Jack Benny facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jack Benny
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Benny in 1964
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| Born |
Benjamin Kubelsky
February 14, 1894 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
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| Died | December 26, 1974 (aged 80) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Resting place | Hillside Memorial Park, Culver City, California |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1911–1974 |
| Known for | The Jack Benny Program |
| Spouse(s) |
Mary Livingstone
(m. 1927) |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Robert F. Blumofe (son-in-law) Robert Blumofe (grandson) |
| Awards |
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Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky, February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was a famous American entertainer. He started as a violinist in vaudeville shows. Vaudeville was a popular type of live entertainment. Jack Benny became one of the biggest stars of his time. He was known for his funny acts on radio, TV, and in movies.
People loved his unique comic timing. He could make audiences laugh with a long pause or a simple look. His famous saying was an annoyed "Well! " His radio and TV shows were very popular from 1932 until he passed away in 1974. These shows greatly influenced the sitcom style we see today. In his acts, Benny played a character who was a bit stingy. He also pretended to play the violin badly and always claimed to be 39 years old.
Contents
Growing Up and Early Career
Jack Benny was born Benjamin Kubelsky in Chicago, Illinois, on February 14, 1894. He grew up in Waukegan. His parents, Meyer and Naomi, were Jewish immigrants. Meyer was a saloon owner and later sold men's clothing.
At age 6, Benny started learning the violin. This instrument later became his trademark. His parents hoped he would become a professional violinist. But he loved the violin, he just didn't like to practice! When he was 14, Benny played in dance bands and his high school orchestra. He wasn't very good at school and was even expelled.
In 1911, he began playing the violin in local vaudeville theaters. He earned $7.50 a week, which was about $240 in 2020 money. He even played in the same theater as the young Marx Brothers. Their mother liked his violin playing. She invited him to join her sons' act. Benny's parents didn't let him go on the road at 17. But this was the start of his long friendship with the Marx Brothers.
Benny had to change his name a few times. First, he changed it to Ben K. Benny. This was because another famous violinist, Jan Kubelik, had a similar name. Later, he changed it again to Jack. This was a nickname he got from fellow sailors.
During World War I, Benny joined the United States Navy. He often entertained other sailors with his violin. One night, the sailors booed his violin playing. So, he started telling jokes instead. Everyone laughed! This is how he discovered his talent for comedy. After the war, he created a solo act. His comedy became more important than his violin playing.
In 1922, Benny met Sadie Marks, who was 17. They met again in 1926, and Jack fell in love with her. They got married the next year. Sadie later became his comedy partner. She used the stage name Mary Livingstone. She was a natural at comedy. They later adopted a daughter named Joan.
In 1929, Benny signed a movie contract with MGM. His first film was The Hollywood Revue of 1929. But his movie career didn't take off right away. He returned to live shows. He then became interested in radio. In 1932, he was invited to be on Ed Sullivan's radio show. He said his first radio joke: "This is Jack Benny talking. There will be a slight pause while you say, 'Who cares?'"
Radio Stardom
Jack Benny was a minor performer before radio. But his weekly radio show, The Jack Benny Program, made him a national star. The show ran from 1932 to 1948 on NBC. Then it moved to CBS from 1949 to 1955. It was one of the most popular shows on radio.
His long radio career started on May 2, 1932. His first show was The Canada Dry Program. It featured music and some comedy. Later, he moved to The Chevrolet Program. The show became more focused on comedy. Benny and his cast became household names.
In 1949, his show switched to CBS. It stayed there until 1955. Even after it ended, CBS aired reruns of his show. They called it The Best of Benny.
Television Success
Jack Benny first appeared on TV in 1949. The network TV version of The Jack Benny Program ran from 1950 to 1965. Most of its run was on CBS. At first, it was a series of special shows. Then it became a regular show. It aired every few weeks, then every other week, and finally every week.
On TV, audiences could see Benny's funny facial expressions. The TV show was like the radio show. Many old radio scripts were used again. But now, there were visual jokes too. Benny performed his opening and closing talks in front of a live audience. He felt this was important for his comedy timing.
Mary Livingstone, Benny's wife, rarely appeared on the TV show. She had stage fright. This made it hard for her to perform live. For the last few years of the radio show, she even pre-recorded her lines. Her daughter, Joan, would stand in for her during live tapings. Mary Livingstone retired from show business in 1958.
Benny's TV show often had famous guest stars. Many big names appeared on his show. In 1953, Marilyn Monroe and Humphrey Bogart made their TV debuts on his program. Rod Serling, creator of The Twilight Zone, also guest starred. He appeared in a funny spoof of his own show.
In 1964, Walt Disney was a guest. He promoted his movie Mary Poppins. Benny joked about getting free tickets to Disneyland.
CBS stopped Benny's show in 1964. They wanted shows that appealed to younger viewers. Benny moved to NBC, his first network. But his show didn't do as well there. NBC dropped the show at the end of the season. Benny continued to make special TV shows until 1974. He also appeared on The Lucy Show twice. He even did funny commercials for Texaco gasoline. He used his "stingy" character. He would always ask for "a gallon" of gas.
Benny later said he decided to end his TV series in 1965. He felt the show was still popular. But advertisers were complaining about the high cost of commercials. He was also tired of the "rate race." So, after about 30 years on radio and TV, Jack Benny ended his weekly show on a high note.
Movies and Cartoons
Benny also acted in movies. These included The Hollywood Revue of 1929 and To Be or Not to Be. He and Mary Livingstone also appeared as themselves in Mr. Broadway (1933). Benny often made fun of movies on his radio show. The 1940 film Buck Benny Rides Again was a funny Western parody. It featured all his radio characters. One of his movies, The Horn Blows at Midnight, became a running joke on his shows. He would often joke about how bad it was.
Benny might have had a small, uncredited role in the movie Casablanca. Film critic Roger Ebert thought it looked like him.
Benny was also shown as a cartoon character. He appeared in several Warner Brothers cartoons. These included Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur and The Mouse that Jack Built. In The Mouse that Jack Built, Benny and his real cast members provided the voices. They played mouse versions of their characters. This cartoon is very memorable.
Benny also made a short appearance in the movie It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
Later Life and Legacy
After his regular TV show ended, Benny continued to perform live. He worked as a stand-up comedian. In the 1960s, he was a main act at Harrah's Lake Tahoe.
Benny made one of his last TV appearances on January 23, 1974. He was a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He performed some of his classic radio skits. Benny was planning to star in the movie The Sunshine Boys. But his health got worse that year. He asked his good friend, George Burns, to take his place. Burns ended up starring in the movie and won an Academy Award for it.
Benny made his final TV appearance on The Tonight Show on August 21, 1974. He also appeared on The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast several times. His last public performance aired after his death.
Death and Memorials
In October 1974, Benny felt dizzy and had numbness in his arms. Doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong. In December, he complained of stomach pains. Tests showed he had pancreatic cancer, which could not be operated on. Jack Benny passed away on December 26, 1974, at age 80.
At his funeral, his best friend George Burns tried to give a speech. But he was too sad to continue. Bob Hope also gave a speech. He said, "For a man who was the undisputed master of comedic timing, you would have to say this is the only time when Jack Benny's timing was all wrong. He left us much too soon."
Benny was buried in Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California. His will arranged for a single red rose to be sent to his wife, Mary Livingstone, every day for the rest of her life. Mary passed away eight and a half years later.
Jack Benny once said, "Everything good that happened to me happened by accident. I was not filled with ambition nor fired by a drive toward a clear-cut goal. I never knew exactly where I was going."
After he died, Benny's family gave his papers and TV shows to UCLA. The university created the Jack Benny Award for Comedy in his honor. It recognizes great people in comedy. Johnny Carson was the first to receive this award. Benny also donated a valuable Stradivarius violin to the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra.
Honors and Tributes
In 1960, Jack Benny received three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. One for television, one for movies, and one for radio. He was also inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1988. In 1989, he joined the National Radio Hall of Fame.
In 1972, he received the Order of Lincoln. This is Illinois' highest honor for performing arts.
When the price of a U.S. postal stamp went up to 39 cents in 2006, fans asked for a Jack Benny stamp. This was to honor his joke about always being 39 years old. The U.S. Postal Service had already issued a stamp of Benny in 1991.
Jack Benny Middle School in Waukegan is named after him. Its motto is "Home of the '39ers." A statue of Benny with his violin stands in downtown Waukegan.
The British comedian Benny Hill changed his name to honor Jack Benny.
Jack Benny was mentioned in the movie Back to the Future. Doc Brown joked about him being Secretary of the Treasury.
Filmography
Selected Radio Appearances
| Year | Program | Episode/source |
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| 1937 | Lux Radio Theatre | Brewster's Millions |
| 1938 | Lux Radio Theatre | Seven Keys to Baldpate |
| 1942 | Screen Guild Players | Parent by Proxy |
| 1943 | Screen Guild Players | Love Is News |
| 1946 | Lux Radio Theatre | Killer Cates |
| 1951 | Suspense | Murder in G-Flat |
| 1954 | Suspense | The Face Is Familiar |
See also
In Spanish: Jack Benny para niños
