--- 110 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
DVD: $14.95
Wellll! We proudly present three complete Benny shows spanning twelve years of his TV career. These are live programs, shown only once, not seen on TV since they first aired. Guests on these shows are Bob Hope, Martin and Lewis, Bing Crosby, George Burns, Walt Disney, Elke Sommer, the Beach Boys, and of course, Don Wilson and Rochester. Sketches include a spoof of Hope's "road" pictures, a vaudeville act that teams Benny with Burns and Crosby, and a "Mary Poppins" spoof. TV was never funnier! Some commercials intact.
--- 110 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. OCTOBER 11, 1954: Guests are Fred MacMurray, Tony Martin, Dick Powell, Dan Dailey, and Kirk Douglas. Jack holds a jam session at his house. Complete with original commercials.
2. OCTOBER 25, 1953: Jack spoofs 1930s crime movies. Also complete with commercials.
3. NOVEMBER 8, 1954: Mary persuades Jack to buy a new suit.
4. NOVEMBER 22, 1954: Ronald Reagan introduces Jack as Tom Jones, a man whose face nobody can remember. Original commercials are intact.
--- 115 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. APRIL 19, 1952: Jack's guest is Fred Allen. It's the final show of the 1951-52 season, so Jack goes to see his sponsor. He finds Fred Allen there trying to steal away the show. Eddie Cantor makes a cameo.
2. JANUARY 6, 1957: Jack holds his annual talent competition to showcase the stars of tomorrow. Mel Blanc does a funny segment as an animal impersonator. All commercials are included.
3. NOVEMBER 15, 1953: Guest: Singer Johnnie Ray. Jack blows up after he books Ray on the show only to find that Ray requires $10,000 an appearance. Danny Thomas makes a cameo appearance. With original commercials.
4. JANUARY 17, 1954: Jack is asked to appear at a charity benefit. Original commercials are included.
--- 120 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. NOVEMBER 30, 1952: After a tough day doing his TV show, an exhausted Jack goes home to bed, only to be followed by burglars. With commercials.
2. JANUARY 1, 1956: Jack has college football coaches as his guests on this New Year's Day show, along with the re-creation of his famous "New Year's Eve" skit he used to do on his radio show in the 1940s. Commercials included.
3. APRIL 23, 1959: Jack and his guest Giselle Mackenzie get lost on their way back from a supermarket opening in a remote area of Arizona.
4. DECEMBER 22, 1956: A special Christmas episode finds Jack holiday shopping at a dept. store, and driving a hapless clerk (Mel Blanc) crazy. A comm. is intact.
--- 110 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. DECEMBER 8, 1953: Guests are Irene Dunne and Vincent Price. Jack decides that he would make a better leading man in Irene's next movie, so he invites himself over to her home during a rehearsal to prove it. Complete with original commercials.
2. FEBRUARY 7, 1954: Mary Livingstone and Jack's daughter Joan appear in this episode. In an ironic twist, Jack the TV character dreams he's married to Mary and they have a daughter named Joan! Also complete with original commercials.
3. OCTOBER 23, 1955: Jack welcomes Art Linkletter and Peggy King to the program. In the comedy sketch, Art interviews his latest quartet of kids - Donny Wilson, Rochester Van Jones, Peggy King, and little Jackie Benny! Also, Mel Blanc plays a disruptive audience member, and the show has original commercials.
4. NOVEMBER 18, 1956: Jack finds out during the show that his Maxwell has been stolen, so he heads out to the Beverly Hills Police Department. All original commercials are included.
--- 120 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. THE JACK BENNY PROGRAM (11/4/51), with Jack, Don Wilson, Bob Crosby, Mel Blanc, and guest star Dorothy Shay. Jack opens his second season onTV with a sketch spoofing hillbillies. Blanc plays a disgruntled cab driver.
2. SHOWER OF STARS (3/14/57). Here's a 60-minute variety program hosted by Jack. His guests are Gale Storm and Lawrence Welk. Comedy includes Welk introducing Benny to a beautiful dancer...that turns out to be a puppet, and an extended sketch about spies in an international cafe. The program is complete with Chrysler/Plymouth commercials.
3. THE JACK BENNY PROGRAM (2/6/63). This is one of the last shows that Jack did live (as opposed to film). In this hilarious episode, Jack rents his house for several weeks while he goes away on tour. The renters are not exactly thrilled to learn his rules and regulations. Frank Nelson guests as Jack's travel agent.
--- 115 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. THE JACK BENNY PROGRAM (11/20/55). After a new, young comedian (a very special surprise guest star whose career was just beginning at the time) upstages him during his show, Jack thinks he�s being followed home from the studio. Complete with original commercials.
2. SHOWER OF STARS (1/10/57). Jack hosts another live variety hour, and his guests are Jayne Mansfield, Liberace, Rod McKuen, Vincent Price, and Joanie O�Brien. Comedy includes Jack as a criminal lawyer defending Jayne in court. Some original commercials are included.
3. THE JACK BENNY PROGRAM (2/23/58). Jack welcomes Gisele Mackenzie back to his program for her annual visit, which includes another famous violin duet between the two. But this time, Jack has a big surprise waiting for Gisele! Also complete with original commercials.
--- 120 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
Jack and his gang always put on great shows during the holidays, and here are two live shows that really shine bright! Both shows contain original commercials!
1. THE JACK BENNY PROGRAM (12/18/55). Jack's guests are Frances and Edgar Bergen. Jack wants Edgar to appear on his annual Christmas show, so he pays the Bergens a visit and is shocked to learn something about Charlie and Mortimier!
2. THE JACK BENNY PROGRAM (12/28/54). In another live re-creation of his annual New Year's Eve show performed since his radio days, Jack's date falls through and he's left with nothing to do to ring in the new year. If you already have the other version of this program on show #709, watch for subtle differences in jokes and in the casting of some of the supporting players.
--- 55 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---