Jack Benny's Main TV Roles Show Character(s) The Jack Benny Program Jack Benny The $64,000 Question Jack Benny The George Burns Show Jack Benny The DuPont Show of the Week Jack Benny

Main Movie Roles 2007 - Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project 1973 - Paper Moon 1967 - A Guide for the Married Man 1963 - It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World 1962 - Gypsy 1946 - Without Reservations 1944 - Hollywood Canteen 1942 - George Washington Slept Here 1942 - To Be or Not To Be 1935 - Broadway Melody of 1936 1929 - The Hollywood Revue of 1929

BIOGRAPHY:

The son of a saloonkeeper, Jack Benny (born Benny Kubelsky) began to study the violin at the age six, and his "ineptness" at it later become his trademark (in reality, he was a very accomplished player). When given the opportunity to play in live theatre professionally, Benny quit school and joined vaudeville. In the same theatre that Benny was working with were the very young Marx Brothers. Their mother, Minnie, wanted Benny to go on the road with them. However, this plan was foiled by his parents who would not let their 17-year-old son on the road.

Having a successful vaudeville career, Benny also had a greater career on radio for "The Jack Benny Program". The show was one of the few successful radio programs that also became a successful television show.

Benny also starred in several movies including The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929), Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935), The Horn Blows at Midnight (1945) and George Washington Slept Here (1942), although he had much greater success on radio and on TV than he did on the big screen.

He was good friends with Fred Allen (I), with whom he had a long-standing comic "feud".


TRIVIA:

• 1934-42: Star of NBC Radio's "The Jell-O Program".
• Hosted the Academy Awards in 1944 and 1947
• 1933-34: Star of NBC Radio's "The Chevrolet Show".
• Towards the end of his TV series, he was waiting for his show to air and began watching _"Bonanza" (1959)_ (qv), which started half an hour sooner. He wound up missing his show and said "If I won't even watch me, what chance do I have?".
• He met his future wife 'Mary Livingstone' (qv) while he was appearing at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles, and he regularly ate across the street at the lunch counter of the May Company department store, where Mary worked as a lingerie salesgirl.
• 1934: Star of NBC Radio's "The General Tire Show".
• He once appeared on the TV quiz show _"The $64,000 Question" (1955)_ (qv). After answering the first question correctly he quit and took home $1.00. His category was violins.
• He was awarded 3 Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Pictures at 6650 Hollywood Boulevard, for Radio at 1505 Vine Street, and for Television at 6370 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.