Jack Benny: Comedy’s Funniest Straight Man
Ask contemporary comedians like Jerry Seinfeld about their career inspiration and many will point to Jack Benny. For over half a century, Benny was one of the great comics of stage, screen, radio and television. He was the master of the long take and knew how to milk a laugh.
On his long-running radio and television programs, Benny was depicted as a miser who hoarded every penny he made. Year after year, he denied he was older than 39, while honing his persona of a vain and devious penny-pincher — in stark contrast to the warm and generous human being he was in real life.
Benny knew he could be funny by following one simple rule: Let others deliver the punchlines. He discovered early that it didn’t matter who got the laughs on The Jack Benny Program as long as people were talking about how funny it was.
A staple on NBC radio for 16 years, Benny made headlines when he signed an unprecedented contract with rival network CBS. In late 1948, CBS hoped to dominate the broadcasting industry by successfully luring Benny away from his long-term NBC contract.they later convinced him to appear on CBS television, and by 1953, The Jack Benny Program was ATV fan favorite.
Perhaps his most famous gag was in the skit where one night he walked into his house and was confronted by a robber with a gun who barked, “Your money or your life!” Benny, hands in the air, did a slow deadpan look toward the audience. After a few seconds of silence from the victim, the robber repeated his demand. “Look bud, I said your money or your life!”
“I’m thinking it over!” replied Benny, as cheap as ever.
Through the years, Benny and his program garnered seven Emmys. He was also an accomplished violinist, performing with symphony orchestras and raising millions for charities. During World War II, he entertained U.S. troops by performing in Africa, the Middle East, Italy, Australia, the Pacific Islands and elsewhere. In 1951, he spent six weeks in Korea entertaining the troops.
At Benny’s funeral in 1974, George Burns, Benny’s best friend, began his eulogy and broke down. Bob Hope rose to the podium and in a shaky voice honored the comedian, saying, “For a man who was the undisputed master of comedy timing, you’d have to say that this was the only time when Jack Benny’s timing was all wrong. He left us much too soon.”