May 2, 1932: “The Jack Benny Program” Premieres

May 2, 1932: The Jack Benny Program -- always officially titled a "Program," not a "Show" -- first airs on NBC radio. It would remain on NBC until 1948, before switching to CBS and running until 1955. The television version ran on CBS from 1949 to 1965.

He was born on February 14, 1894, as Benjamin Kubelsky, in Chicago, and grew up in nearby Waukegan, Illinois. He learned to play the violin, and one of his teachers was Otto Graham Sr., father of future quarterbacking legend Otto Graham. At 17, he was playing his violin in Chicago's vaudeville theaters, where he met and became lifelong friends with the Marx Brothers.

As he became better-known, an established violinist with a similar name, Jan Kubelik, told him to change his name. He became Ben K. Benny, and then Jack Benny. In 1922, at a Passover seder in Vancouver, Zeppo Marx introduced her to Sadie Marks (no relation), and they were married in 1926. Sadie became an actress, taking the stage named Mary Livingstone.

Jack made his 1st film appearance in 1929. In 1932, he was a guest on a radio show hosted by the Broadway columnist for the New York Daily News, Ed Sullivan. He introduced himself by saying, "This is Jack Benny talking. There will be a slight pause while you say, 'Who cares?'" He was a hit, and NBC signed him to do a radio show, which eventually led to a television show.

In real life, Jack was very generous. In 1954, after Marilyn Monroe appeared on his show, and mentioned to him (offstage) that she wanted to get a new Cadillac convertible, he bought one for her. But, in character, Jack's defining feature was cheapness. He wouldn't pay for a new car for himself, continually making reference to his established car, a 1932 Maxwell. His most famous moment was when a mugger told him, "Your money or your life!" Dead silence for about 5 seconds. The mugger said, "Didn't you hear me? I said, 'Your money or your life!'" And Jack said, "I'm thinking it over!"

Indeed, 40 years before the TV show Seinfeld, Jack Benny played an alternate version of himself as a famous comedian, very alternate: Not just cheap, but vain (always claiming to be 39 years old, which he hadn't been since February 1934), arrogant (describing himself as "star of stage, screen and radio"), and mean. Despite being a celebrity within the world of the show, he was largely disliked by most of the other stars in Hollywood, notably his next-door neighbors, actors Ronald and Bonita Colman. He was easily annoyed, did not suffer fools gladly, and was unsuccessful with women: While Mary was married to him in real life, on the show, she was one of several girlfriends, but the only one that kept coming back to him. He played down his violin skills, often playing very badly on the air.

Aside from Mary and the Colemans, there were other regular guest stars. Bandleader Phil Harris was the music director for the show, and he, his wife, actress Alice Faye, and singer Dennis Day played friends of Jack's. Phil left the show in 1952, and was replaced as bandleader by Bob Crosby, Bing's brother.

Eddie Anderson, a black actor, played his butler, Rochester, who would call him "Boss" but could get away with saying things to him that most black men of the time could not get away with saying to a white man. (If Anderson ever got hate mail for this, it has never been publicly revealed.) As Jackie Gleason's Ralph Kramden would later do with Art Carney's Ed Norton on The Honeymooners, Jack sometimes involved Rochester in get-rich-quick schemes that always failed to comedic effect.

Frank Nelson, introduced to Jack by the Marx Brothers, was a frequent guest star. He never played the same character, but always the same type of character. Jack would need help with something at a store, or at a restaurant, and say, "Excuse me, buddy," and Frank would turn around and say, "Ee-yes?" dragging out the E and the S. And they would banter back and forth, sometimes about the price of an item. But Nelson's character would always be polite with every other character, further frustrating Jack.

Also a frequent guest star was Mel Blanc, proving himself a master of funny voices before he became known as the voice of cartoon character Bugs Bunny. Mel had gotten his start with Spike Jones & His City Slickers, and continued to work with Spike while working with Jack and playing Bugs. A familiar bit was Mel playing a Mexican, and answering, "Si." When Jack asked him his name, he said, "Sy." Sy? "Si." Do you have a girlfriend? "Si." What's her name? "Sue." Sue? "Si."

Jack tried to keep up with the times. He often had singers on his show, never rock-and-rollers, but he would have folksingers: He had The Smothers Brothers, and he had Peter, Paul & Mary, who sang "Blowin' in the Wind," which Jack recognized was "a very important song."

The program was cancelled in 1965, due to a dispute over money -- not between Jack and the network, but between Jack and the advertisers, as he charged twice as much as most programs.

Jack died in 1974, Eddie Anderson in 1977, Mary Livingstone in 1983, Frank Nelson in 1986, Dennis Day in 1988, Mel Blanc in 1989, Bob Crosby in 1993, Phil Harris in 1995, and Alice Faye in 1998.

Jack and Mary didn't have any natural children. In 1934, they adopted a newborn girl named Joanie. Joan Benny appeared on her parent's show a few times, but not as their daughter, as the Jack and Mary characters never got married. Joan became a panelist on TV game shows like I've Got a Secret and Password, wrote a biography of her father, and lived until 2021.

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May 2, 1932 was a Monday. When the Program went to TV, it was famously on Sunday nights at 7:00, followed at 8:00 by The Ed Sullivan Show. Joan Benny titled her book about her father Sunday Nights at Seven.

These baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Washington Senators, 10-3 at Griffith Stadium in Washington. Carl Fisher outpitched Lefty Gomez. Joe Cronin hit a home run, and would become the Senators' manager the next season, taking them to the American League Pennant. All of the Yankees' runs came on a home run by Lou Gehrig. Babe Ruth went 0-for-3 with 2 walks.

* The Brooklyn Dodgers beat their arch-rivals, the New York Giants, 3-1 at the Polo Grounds. Dazzy Vance outpitched Carl Hubbell. Bill Terry went 1-for-4, and Mel Ott went 0-for-3 with a walk.

* The Philadelphia Athletics beat the Boston Red Sox, 3-2 at Fenway Park in Boston. Jimmie Foxx won the game with a home run in the top of the 11th inning. Lefty Grove pitched the last 2 innings to get the win.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Boston Braves, 7-2 at Baker Bowl in Philadelphia.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs, 2-0 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Steve Swetonic pitched a 3-hit shutout. Paul Waner went 2-for-4, and Lloyd Waner went 1-for-4.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the St. Louis Browns, 6-5 at League Park in Cleveland.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox, 5-3 at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

* And the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds, 2-1 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis.