Jack Benny Show – Season 7 – Episode 8 – Talent Show | Jack Benny, Eddie ‘Rochester’ Anderson

During Jack’s monologue about his Christmas gifts, Don interrupts with a purse found by an usher. Jayne Mansfield comes out of the audience to claim it, saying the usher grabbed it from her when she was walking past. Jayne says it’s a sneaky way to get a guest star. The Sportsmen Quartet sing and Rochester dances to “New Years in Trinidad” leading into the musical Lucky Strike ad.

Jack conducts a talent contest. First is Mel Blanc as Stanley Gropff (Jack sprays on him every time he says the man’s name) who performs animal impressions. Next is phony “The Landrews Sisters” trio (one regular, one sour, one fat) who sing and dance to “Did You Ever See a Dream Walking.” Lastly, Leon Salvadore, a judo champ chosen by Jack. He’s immediately beaten unconscious by the six big men.

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