JB 330505 Russian Sketch JB 330526 Sherlock Holmes And King Kong (Part 1) JB 330602 Sherlock Holmes And King Kong (Part 2) JB 330609 Who Killed Mr. X JB 330623 Mary s Birthday JB 331029 Election Day Opening JB 331112 The Shooting Of Dan McGrew JB 331210 Uncle Tom s Cabin JB 340211 Miniature Women JB 340218 Don t Live Right JB 340225 My Life as a Floorwalker JB 340304 Duel In The Graveyard JB 340311 Haunted House JB 340318 An Arizona Western JB 340401 The Eternal Triangle JB 340406 Frank Parker s Music Store JB 340413 Bridge Game JB 340427 New Hampshire Through A Keyhole (Excerpt) JB 340504 The Hills Of Kentucky JB 340511 Home Cooking At Don s JB 340518 Jack Is Taking A Taxi To The Show JB 340720 Who Killed Mr. Stooge (Part Five) JB 340803 To New York On The Twentieth Century Limited JB 340824 House Of Rawchild JB 340831 The House Of Benny JB 340914 School Days (Part 2) JB 340921 School Days (Part 3) JB 340928 More House Of Rawchild JB 341014 The Jack Benny Grocery Store (Part 1) JB 341021 The Jack Benny Grocery Store (Part 2) JB 341028 The Bennys Of Wimpole Street JB 341104 Through Romantic Hawaii JB 341111 Charlie Chan In Radio City JB 341118 Mrs. Wiggs Of The Onion Patch JB 341202 Rose Of The Rio Grande JB 341216 Russia Through A Keyhole JB 350106 The Count Of Monte Jell O JB 351103 Kenny Baker s Debut JB 351117 Blue Room Murder JB 360119 Jack And Johnny Are In Jail JB 360209 Benny Of The North West Mounted JB 360216 Drug Store JB 360223 Eternal Triangle JB 360308 The Gang Visits The Central Park Zoo JB 360315 Jack is Guest of Honor at French Embassy Dinner JB 360322 Unknown Title JB 360329 Cinderallen JB 360405 Clown Hall Tonight JB 360412 Ah Wilderness JB 360419 I Got A Heavy Date JB 360426 Boston Tea Party JB 360503 Code Of The Hills JB 360510 Jack Test Drives A Car JB 360517 Everybody s Not So Hot JB 360524 Travel Agent Pays A Visit JB 360607 Jack Forms Bennymount Films JB 360614 Opening Of Bennymount Films JB 360621 Vacation Plans JB 361004 Phil Harris Introduced JB 361011 Anthony Adverse (Part 1) JB 361018 Anthony Adverse (Part 2) JB 361025 Previews Romeo and Juliet JB 361101 Doc Benny s Minstrels Romeo and Juliet JB 361108 Girls Dormitory (First Part Only) JB 361115 Buck Benny Rides Again 1 JB 361122 Buck Benny Rides Again 2 JB 361129 Buck Benny Rides Again 3 JB 361206 Money Ain t Everything JB 361213 Buck Benny Rides Again JB 361220 An Old Fashioned Christmas Party JB 361227 Buck Benny Rides Again And Again JB 370103 More Buck Benny JB 370110 Buck Benny Rides Again 10 JB 370117 Buck Benny In Ensenada, Mexico JB 370124 Philzie Lmb and Stinky Pie JB 370131 Nightmares of Fred Allen JB 370207 Jack s Violin Is Stolen JB 370214 Jack s Birthday JB 370221 Buck Benny Rides Again 12 JB 370228 Jack Plays The Bee JB 370307 Fight Of The Century JB 370314 Battle Of The Century Or Fizzle JB 370321 Days Of Our Lives JB 370328 The Train Porter JB 370404 Jack And Phil Argue About Fred Allen JB 370411 Guests Burns And Allen JB 370418 Lady Milicent s Husband JB 370425 In The Spring Tra La JB 370502 Buck Benny Party JB 370509 Mother s Day Program JB 370516 Ah Wilderness JB 370523 Jack Is Sick Phil, Kenny and Don Host JB 370530 Death At Midnight (Part 1) JB 370606 Death At Midnight (Part 2) JB 370613 Mary s Movie JB 370620 Jack s Movie JB 370627 Last Show Of The Season JB 371003 Guest Abe Lyman JB 371010 Starring Jack What s His Name JB 371024 Jack Buys the Maxwell JB 371031 The Devine Farm JB 371107 Another Chapter in Life of Buck Benny JB 371121 Lost Horizon JB 371128 Jack Cooked the Turkey JB 371205 The Big Game JB 371212 Christmas Shopping JB 371219 Little Red Riding Hood JB 380102 Leaving For San Francisco Next Week JB 380109 In San Francisco JB 380116 Driving Back From San Francisco JB 380123 Scoop Benny, Ace Reporter JB 380130 Hurricane JB 380206 Jack Is Late JB 380213 Robert Taylor Plays The Cello JB 380220 Submarine D 1 (Part 1) JB 380227 Submarine D 1 (Part 2) JB 380306 Don Wilson s Fifteenth Anniversary In Radio JB 380313 Death In The Night Club JB 380320 Preparing For New York JB 380327 Harry Von Zell Subs For Don Wilson JB 380403 Returning To Hollywood JB 380410 A Yank At Oxford JB 380417 At The Circus Easter Show JB 380424 Show White And The Seven Gangsters JB 380501 Beverly Hills Home Under Construction JB 380508 Mother s Day Show JB 380515 Murder In The Library JB 380522 The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer (Part 1) JB 380529 The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer (Part 2) JB 380605 The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer (Part 3) JB 380612 Artists and Models Abroad JB 380619 Back Home in Indiana JB 380626 Last Show of the Season JB 381002 Preparing to Return to Work JB 381009 Yellow Jack Movie Spoof JB 381016 Farewell to the Old Studio JB 381023 Algiers JB 381030 Jack Throws a Halloween Party JB 381106 The Crowd Roars JB 381113 Jack Tries to Steal Phil s Girl JB 381120 Too Hot To Handle JB 381127 Flash Benny, Football Coach JB 381204 Murder at the Movies JB 381211 Christmas Shopping in New York JB 381218 Returning To Hollywood JB 381225 Jack s Christmas Open House JB 390101 Goodbye 1938, Hello 1939 JB 390108 Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs JB 390115 Jack s Screen Guild Theater Performance JB 390122 Jack Tells How He Saved Fred Allen s Life JB 390129 Jack Goes Into Training For Fight With Fred Allen JB 390205 Jack Challenges Fred Allen To A Boxing Match JB 390212 Love Finds Annie Hardy JB 390219 Carmichael The Polar Bear JB 390226 Jesse James (Part 1) JB 390305 Jesse James (Part 2) JB 390312 Carmichael Is Sick JB 390319 Jack Has A Cold JB 390326 Guest Ed Sullivan JB 390402 April Fool s Gags JB 390409 Four Girls in White JB 390416 Phil Shoots the Movie Man About Town Behind Jack s Back JB 390423 Guests Binnie Barns and Mark Sandrich JB 390430 Jack s 7th Anniversary on the Radio JB 390507 Kentucky Derby Bet JB 390514 Gunga Din JB 390521 More Gunga Din JB 390528 Alexander Graham Bell JB 390604 Hound of the Baskervilles Preview JB 390611 Hound of the Baskervilles JB 390618 Father s Day Show JB 390625 From Waukegan, Illinois JB 391008 Introducing Dennis Day JB 391015 Dennis Mother Interferes with the Show JB 391022 Stanley and Livingstone JB 391029 Masquerade Party JB 391105 The Women JB 391112 Jack Has A Toothache JB 391119 Jack Discovers He Has Purchased An Ostrich For Thanksgiving JB 391126 Jack Goes Duck Hunting JB 391203 Murder on the Gridiron (Part 1) JB 391210 Murder on the Gridiron (Part 2) JB 391217 Christmas Shopping For Perfume and a Necktie (East Coast Version) JB 391217 Christmas Shopping For Perfume and a Necktie (West Coast Version) JB 391224 Christmas Open House at Jack s House JB 391231 Gladys Zybisco Disappoints Jack on New Year s Eve JB 400107 Golden Boy JB 400114 Intermezzo JB 400121 Gladys Zybisco is Discussed JB 400128 Murder on the Bay Bridge JB 400204 Leaving For Yosemite JB 400211 Arriving At Yosemite JB 400218 Skiing At Yosemite JB 400225 Birthday Party For Jack Who s Recovering From A Skiing Accident JB 400303 Gracie Allen For President JB 400310 Mr. Benny Goes To Washington JB 400317 The Hunchback of Notre Dame JB 400324 Trailer On Pinocchio JB 400331 Pinocchio JB 400407 Jack Revives Buck Benny After 3 Years JB 400414 Preparing To Go To New York By Train JB 400421 From The Ritz Theater In New York JB 400428 Buck Benny At The Paramount Theater JB 400505 Clown Hall Tonight JB 400512 Returns On A TWA Plane JB 400519 Northwest Passage JB 400526 Formal Dinner For The Sponsor Without Jell O For Dessert JB 400602 Hillbilly Feud JB 400609 Vacation Plans JB 400616 Father s Day JB 401006 Jack Tells His Childhood Story JB 401013 Phil Tries To Collect A World Series Bet JB 401020 Jack Tries To Trade In The Maxwel JB 401027 Hold That Line JB 401103 Jack s Halloween Party JB 401110 Dog Catcher Of Beverly Hills JB 401117 Jack Waits To See A Movie Director JB 401124 Jack Is Held Up On His Way To Don s House JB 401201 Jack Catches Cold At Don s House JB 401208 Don Is Mad and Walks Out JB 401215 From The Ritz Hotel In New York JB 401222 Christmas Shopping JB 401229 Father Time Rides Again JB 410105 Rose Bowl Game Standford vs. Nebraska JB 410112 Jack Is Late, With No Script JB 410119 City Of Conquest JB 410126 Jack Packs for New York JB 410202 Herbert Marshall Hosts The Show JB 410209 The Sponsor Likes Herbert Marshall JB 410216 Surprise Birthday Party JB 410223 Tee Pee Hotel JB 410302 Climb To Taquitz Falls JB 410309 Murder At The Racquet Club JB 410316 Palm Springs Prices JB 410323 Tobacco Road JB 410330 Jack Works in His Garden JB 410406 Quiz Kids Vs. Jell O Kids JB 410413 Jack Prepares for Appearance on The Quiz Kids JB 410420 Jack Upset About His Appearance on The Quiz Kids JB 410427 Murder At The Movies JB 410504 Jack s 10th Anniversary On Radio JB 410511 NBC Tribute To Jack Benny s 10th Anniversary JB 410518 Charley s Aunt JB 410525 The Life of Philbert Harris JB 410601 From San Diego Naval Base JB 411005 From New York JB 411012 Columbus Day JB 411019 Returning to Hollywood JB 411026 Dive Bomber JB 411102 Halloween Celebration JB 411109 Football Game JB 411116 He Fumbled the Ball JB 411123 Thanksgiving Day Dinner JB 411130 Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde (Part 1) JB 411207 Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde (Part 2) JB 411214 Horseradish JB 411221 The Christmas Tree JB 411228 Jack Talks About a Christmas Party He Gave JB 420104 New Year s Eve Party at the Biltmore Bowl JB 420111 From March Field JB 420118 Carole Lombard s Death Show Is Without Jack JB 420125 The Frightwig Murder Case (Part 1) JB 420201 The Frightwig Murder Case (Part 2) JB 420208 Jack Is Upset Because Fred Allen Has Moved to Sundays JB 420215 Jack Can t Get a Date on His Birthday JB 420222 At The San Francisco Prescidio JB 420301 Jack Starts A Campaign For An Oscar JB 420308 From San Diego Marine Base JB 420315 Jack Talks About Lending Fred Allen Ten Dollars JB 420322 Jack Plants A Victory Garden And Plays Golf With Phil JB 420329 Doc Benny s Minstrel Show JB 420405 Don s Commercial JB 420412 Try and Get It JB 420419 Don s Play JB 420426 Jack Hawkins Revenge JB 420503 Cast Visits Jack At Warner Brothers JB 420510 Jack Learns This Will Be His Last Season For Jell o JB 420517 Jack Imitates Fred Allen JB 420524 Phil Becomes A Father JB 420531 Cavalcade of Last 8 Years For Jell o JB 421004 Jack Rounds Up The Gang In The Maxwell JB 421011 Jack Takes Two Cadets To Barbara Stanwyck s House JB 421018 Jack Gives The Maxwell For Scrap JB 421025 Tales of Manhattan JB 421101 Jack and Phil Go Target Shooting JB 421115 Twink Family (Part 2) JB 421122 George Washington Slept Here Premiere JB 421129 Going After Rommel JB 421206 Liberty Ship JB 421213 From New York JB 421220 George Washington Slept Here JB 421227 New Years Eve Skit JB 430103 Bear Hunting JB 430110 The Sixty Four Dollar Question JB 430117 Spoof on Information Please JB 430124 Mr. Benny Goes to Washington JB 430131 From Quantico, Virginia JB 430207 Jack Is Late for the Program JB 430214 From Ontario, Canada JB 430221 Chicago Monument For Jack JB 430228 Kit Carson Benny JB 430307 Hosts George Burns and Gracie Allen JB 430314 Host Orson Welles JB 430321 Host Orson Welles JB 430328 Host Orson Welles JB 430404 Little Red Riding Hood JB 430411 Jack Returns After Illness JB 430418 Jack Opens Swimming Pool For The Season JB 430425 Rochester s Horse Is in the Kentucky Derby JB 430502 Renting Eddie Cantor s House JB 430509 Jack Jams With Louis Armstrong JB 430516 Rancho Benny JB 430523 Parachute Jump JB 430530 Guest Deanna Durbin JB 430913 USO Show From Cairo, Egypt JB 431010 Jack Recalls His African Trip JB 431017 Casablanca JB 431024 Algiers JB 431031 Jack Pretends He Is Going to Brazil JB 431107 From Marine Corps Air Station at Mojave, California JB 431114 The Lone Palm JB 431121 Jack Dreams He Is a Turkey JB 431128 Dennis Wants a Raise JB 431205 Jack Gets a Driver s License JB 431212 Dennis Mother Visits JB 431219 Jack and Mary Go Christmas Shopping JB 431226 Christmas at Jack s House JB 440102 Annual New Years Eve Show JB 440109 Jack Has a Pet Camel JB 440116 From Camp El Toro, California JB 440123 From Camp Muroc, California JB 440130 The Horn Blows at Midnight JB 440206 From Terminal Island JB 440213 From March Field JB 440220 Guest Groucho Marx JB 440227 Hollywood Canteen JB 440305 From Lemoure Air Force Base JB 440312 From Livermore Air Base JB 440319 Dennis Dreams He Has a Radio Program JB 440326 Jack Throws a Swimming Party At His House For The Gang JB 440402 Louella Parsons Interviews Jack About The Horn Blows At Midnight JB 440409 Repairing Jack s Sidewalk JB 440416 Bob Hope Parody JB 440423 Dennis Leaves for the Navy JB 440430 Dick Haymes Subs for Dennis JB 440507 The Making of The Horn Blows at Midnight JB 440514 The Infantry JB 440521 Jack Has A Problem With His Split Personality Buying A Cigar JB 440528 The Life Story of Jack Benny JB 440604 Final Grape Nuts Flakes Sponsored Show JB 441001 Jack Looks for a Replacement Singer JB 441008 Jack Offers Frank Sinatra Dennis Job JB 441015 From Gardner Field, Taft, California JB 441022 Captain O Benny JB 441029 Allen s Alley JB 441105 Guest Show JB 441112 Jack Hires Larry Stevens And Argues Over His Salary JB 441119 From Corona Naval Hospital JB 441126 How Jack and the Gang Spent Thanksgiving Day JB 441203 Jack Gets Mad and Goes Home JB 441210 From San Bernardino, California JB 441217 Jack Meets Frank Sinatra in a Drug Store JB 441224 Trimming a Tree JB 441231 Jack Resolves to Be Friends with Fred Allen JB 450107 Leaving for New York City JB 450114 Mrs. Nausbaum Invites Jack And The Cast To Her Restaurant JB 450121 Mary Tells About Jack s Visit to the Empire State Building JB 450128 From Mitchell Field JB 450204 From St. Albans Naval Hospital In New York JB 450211 Boy Was I Seasick JB 450218 From St Joseph, Missouri JB 450225 From Fitzsimmons Hospital In Denver, Colorado JB 450304 Jack And Mary Pick Up Their Bags at the Train Station JB 450311 How Jack Found Rochester JB 450318 How Jack Found Mary JB 450325 Murder Mystery JB 450401 How Jack Found Phil Harris JB 450408 From Torney Hospital in Palm Springs JB 450422 Desert Sketch JB 450429 First Performance of Professor La Blanc JB 450506 How Jack Found Don Wilson JB 450513 Jack Is Going to San Francisco JB 450520 From San Francisco JB 450527 How Jack Met Mary JB 450930 Steve Bradley Wants to Be Jack s Publicity Man JB 451007 Jack Listens to the World Series on the Radio JB 451014 Gaslight JB 451021 Jack Dreams of the Race Horse Texas Sandman JB 451028 85000 Dollar Bet Jack Gets Held Up JB 451104 Jack Is Sick Ib Bed After Being Robbed Of 10000 Dollars JB 451111 Joe Louis Acts As Jack s Body Guard JB 451118 From Birmingham Hospital In Van Nuys, California JB 451125 Tire Trouble JB 451202 Steve Bradley Explains The I Can t Stand Jack Benny Contest JB 451209 Jack Is Invited to the Colman s for Dinner JB 451216 Too Many Letters JB 451223 The English Butler JB 451230 End of the Contest JB 460106 Rose Bowl Game JB 460113 State Fair Rehearsal JB 460120 State Fair JB 460127 Contest Winners JB 460203 Contest Winners Names Announced JB 460210 From Palm Springs, California JB 460217 Rochester Lost At Sea Briefly JB 460224 Palm Springs Shopping JB 460303 Murder At Lone Palm JB 460310 Lost Weekend JB 460317 Dennis Returns From The Navy JB 460324 I Stand Condemned JB 460331 A Sad Soldier Is Discharged JB 460407 Weekend At The Acme Plaza JB 460414 Violin Practice Interrupts Ronald Coleman s Rehersal JB 460421 Aboard The Saratoga Four Days Before It Sank JB 460428 The Kid From Brooklyn JB 460505 Leaving For Chicago On The Train JB 460512 Quiz Kids Contest JB 460519 Fred Allen asks Jack to Appear On His Program JB 460526 Ed Sullivan Gives Jack An Award JB 460929 Jack Is Upset Because Phil and Dennis Have Their Own Shows JB 461006 Jack Listens to the World Series JB 461013 Jack and Mary Walk to the Studio JB 461020 The Fiddler JB 461103 Jack Tries to Break His Contract With The Sportsmen JB 461117 Guest Show JB 461124 The Killers JB 461201 Jack Is to Appear on Phil Baker s Program JB 461208 Jack Buys Don Shoe Laces for Christmas JB 461215 Jack Learns Don Has Metal Tip Shoelaces, So He Exchanges Gifts JB 461222 Christmas Party at Birmingham General Hospital JB 461229 Jack, Mary, Gladys and Dennis Go to a Nightclub JB 470105 Guest Show JB 470112 Gracie Wants to Listen to Jack on the Radio JB 470119 I Was Condemned JB 470126 Margie JB 470202 It sa Wonderful Life JB 470209 What Happens After the Show Goes off the Air JB 470216 Jack s Birthday Party JB 470223 Jack Fires the Sportsmen JB 470302 Jack Tries to Rehire the Sportsmen JB 470309 Jack Tries to Find Replacement for the Sportsmen JB 470316 The Sportsmen Replacement JB 470323 The Sportsmen Are Hired Back JB 470330 From San Francisco JB 470406 Jack Tries To Get Goldwyn To Do The Life of Jack Benny JB 470413 Jack Fixes A Phonograph And Buys A Baseball Team JB 470420 The Egg and I JB 470427 Leaving for Chicago JB 470504 To the Train Station for Chicago JB 470511 From Chicago JB 470518 From New York JB 470525 Allen s Alley JB 471005 Jack Is Back from Sun Valley Vacation JB 471012 Jack Fixes Breakfast JB 471019 Golf Match at Hillcrest Country Club JB 471026 Seventh Hole at Hillcrest Country Club JB 471102 Dark Passage Movie Skit JB 471109 Corner Drug Store JB 471116 Cleaning Jack s Den JB 471123 Movie of Jack s Life Thanksgiving Show JB 471130 Turkey Dream JB 471207 Jack Takes Violin Lessons and Goes to the Vault JB 471214 Jack Has a Sprained Ankle JB 471221 Last Moment Christmas Shopping JB 471228 New Tenant JB 480104 Jack Tries to Get Tickets for the Rose Bowl JB 480111 Going to Denver for March Of Dimes Benefit JB 480118 In Denver for March Of Dimes Benefit JB 480125 On the Train to Hollywood JB 480201 Jack and Mary See Colman s Movie JB 480208 Nightmare Alley JB 480215 Jack s Birthday Party JB 480222 From Palm Springs, California JB 480229 Jack s Girlfriend Gladys Comes to Rehearsal JB 480307 Jack Benny Is the Walking Man JB 480314 Winner of the Walking Man Contest JB 480321 Academy Awards Are Discussed JB 480328 Jack Is Robbed of Ronald Colman s Oscar JB 480404 Jack Wants to Borrow Bing s Oscar JB 480411 From Palm Springs, California JB 480418 Murder at the Racquet Club JB 480425 Charlie s Aunt JB 480502 Guest Show JB 480509 Ronald Colman s Oscar Is Returned JB 480516 Robert Taylor Subs for Jack JB 480523 The Egg and I JB 480530 I Was Framed JB 480606 Jack Leaves for Detroit JB 480613 From Detroit Don s Weight Is Discussed JB 480620 From Cleveland Palace Theater JB 480627 From New York JB 481003 Jack Returns To America By Ship And Hears An Echo JB 481010 Jack and the Gang Listen to the World Series JB 481017 Sorry, Wrong Number JB 481024 The Coleman s Have Dinner at Jack s JB 481031 Jack Goes Trick or Treating JB 481107 Jack Hears an Echo Sees Psychiatrist JB 481114 Jack Is Worried Because Mary Is Late JB 481121 Jack Tries to Reach His Advertising Agency JB 481128 How Jack and the Gang Spent Thanksgiving JB 481205 Professor La Blanc Gives Jack a Violin Lesson JB 481212 Jack Tries to Relax at Home JB 481219 Christmas Wallet For Don JB 481219 Jack Buys a Wallet for Don as Christmas Gift JB 481226 Last Show for NBC JB 490102 First Show for CBS JB 490109 Lunch at the Brown Derby JB 490116 Jack s Scrapbook JB 490123 Don s Contract JB 490130 Don Still Won t Sign His Contract JB 490206 Don Signs a New Contract JB 490213 Jack s Birthday Is Tomorrow JB 490220 The Horn Blows at Midnight JB 490227 Jack Has a Music Lesson JB 490306 A Day at the Races JB 490313 After the Races JB 490320 Mary and Van Are Late JB 490327 Spring Cleaning JB 490403 American Heart Association JB 490410 Dennis Dreams He sa Star JB 490417 Easter Parade JB 490424 Jack Decides to Trade in the Maxwell JB 490501 The Treasure of Sierra Madre JB 490508 Jack Is Upset with the Cast JB 490515 Mary Is Sick JB 490522 The Champion and the Set Up JB 490529 Cast Introduced JB 490911 Bus Tour Introduces the Cast JB 490918 Edward My Son JB 490925 Guest Show JB 491002 Jack Takes Inventory of His Pantry And Has A Memory Loss JB 491009 Jack s Memory Is Lost and Found JB 491016 Recovering from a Cold JB 491023 Jack Is Recovering from Nose Surgery JB 491030 Don Wilson s Story of Twenty Five Years in Radio JB 491106 Jack Rides in a Yacht JB 491113 Last Week s Mistakes JB 491120 Jack Goes to Rehearsal JB 491127 Jack Spends an Evening at Home Playing Cards JB 491204 Guest Show JB 491211 Texas Benefit JB 491218 Mary Buys Jack A Pencil Sharpener For Christmas JB 491225 Rochester Is Shocked by an Electric Alarm Clock JB 500101 Jack Can t Make Mary s Party And Is Stood Up By His Date JB 500108 Drear Pooson Fluffry s Party And Is Stood Up By His Date JB 500115 How Jack and Fred Allen Met JB 500122 I Was Betrayed JB 500129 To New York On The Train For The Heart Fund Benefit JB 500205 Heart Fund Broadcast from New York JB 500212 Allen s Alley Spoof JB 500219 Jack Returns On The Train To LA Jack Plays Cards JB 500226 The Whistler JB 500305 Buck Benny Rides Again JB 500312 Sagebrush Soap Contest JB 500319 The Champion JB 500326 From Palm Springs JB 500402 From Palm Springs JB 500409 Fifty Cents to a Bum JB 500416 Jack Gets the House Painted JB 500423 The Beavers Do the Show JB 500430 Easter Show JB 500507 Jack Buys a New Suit for His Publicity Tour JB 500514 Mother s Day Gags JB 500521 Jack Gets a Haircut to Look His Best For The Sponsor JB 500528 How Jack Met His Cast JB 500910 Back from London JB 500917 In Venice JB 500924 The Gold Rush Of 49 JB 501001 The Maxwell Is Stolen JB 501008 Jack Listens To The World Series And The Dempsey Tunney Fight JB 501015 Jack Dreams He Is Married to Mary JB 501022 Dennis Tries To Borrow 50000 Dollars For A New Candy Business JB 501029 How Jack Met the Colmans JB 501105 Coming Home on the Train and Playing 20 Questions JB 501112 A Cup of Coffee, a Sandwich and Murder JB 501119 Jack and Dinah in London JB 501126 Jack Tries to Buy Tickets to the USC UCLA Game JB 501203 Grassreek Fluff JB 501210 Murder at the Racquet Club JB 501217 Jack Buys Don Golf Tees for Christmas JB 501224 Beavers Come over to Jack s for Christmas JB 501231 A New Years Fantasy JB 510107 King Solomon s Mines (Part 1) JB 510114 King Solomon s Mines (Part 2) JB 510121 Jack Goes to the Doctor for a Check Up JB 510128 Guest Show JB 510204 Bank Robbery JB 510211 How Palm Springs Was Founded JB 510218 Jack Watches TV JB 510225 I Was Coerced JB 510304 Jack Goes to the Dentist JB 510318 Jack Talks About His Illness the Previous Week JB 510325 Sunset Blvd JB 510401 Jack Leaves for New York to Do a TV Show JB 510408 The IRS Visits Jack JB 510415 The IRS Visits Jack Cause he Spent 17 Dollars On Entertainment JB 510422 The IRS Visits Jack He and the Cast Go to the Circus JB 510429 From Nellis Air Force Base JB 510506 I Was Shanghaid JB 510513 Jack Prepares to Go to New York to Do His 4th TV Show JB 510520 The Cast Is Dissatisfied with Their New Contracts JB 510527 Jack Meets Speed Rigs at the Doctor s Office JB 510603 The Cast Sings the Commercial JB 510916 Jack Returns from a Korean Uso Trip JB 510923 Captain Horatio Hornblower JB 511014 Jack Takes His Song to the Publisher JB 511021 At a Nightclub to Hear the Sportsmen JB 511028 Jack Loses His Song JB 511104 George Jessel Tells Jack s Life Story JB 511111 Jack Benny in 1971 JB 511118 Saturday s Hero JB 511125 Jack And Mary See Golden Girl With Dennis Mother JB 511202 Jack Buys Don Cuff Links for Christmas JB 511209 Quadalajara Trio Sings Jack s Song JB 511216 Jack Renews His Drivers License JB 511223 Christmas Tree Decoration JB 511230 New Year s Eve Date with a French Girl JB 520106 Suspense JB 520113 Jack Gets a Haircut JB 520120 George Burns Sings Jack s Song JB 520203 Wolfe Gilbert to Publish Jack s Song JB 520210 To New York to Publish Jack s Song JB 520217 New York Symphony Plays Jack s Song In His Dreams JB 520224 Jack Tries to Buy a Car JB 520302 Guest Show JB 520309 Fourth TV Show of the Season JB 520316 Trying to Lose Weight in a Steam Cabinet JB 520323 The Academy Awards JB 520330 My Naval Career JB 520406 Jack Opens His Swimming Pool And Goes To The Dentist JB 520413 Jack and Mary Walk in the Easter Parade JB 520420 All Hands on Deck JB 520427 Bend in the River JB 520504 Jack Fixes the Phonograph JB 520511 Roy And Rochester Clean And Jack Takes The Beavers To The Zoo JB 520525 Jack Prepares For His London Trip By Packing, Getting Money JB 520601 Jack Prepares For Houston and London JB 520914 Phil Harris is Replaced By Bob Crosby JB 520921 In Scotland Jack goes shopping with Mary JB 520928 High Noon JB 521005 Scoop Benny JB 521012 Jack Catches His Nose In A Gopher Trap JB 521019 Jack Buys Twentieth Century Fox JB 521026 Gossip Article On Jack JB 521109 Jack Goes To The Doctor For A Vitamin Shot JB 521116 Purple Pirate JB 521123 USC UCLA Football Game JB 521130 Thanksgiving Pilgrims JB 521207 Happy Time JB 521214 Jack Buys a Gopher Trap for Don JB 521221 Setting up Christmas Tree JB 530111 The Road to Bali JB 530118 Jack Buys An Elephant Leg Umbrella Stand JB 530125 Bets on Our Fancy JB 530201 High Noon JB 530208 Steak Ride JB 530215 The Life of Bing Crosby JB 530222 The Beavers Impersonate The Show JB 530301 Off to New York City JB 530308 The Snows Of Kilimanjaro JB 530315 How Palm Springs Was Founded JB 530322 A Walk Through Beverly Hills JB 530329 Mississippi Gambler JB 530405 Easter Parade JB 530412 Missing Heir JB 530419 Bob Borrows Five Hundred Dollars from Jack JB 530426 From San Francisco JB 530503 From San Francisco JB 530510 From San Francisco JB 530517 I Flew to Mars JB 530524 Insurance Medical Exam JB 530531 Jack Listens to the Indy 500 on the Radio JB 530607 Gondola in Venice JB 530706 Jack Goes For A Walk After Having The Flu (AFRS) JB 530913 Back From Vacation in Hawaii JB 530920 Return to Paradise JB 530927 Polly Goes to the Psychiatrist JB 531004 Leo And Jack Watch The World Series JB 531011 Jack Tries To Sell His House JB 531018 Wings of the Hawk JB 531025 Jack Buys a G String JB 531101 Four AM Walk JB 531108 All American JB 531115 Jack Prepares for His TV Show JB 531122 Dennis Imitates People On The Phone To Jack JB 531129 Thanksgiving Dinner JB 531206 Jack Talk s About His TV Show JB 531213 Christmas Show From Palm Springs JB 531220 Cactus Christmas Tree JB 540110 The Don Wilson Story JB 540117 Jack Gets a Parking Ticket JB 540124 Jack Goes to the Races JB 540131 Guest Show JB 540207 Dennis Is Told to Quit the Show by His Mother JB 540214 Jack s 39th Birthday Again JB 540221 Jack At The Train Station JB 540228 From New York JB 540307 Jack s Big Date JB 540314 On The Train To Los Angeles JB 540321 Jack Listens to Mean Old Man on Radio JB 540328 Jack and the Beanstalk JB 540404 Dennis Wants To Join The Air Force JB 540411 Jack Hasn t Received His New Contract JB 540418 Easter Parade JB 540425 Jack and the Cast Hold a Seance JB 540502 Jack Loses Four Dollars And Seventy Five Cents at the Race JB 540509 At The Beach JB 540516 Jack Takes Date to Underground Restaurant JB 540523 Jack s Trip to Las Vegas JB 540530 Jack Buys A New Suit JB 540606 Jack Goes To Dallas JB 540718 Radio Show JB 540926 Show Not Being Broadcast JB 541003 Garden of Evil JB 541017 The Purple Pirate JB 541024 The Drive In JB 541031 Sportsmen Are Fired JB 541107 Jack Sees a Doctor JB 541114 Dinner at Don s House JB 541121 Jack Has A Cold He Caught At Don s House JB 541128 Dennis Sees a Psychiatrist JB 541205 Christmas Shopping JB 541212 In Palm Springs JB 541219 Christmas at Palm Springs JB 541226 Day After Christmas Dennis Cold JB 550102 Rose Bowl Parade JB 550109 The Elephant s Graveyard Mystery JB 550116 Jack Doesn t Have a Script JB 550123 At The Race Track JB 550130 Beverly Wilshire Health Club JB 550206 The Sponsor Gets a Million Dollar Policy on Jack JB 550213 Surprise Party for Jack JB 550220 The Beavers Do The Show JB 550227 Television Wrestling JB 550320 Jury Duty and Phone Trouble JB 550327 Shooting of Dan McGrew JB 550403 Ed And The Vault JB 550410 Easter Stroll JB 550417 Bob Hope and Jack Double Date JB 550424 Renting the Maxwell to a Movie Studio JB 550501 Love Letters Jack Buys a Baseball Team JB 550515 A Friend at Union Station JB 550522 Trouble with Wimbly, Sound Effects Man JB 570615 Jack and the Beanstalk JB 571222 From Veteran s Hospital JBExtra 430611 Camel Comedy Caravan with Jack Benny JBExtra 700121 Jack Benny Roast At Friar s Club JBExtra 720803 The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson JBExtra 740123 The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson JBExtra 750102 (NPR) Tribute To Jack Benny (Part 1) JBExtra 750102 (NPR) Tribute To Jack Benny (Part 2) JBExtra 750102 (NPR) Tribute To Jack Benny (Part 3) JBExtra 750102 (NPR) Tribute To Jack Benny (Part 4) JBExtra Classic Routines JBExtra Don t Touch That Dial Don Wilson Tribute (Part 01) JBExtra Don t Touch That Dial Don Wilson Tribute (Part 02) JBExtra Don t Touch That Dial Don Wilson Tribute (Part 03) JBExtra Don t Touch That Dial Don Wilson Tribute (Part 04) IMPORTANT NOTE! The CD presented for sale contains radio programs recorded and preserved in the MP3 audio format. The MP3 format allows for audio compression and can allow the storage of over 50 hours of audio per CD. The MP3 format is compatible with many newer DVD and portable CD players, as well as MP3 players. The MP3 format is also playable on Windows based computers using Real Player, Windows Media Player or other players. Attention EBay After a careful search of the Library of Congress and the United States Trademark and Patent Office, it has been determined that the programs listed for sale here are in the Public Domain. They are being offered with the understanding that no valid or active copyright, trademark, and or patent exist for them. These recordings are sold for private home listening and use only. No broadcast rights are stated, implied, or given. Historical Media assumes no responsibility for unauthorized use of these programs. The Library Of Congress has ruled that old radio broadcasts are within the Public Domain, since they were not qualified for copyright protection when presented, nor was any attempt to place them under such copyright protection when the opportunity existed in 1978 1979 when the copyright law regarding these programs was revised. Radio shows created before January 1, 1978 are protected by the Copyright Act of 1909. These shows are listed in accordance with current EBay policies concerning selling Old Time Radio Public Domain materials. Payment Policy PayPal is the only form of payment accepted. Payment must be made through PayPal within 48 hours of auction s end. Item will be shipped within 24 hours of receiving full payment. Shipping Policy Shipping is offered within the United States ONLY. No international shipping is offered. Shipments will be made to PayPal confirmed addresses only. Items will be shipped via USPS First Class Mail within 24 hours of receiving full payment. Returns Policy Historical Media wants your total satisfaction! All of our products feature a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you are unhappy with your purchase for ANY reason your money will be refunded NO QUESTIONS ASKED. Items may be returned within 14 days of purchase for a full refund. Buyer must pay return shipping. About Us It s simple. At Historical Media, we love radio and we love history what a great combination! With items from Old Time Radio, Top 40 Airchecks, Historical Photographs, Campy films from the early 20th Century and even some NASA history in between, Historical Media provides unique products capturing memories from the past. We have a wide selection of unique items Old Time Radio Shows Great shows for the days when radio was king Gunsmoke, Dragnet, Suspense and many, many more! Top 40 Airchecks Remember those great disc jockeys and great radio station when you were a kid We have recordings of many of them! NASA Audio From the thrilling days of the great space race between the United States and the Soviet Union audio from every manned Apollo mission! NASA Photos HUGE collections from America s space agency NASA! Historical Photos and Documents Great for research or learning! Audio Documentaries Relive some of the most inspiring and shocking times in American history And many, many more! Your complete satisfaction is the ULTIMATE goal. We truly want you to be completely satisfied with each and every purchase. If we can answer any questions, or help you in any way, please contact us. Peruse our wide selection of unique items! New products are added frequently. Check back often! Thanks for visiting Historical Media! format=mp3 cdlength=unabridgedlanguage=english