EMMYS 1961: The Jack Benny Program (season 11)

NETWORK: CBS
SPONSORS: Lipton tea, State Farm insurance

Jack Benny, violinist/comedian among the most popular entertainers of the time, finally made the jump to a weekly schedule for his television series in 1960 and won the Emmy for the second time. As I mentioned earlier, Jack's show was mostly a variety show, but with the odd side-episodes and ideas that were more of a sitcom format. By this point in the run of the series, the more sitcom side was far more frequent in the episodes, so that makes it clear why this series won in the Comedy Series rather than Variety Series category. There was even one episode devoted entirely to just the older variety format, and it sort of sticks out. That episode, by the way, was the television debut of Ann-Margaret. But the rest of the time a good portion of the show would be taken up with some long-form skit or parody, even if keeping to the old formula of Jack introducing the show with a monologue in front of a curtain. And often there would be a musical number, usually performed by Dennis Day.

But for much of the season, there would be whole episodes devoted to just Jack Benny in his daily life, with his friends and his black manservant, Rochester. The Jack Benny Program had ultimately meshed the original variety format with the sitcom format pioneered by I Love Lucy. In one episode, Jack even "leaves" his show to go take care of urgent business, and that story takes up the rest of the episode. In a way, one could see programs like this as precursors to Seinfeld, which originated as showing the life of an entertainer implying where he gets the material for his actual shows. And I never thought of it before, but the format of Jack opening and closing the shows in front of the curtain may be paid homage to by the structure of the '90s Nickelodeon series Kenan and Kel.

As I mentioned above, Jack Benny finally took the television show weekly this season and with new sponsors. Like other series of the time, many stories were adapted from episodes of his radio program. He now devoted more time to the television version, and did so with gusto and a plethora of guest stars. The season premiere featured George Burns, Tony Curtis, and Mike Wallace, among others. That first show was a great one, because the entire story revolved around Jack taking the show weekly and advertising it. It was a smart way to make a funny show and remind the audience that they could tune in next week. It was a half-hour of self promotion! But it was also an opportunity to parody the work of Mike Wallace. Remember, this was back before 60 Minutes. At the time, Mike Wallace did a series of interviews on a local New York show called Night Beat. From there, he got some nationally televised Mike Wallace interviews. So now, here's this up and coming journalistic icon, and Jack Benny comes along and has a parody interview with him (framed as a nightmare). It's a fun, topical episode.

Another hilarious celebrity appearance is that of Jimmy Stewart in a story where Stewart's mail keeps getting delivered to Jack's house by mistake, and the end up at the same concert. 

But as long as we're on the subject of guest stars, I would be remiss if I didn't hail the comedic talents of Jack's regular associates, especially in this season Mel Blanc. You know Mel Blanc, the man of a thousand voices. He is well known for voicing many Hanna-Barbera and Warner Bros. cartoon characters, including Bugs Bunny and Barney Rubble. He makes a number of memorable appearances this season, some taken directly from radio bits. Perhaps most memorable is as a sales clerk at Christmas who has to keep wrapping and unwrapping a wallet he sold to Benny. In another episode, he shows off his voice talents doing horses, dogs, etc.



A great use of the television medium is in the story "Jack Goes to the Vault" where Jack Benny takes some government folks to tour his personal vault to see his security system. This show features elaborate set design of an underground cavern with moving walls, crocodiles, giant doors, a drawbridge, and more. It's very impressive for the time, especially considering it was all just a one-time gag.

Once again, I had a difficult time tracking down episodes and was only able to watch roughly two thirds of the season. But what I saw was a lot of fun, with verbal humor, visual humor, and music. I think this season was better than season 9. I really got a feel for Jack Benny's persona and why his comedy was so popular. It was also interesting as a snapshot of the period, particularly with the frequent jokes about the L.A. smog. While still a variety show at its core, I think The Jack Benny Program, particularly in these later years, is a worthy piece of sitcom history as well. Certainly, it deserves its accolades for comedy.

FAVORITE EPISODES: Nightbeat Takeoff, Jack Goes to a Concert, Christmas Show, Jack Goes to the Vault, Main Street Shelter

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