The Jack Benny Program

Bob Crosby sings 'Peter Pan.' Jack signs an autograph for a little girl from Washington named Margaret Truman. At home, Jack falls asleep and two men try to rob him, encountering many booby traps in his bedroom.

After Jack's monologue he tells about his cruise to Hawaii with Rochester, where they encounter a series of characters on the ship Jack takes a nap and dreams that Marilyn Monroe is on board with him. Marilyn sings to Jack and tells him she is crazy about him.

Jack recalls his childhood for his biography.

Bob Crosby gets angry at Jack for cutting his song, and Don is upset because his commercial is to be cut. In the sketch, Jack plays a detective trying to get a confession out of 'Baby Face,' the killer, played by Bogart. Bogart is promoting his new picture Beat the Devil.

It is Rochester's day off, and Jack has to make his own lunch. Don arrives, and Rochester sings the commercial to him; they do a soft-shoe routine together. A messenger arrives with Johnnie Ray's contract for a guest appearance, and Jack is horrified to see that Ray wants $10,000. Jack goes to Ray's home to tell him off, and have him sing to see if he is worth the money. Ray sings 'Please don't talk about me when I'm gone,' and 'Cry.' Jack is devastated and agrees to Ray's price. At the end of the show, Danny Thomas makes a guest appearance to plug Make Room for Daddy.

While Benny is getting a haircut, he reads that Gregory Ratoff is planning a new production starring Irene Dunne and Vincent Price. Since he has always wanted to play against Irene Dunne, he goes to first Ratoff and then Dunne to try to get them to give him Price's part. He then invites himself to Dunne's house for the first rehearsal, which he disrupts by cracking walnuts and bungling lines.

Benny does a monologue on his Christmas gifts, then remembers last New Year's Eve: Mary is giving a party, but Jack is not planning to go because he has a date with Gloria. After the show, the cast gathers in Jack's dressing room. Crosby sings 'Let's start the new year right,' with the Sportsmen Quartet. Jack gets a call from Gloria cancelling their date. He refuses to go to the party, and instead wanders the streets alone, finally stopping for coffee at Nick's Cafe, where the waitress turns out to be Gloria. He goes home, where he and Rochester ring in the new year together. English

Jack delivers a monologue on critics. He is anxious to get home because at 8 p.m. some friends are coming over for their weekly jam session. At home, the guests arrive: Tony Martin with his clarinet, Fred MacMurray with his saxophone, Dick Powell with his trumpet, Dan Dailey with his drums, and Kirk Douglas with his banjo. Guests must purchase food, drink or smokes from vending machines in Jack's closet. They play 'Basin Street.' Jack holds a contest for the most popular guest.

Jack tells an interviewer how he met Mary Livingstone years before when she worked at The May Co. Rochester sings and dances with The Sportsmen Quartet.

Jack looks for Christmas gifts in a department store, and encounters Nelson as the floor manager, Blanc and Pepper as salespeople, Rubin as a bandit. The Sportsmen Quartet sing the Lucky commercial in the elevator. English

Jack is featured in Look! Magazine. Mel Blanc heckles Jack from the audience. Guest stars Peggy King and Art Linkletter.

Rochester calls Jack in the middle of his monologue to tell him his Maxwell has been stolen. While he goes to the Beverly Hills Police Station, the Sportsmen cover for him, singing 'Puttin' on my top hat' while they get dressed on stage. Jack is amazed at the sumptuousness of the police station. Eventually the car is found; it has been returned to Jack's house by the thieves.

Show opens with the audience in line to see the show, telling each other how their tickets were forced on them. In his opening monologue, Jack analyzes his own humor. Dennis sings 'Around the world in 80 days.' Don does the Lucky Strike commercial as a calypso number; Jack won't let him finish it. He introduces Mel Blanc as Otto Ketzler, a novelty music act from Vienna; Ketzler plays bottles filled with alcohol--as he tunes them, he becomes more and more inebriated. Don's wife makes Jack call the sponsor to explain that the curtailed commercial was Jack's fault, not Don's.

During the monologue, the President and Secretary of the Jack Benny Fan Club, Pasadena Chapter, come onstage. Don and Harlow Wilson do a soft shoe to 'Me and my shadow' for the Lucky commercial. Hal March, host of The $64,000 Question quiz show, is the guest; Jack asks him questions, and he tries to answer them for prizes.

Jack wants to star in the movie version of his life story, but producer Buddy Adler wants Van Johnson. Van Johnson and Buddy Adler play themselves. Announcer: Don Wilson. Rochester: Eddie Anderson.

Jack gets a haircut between the dress rehearsal and the show; none of the barbers want to do it because his tips are so small. Don and Oscar the seal do the State Farm commercial. Gisele sings 'Smile'. Jack asks her for a date, but she is busy giving a party to which she has not invited Jack. They do their violin duet, during which Jack's ten dollar suit from Hong Kong comes to pieces.

Jack has four tickets to a new play. He and his new girlfriend were originally going to go with Don Wilson and his wife, but Don called to cancel. Jack's girlfriend gets him to call and invite Jimmy and Gloria Stewart. Jimmy accepts the invitation thinking he's talking to Jack Lemon. He and Gloria panic when they realize that it's Jack Benny instead.

Jack demonstrates why he's an insufferable golf partner.

Jack tries to take over Lawrence Welk's baton when the maestro and his orchestra appear. Don Wilson is the announcer.

Jack tries to win a girl away from Robert Goulet. Goulet sings "This Is All I Ask." Girl: Joan Marshall. Don Wilson.

Carol Burnett is Jack's guest in this romp about a gambler (Jack) who's trying to fleece a rich plantation owner (Don Wilson) and his modest daughter (Carol).

When Clint Walker hints that his movie requires a big man to portray his brother, a rebuilt Jack appears. Usher: Pat Colby. Man on Tour: Ned Miller.