Jack Benny is one of America's most venerated entertainers of the twentieth century. For over 50 years the nation identified with the persona that Benny created on the vaudeville circuit, sustained on radio, and successfully transferred to television. Few performers have lasted so long without any significant drop in popularity.

Jack Benny

The character that Benny created exemplified the foibles of the American Everyman. Benny realized early on that "if you want the laughs you have to put something in a ridiculous light, even yourself." Benny was not a gifted clown or a sparkling wit, so he and his writers crafted a well-rounded persona with the weaknesses and imperfections of his audience. The Benny alter ego was penny-pinching, vain, anxious, and never willing to admit his true age (he was always 39 years old). Endless jokes were woven around these shortcomings, with Benny always the object...