Best of Jack Benny
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Movie Reviews of Best of Jack Benny
Movie Review: A great collection of complete Jack Benny Program episodes
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the most entertainment I have gotten for under ten dollars in a long time - four discs of complete episodes of The Jack Benny Program and various other shows in which Jack appeared, including that of George Burns and Gracie Allen. Just about every star of the 50's and 60's shows up on Jack's show, and the show is presented complete with commercials in most cases. This is most interesting since Lucky Strike cigarettes sponsored Benny's show for much of its tenure. How ironic to see Humphrey Bogart plugging cigarettes during an episode in which he appears just a few years before the same product takes his life.
Especially fun are the guest appearances by Mel Blanc and Bob Hope - Benny just can't resist breaking up during their routines. Then there is an episode entitled "Jam Session" in which a number of stars including Kirk Douglas, Fred MacMurray, Dan Dailey, and Dick Powell join Jack in his living room for an impromptu musical session. The group, in need of refreshment, find a number of vending machines placed throughout the room to dispense cold apples and soft drinks at a price, of course. They've obviously been to Jack's house before.
There is a running gag through the shows about the failure of Jacks's 1940's film "The Horn Blows at Midnight". I don't know if it failed in the 40's, but if you ever get a chance to catch it on TV, give it a try - it really is pretty good.
As for the controversy over Rochester, I'd say his role in TV was groundbreaking. Benny treats Rochester more as a member of the family than a servant, and several times Rochester's ingenuity and wisdom save Benny from himself. More importantly, Rochester's ingenuity saves himself from Benny's cheapskate ways more than once, and when that's not possible at least Rochester gets off a wisecrack at Benny's expense. It's not at all the painful portrayal of racial stereotypes you see in some of the 1940's Charlie Chan films.
Some people have criticized the video quality of this pack. The quality is definitely "unrestored", but I would put it on par with the best quality that you find in some of those public domain 50 movie packs. Sure there are some scratches in the video here and there, but the audio is quite clear. Highly recommended.
Movie Review: Most complete collection - Hands-down best value - Laughed for hours!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the most complete Jack Benny Show set on Amazon, and by far the best value. Having enjoyed this set so much, I searched Amazon for other available episodes. To my surprise, I could only find one episode that I did not already have on this set--and I had to search really hard for that one.
I haven't laughed so much in ever-so-long! This has got to be good for your health! Even during those times when the actual routines a little too silly, you know the actors are having a good time, you can't help but laugh. Just a few dollars for hours of laughter. I think this was my best investment of 2007.
Picture quality is typically very good, considering the technology which has preserved them for us today. Only a couple of episodes have apparently come from films that left images looking a bit fuzzy or washed out. The worst quality film image is in the "Honeymooners Episode," but that doesn't stop it from being one of the most enjoyable episodes on the set (and my personal favorite). I'm oh-so-glad they included it in spite of the inferior film quality. It's a hoot, with Dennis Day and Audrey Meadows giving spot-on performances.
I recommend a family game of watching to see who can be the first to detect Mr. Benny having trouble surpressing a smile. (When teamed with Bob Hope, he pretty much gives up fighting this losing battle.) There are two versions of Jack's touching New Year's Eve story which could spark an annual friends-and-family viewing tradition.
A couple additional details which might be useful:
The DVD's are all single-sided--no need to worry about double-sided DVD's. This is my third DVD set from Mill Creek Entertainment. In spite of bargain-basement prices, they are always of very respectable quality.
Only 34 of the 40 shows are actually Jack Benny shows or specials. The other six are other shows or films featuring Jack Benny. These are an additional treat, giving a taste of others shows of the era, including George Burns and Gracie Allen, the Bing Crosby GE Show, and General Electric Theater (hosted by Ronald Reagan).
Movie Review: The Best of Jack Benny, and More!!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This should be called The Best of Jack Benny and More! There is so much more, from the now long-banned cigarette commercials, to GE Theatre (you've got to see these, hosted by none other than Ronald Reagan), the Easter Seal Teleparade of Stars, and the Bing Crosby GE Show. This set is four DVD discs full of early television history; television in its infancy. Jack's show was basically an early variety show, featuring many stars of the silver screen, and musicians of the day, such as Fred Allen, Eddie Cantor, Bob Hope, Humphrey Bogart, George Burns & Gracie Allen, Johnnie Ray, Danny Thomas, Irene Dunne, Vincent Price, Liberace, Jimmy Stewart, Audrey Meadows, Ernie Kovacs, the Beach Boys, Dick Contino, and so, so, so many more! We simply do not have programming like this on television today, and that is a shame.
The Jack Benny Program aired on the CBS Television Network in the 1950s and into the 1960s. In the early days of television programming, many programs, while deemed "regular" programs, did not air weekly. Jack Benny's show alternated with Ann Sothern in "Private Secretary" for some time in the early years. I have also purchased what I could of that series through Amazon, and will write a review of that (preview of my review: BUY IT! IT'S SO FUNNY!)
Quality of some of the programs sometimes suffers from fifty-to-nearly-sixty year old technology; they did not have videotape back then. That, however, is all very forgiveable; for what this set lacks in technical aplomb is undeniably more than superceded by the priceless content. This is a monument and tribute to mid-20th century post-War America and the artists of that period, and is a must-have for anyone who is either knowledgeable of and enjoys early television programming, or someone who wants to learn about the medium and its roots.
Movie Review: "Oh, Don...Don Wilson..."
Summary: 5 Stars
Granted, the quality of the prints in this release aren't stellar and in fact, the final frames of a few shows are missing. But they're not all that bad either, and given that we're provided with a whopping 1,260 minutes of entertainment on four disks for <$10, I think some perspective is in order. We're treated to some of the earliest shows--from the short-lived days of the single sponsor--which include Lucky Strike commercials that are actually incorporated into the episodes themselves (earlier than I remember, and I grew up watching this show from infancy). There are also some specials, plus an installment of the Burns & Allen show in which Jack was the guest star. It's a nice mix.
I've already loaned this to one of my professors who also happens to be a fan. In fact, it turns out that several of my buddies in academia are J.B. fans, so this will be passed around a lot. This is REALLY funny stuff and we're lucky that at least some original film stock has survived. I'd love to see an all-out restoration project but until such time, this will more than suffice. I tend to be fussy about quality, but given the age of the source material and the price, I'm very happy that I made this purchase. It might not be everyone's cup of tea (i.e., it's not for liver-lipped, pretentious, Finnish ugly-boy stalker trolls), but if genuine wit without profanity, bathroom humor, and graphic sexuality appeals to you, this is likely to keep you laughing for the better part of 21 hours.
A small caveat: Disk 2 wouldn't track in my PowerBook but was fine in my DVD player, so I didn't bother to try to exchange it.
Movie Review: Excellent Selection of the Best Comedy Show of the 1950's
Summary: 5 Stars
There were funnier shows in the 1950's, "Abbott and Costello," "I Love Lucy" (from 1952-1955), "Milton Berle," "Honeymooners" and "I Married Joan," but these only lasted, or were funny, for two or three years, "The Jack Benny Show" lasted amazingly from 1950 till 1965. From this collection, a good selection from many of these years, it is clear that the Jack Benny show was consistently funny for all those years.
This is the best collection on the market. Even the ones that are no longer very funny (about 1/4 of the episodes) are fascinating to watch for what they tell us about the times.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the show today is the relationship between Eddie Anderson (Rochester) and Jack Benny. There is a genuine affection between the two performers that made for a silent but clear anti-racist message for the time.
One should be warned that there are a lot of Luck Strike commercials included (about 20). They are incredibly effective and even today can have you wanting to run out and buy a pack for the "great taste."
Hopefully, someone will put out a complete year by year collection some day. Until then, this collection is the best we have.