Trivia of Jack Benny

 Trivia of Jack Benny (14 February 1894 - 26 December 1974)

*Born in Valentine's Day, Benny was the son of Jewish immigrants from Poland and Lithuania.At the age of 6, Benny began studying violin, an instrument that became his trademark; his parents hoped for him to become a professional violinist.Later, he became a far better violinist than he made himself out to be, he owned a real Stradivarius (made in 1724) that he often played in charity events.

*Before the legendary Marx Brothers brought their comedy act to Hollywood, they toured the vaudeville circuit with their mother Minnie Marx, stopping in Benny’s hometown of Waukegan, Illinois in 1911, Minnie noticed how quickly Benny picked up new music and offered him a job playing for her sons on tour.However, this plan was foiled by Benny's parents who would not let their 17-year-old son on the road.

*In 1917, during the World War I, he left the artistic career to join the U.S. Navy and often entertained the troops with his violin playing. In one of his shows, he was applauded more for his funny jokes than for his violin play which made him realize that he was destined to become a comedian.

*In 1932, the turning point in his life arrived when he was invited on Ed Sullivan's radio program. His spontaneity and wittiness on radio received immediate recognition and he was commissioned as the face of a new radio show titled ‘The Jack Benny Program’. It was a weekly radio show that aired from 1932 to 1948 on NBC and from 1949 to 1955 on CBS.

*His radio program that followed the premature death of Carole Lombard was canceled because Benny, a good friend and admirer, was grief-stricken. The time was filled with music instead. Both had just starred together in To Be or Not to Be (1942).

*Benny also starred in several movies, including The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929), Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935), The Horn Blows at Midnight (1945) and George Washington Slept Here (1942), although he had much greater success on radio and on TV than he did on the big screen.

*One of Benny's best-known schticks as a radio star was his long-standing feud with fellow radio comedian Fred Allen. The two often appeared on each other's radio programs to trade barbs. Sadly, other than an appearance on The Jack Benny Program (1950), in which Allen tries to steal Jack's sponsor, this did not carry over into television, as Allen died shortly after beginning his own TV show. In real life, Benny and Allen were great friends. Benny even took time on his radio program to eulogize Allen after his death.