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Screen Guild Theater - Why Jack Benny Will Not Appear On The Program

Heard
1940–1949
Episodes
4

Writing Himself Into The Show Screen Guild Theater - Why Jack Benny Will Not Appear On The Program March 27th, 1944 'Why Jack Benny Will Not Appear On The Program'. The program stars, of course, Jack Benny. Also appearing are Barbara Stanwyck, Basil Rathbone, Jean Hersholt, and Michael Curtiz, the director of Casablanca. Like so many of Jack's own programs, this episode of Screen Guild Theater is the story of the 'show within the show'. Jack Benny, learning of a program being produced with a stellar cast, is desperate to ingratiate himself into the production. Jack calls Jean Hersholt, president of The Screen Guild. Getting nowhere with Hersholt, he calls Michael Curtiz, who will be directing the program. Curtiz wants nothing to do with Jack Benny and tries to pass him off to Barbara Stanwyck who, along with Basil Rathbone, will be starring in the show. Stanwyck tries to shift the responsibility onto Jean Hersholt, but when she learns that Jack has already discussed his participation with Hersholt, Barbara realizes that they have run out of options. Jack Benny will be coming to the rehearsal. Why Jack Benny Will Not Appear On The Program is a superb example of ensemble acting. None of the stars, all huge names in entertainment at the time, let their egos get in the way of the production. They share both the limelight and the laughs freely and generously, perhaps inspired by the story, about an actor whose colossal ego causes nothing but problems. Of course, the mission of…

Episodes, in broadcast order

  1. Why Jack Benny Will Not Appear On The Program (October 20, 1940)

    · 29 min

  2. Why Jack Benny Will Not Appear On The Program (March 27, 1944)

    · 30 min

  3. Ham For Sale (March 27, 1944) (AKA Why Jack Benny Will Not Appear On The Program)

    · 28 min

  4. Don Wilson's Contract (February 6, 1949)

    · 28 min

Where it comes from 1

The archive items its episodes are played from, best first, with each one’s rights as its archive states them. An episode two sets both hold is played from the first.

  1. Screen Guild Theater - Why Jack Benny Will Not Appear On The Program

    Old Time Radio · 4 episodes here · archive.org

    the Internet Archive states no licence or rights for it.

From the Old Time Radio collection at the Internet Archive, uploaded by the collector named.

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