Radio Daze: Some “Jack Benny” For Your Old Radio Listening Pleasure!
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog here with another episode of Radio Daze! This time we’re featuring a couple for the great Jack Benny! Eternally 39 years old, cheap, and a horrible fiddle player, Benny ruled the airwaves for almost 25 years. The writing team was tops and his supporting cast, including Mary Livingston, Phil Harris, Dennis Day, announcer Don Wilson, and his valet Rochester, was among the best in comedy history. Enjoy these two offerings from the Lucky Strike Era! So Sayeth The Kendog!
The Dogcast: Some Jack Benny/Rochester Old Radio Fun!
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog here with some more old radio fun, this time in honor of Sidney Poitier who died today at the age of 94. In honor of Mr. Poitier’s accomplishments both onscreen and off, I’m including a couple of Jack Benny programs featuring Eddie Anderson as Rochester, Jack’s long-suffering valet. In reality, the African American Anderson was one of the first noteworthy black performers on mainstream radio and Benny paid him handsomely. It was extremely rare in an era in which the two most popular black characters on the radio (Amos And Andy) were played by two white actors. With Benny’s help, Eddie Anderson was one of the first pioneers in the world of integrated entertainment. Enjoy and feel free to comment either below or on my Facebook page. So Sayeth The Kendog!
