The Jack Benny Program

- Season 1

(1951)

Benny's first program drives the studio audience wild - & straight into the streets when he unholsters his violin to mangle "Love in Bloom," his theme. Jack knows he's off to a bad start on TV when one of the show's cracked technicians interrupts Jack's intro to wave to an aunt. Rochester sings "My Blue Heaven" while cleaning Jack's house, and Dinah Shore auditions "I'm Yours" for Jack. Jack joins her for "I Oughta Know More About You." The Sportsmen Quartet perform "There's No Business Like Show Business," a theme song from Jack's radio program. Jack's well-wishers ...

Jack's guests are Frank Sinatra and TV hostess Faye Emerson. Sinatra and Benny trade jokes about New York City and Frank sing "Take My Love". From his dressing room Jack phones Mary to ask how he looks on TV; she can't tell him from Frank. Frank Fontaine, as John L.T. Savonie, plays a dope who won't stop reciting his Social Security number. Jack tries to sell himself to Faye Emerson as her romantic interest in her new movie. As an audition, the two perform a dramatic scene, but when they are about to kiss, Sinatra barges in, insults Benny, and kisses Emerson himself. ...

Jack tries to steal a movie role away from Basil Rathbone so he could play opposite of Claudette Colbert.

Rehearsing at home, Jack's violin playing causes the picture of Jascha Heifetz to fall off the wall. He takes Mary and his caddy Rochester to Hillcrest Country Club to play golf. In the locker room, Crosby sings "Because of You." Jack fails to recognize Ben Hogan and proceeds to give him unsolicited advice on his golfing technique. After being introduced, Jack recalls that he does Hogan's laundry. On the course, Jack swings and misses the ball completely before finally hitting it into the woods. Because he's cheap, Jack sends Rochester to search for the ball. After ...