Season 15 • Episode 28
LatestThe Smothers Brothers confound every attempt by Jack to force them into his straitjacket comedy formula while performing his theme song, but, even scarier to Jack, he is pinned under an unexploded bomb in a World War II London air raid. The UXB squad turns out to be the Smothers. Tom can't remember which wire to pull, while Dick uses the opportunity of Jack's being immobilized to lock in an appearance on Jack's final program.
Laugh along with funnyman Jack Benny as he brings his underplayed humor to TV along with regular performers from his radio show days.
Acting
Benny's legendary timing—he could get laughs with a single eyebrow raise.
Writing
Meta before meta was cool; characters knew they were on TV.
Production
Seamless radio-to-TV transition preserved live variety energy.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Benny kept his real age 39 for four decades; his actual birth year was 1894.
Rochester was one of TV's first Black recurring characters with actual personality, not just servant tropes—radical for 1950.
US
