Jack Benny Show – Season 11 – Episode 7 – Lunch Counter Murders | Jack Benny, Don Wilson

Jack’s monologue concerns the previous night’s bachelor party. Dennis refuses to sing because Duryea got the star dressing room; Dennis’ mother throws Duryea out of the room. The “dramatic” sketch is entitled “Death Across the Lunch Counter, or He Died Sunny-Side Up”. Jack plays Charleston T. Gundlefinger, a diner owner who’s about to close. It is midnight and he’s nervous because a man was recently murdered across the street. Three toughs (Duryea, Day and Nelson) come in and intimidate Jack. Benny shoots Duryea and Day and turns the gun on the third man. Number three isn’t a thug; he’s Charleston’s interior decorator.

THE JACK BENNY PROGRAM appeared infrequently during its first two years on CBS-TV. In his first season (1950–1951), Jack only performed on four shows, but by the 1951-1952 season, he was ready to do one show approximately every six weeks. During the 1953-1954 season, The Jack Benny Program aired every three weeks. From 1954 to 1960, the program aired every other week, rotating with such shows as Private Secretary and Bachelor Father.

After the radio show ended in 1955, Benny took on another biweekly series, becoming a regular on Shower of Stars, CBS’s hourlong comedy/variety anthology series, effectively appearing almost every week on one of the two series; it was on Shower of Stars that Benny’s character finally turned 40, throwing a large birthday party for the occasion. Beginning in the 1960–1961 season, The Jack Benny Program began airing every week. The show moved from CBS to NBC prior to the 1964-65 season. During the 1953-54 season, a handful of episodes were filmed during the summer and the others were live, a schedule which allowed Benny to continue doing his radio show.

Directed by Frederick De Cordova, Ralph Levy, Norman Abbott, Seymour Berns
Starring Jack Benny, Eddie ‘Rochester’ Anderson, Don Wilson

Cast
Jack Benny as Jack Benny
Don Wilson as Don Wilson
Eddie ‘Rochester’ Anderson as Rochester Van Jones
Dennis Day as Dennis Day
Mary Livingstone as Mary Livingstone
Mel Blanc as Polly
Benny Rubin as Bandit
The Sportsmen Quartet as Themselves
Frank Nelson as Clerk
Ned Miller as 2nd Man
Herb Vigran as 2nd Policeman
Jeanette Eymann as Nurse
Dale White as Harlow Wilson
Charles Cantor as Lingerie Salesman
Lois Corbett as Lois Wilson