This last stop on this journey will be to eight years earlier, Sunday, January 4, 1942 to hear an episode from The Jell’O Program starring Jack Benny. Benny was on radio for twenty-three years, from 1932 until 1955. By the time he came to radio, Benny had more than 15 years of performing in vaudeville, Broadway revues and movie as a violinist-turned-stand-up comedian.
I have reset the time portal’s radio dial to Sunday, January 4, 1942 for the “New Year’s Eve Party at The Biltmore Hotel” episode of the Jell’O Program starring Jack Benny with Mary Livingstone, Phil Harris, Dennis, Day, Rochester and announcer Don Wilson.
When he first started in radio, Benny felt his easy-going “master of ceremonies” style of humor suited the intimacy of radio. He assumed the transition to the new medium would be easy. He found to his horror, however, by the fourth of his broadcasts, he had run out of old stage monologues to recycle. He quickly brought in vaudeville writer Harry Conn. Together, Benny and Conn (who’d be with the show for four years) developed a fresh humor, a fourth-wall-breaking workplace situation comedy. Jack, the host, traded banter and barbs with the announcer, band leader and singer, in their convoluted joint efforts to put on a radio show.
Dennis Day, the singer on the show, replaced tenor Kenny Baker. Baker no longer wanted to play the innocent young man on the show, who would frequently cause the Jack Benny character frustration with his “silly” remarks. But Baker was not the first singer on Benny’s program. There was a tenor before him. Do you know that tenor’s name? I’ll reveal the answer before the start of next week’s journey.
Our journey back to The Golden Age of Radio is over for this week, but I make a trip back every week at this same time on this same station. Is there a particular program from the Golden Age of Radio that you would like to hear? Let me know. Send your requests to radiotheater@wbnj.org; that’s radiotheater@wbnj.o-r-g. At the same time, tell me your answer to the question I just asked. Even if you have no special request at this time, maybe you have some comments about the show. At the least, email me the answer to the question.
This is Mike Alexander for The Unforgettable Radio Theater asking you to join me next week for another trip back to the Golden Age of Radio. I’ll be right here waiting to set your radio dial and guide you through the time portal.
