Jack Benny (birth name Benjamin Kubelsky) was born on February 14, 1894, in Chicago, Illinois. He became an American comedian, vaudevillian, radio, television and film actor, and violinist. Recognized as a leading American entertainer of the 20th century, Benny portrayed his character as a miser, playing his violin badly and would claim to be 39 years of age, regardless of his actual age. Benny was known for comic timing and the ability to cause laughter with a pregnant pause or a single expression, such as his signature exasperated “Well!”
Benny began studying violin, an instrument that became his trademark, at the age of 6, his parents hoping for him to become a professional violinist. Although he loved the instrument he hated practice. By the age of 14 he was playing in dance bands and his high school orchestra. But, he was a dreamer and poor at his studies and was ultimately expelled from high school. At age 17 he began playing the violin in local vaudeville theaters.
In 1917 Benny was regularly employed playing in theaters but left show business briefly to join the U.S. Navy. While on active duty he often entertained his associates with his violin playing. One evening, his violin performance was booed by the troops, so with prompting from a fellow sailor he ad-libbed his way out of the jam and left them laughing. Soon he received more comedy spots in the revues and did well, earning a reputation as a comedian and musician.
After leaving the Navy, Benny continued his vaudeville career and by 1921 had developed a one-man act with the fiddle more of a prop. Thus, low-key comedy took over and by the late 1920s he regularly appeared in Los Angeles and New York theaters as a minor vaudeville performer. In 1932 Benny began a long radio career that ran from 1932 to 1948 on NBC and from 1949 to 1955 on CBS. “The Jack Benny Program” was among the most highly rated programs during its long run. During World War II, Benny also toured with the USO, entertaining thousands of service personnel as a miserly persona who was cheap, petty, vain, self-congratulatory and displayed little talent when he played the violin.
Jack Benny died on December 26, 1974, of pancreatic cancer and his final resting place is Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California. His longtime friend Bob Hope delivered a eulogy in which he stated, “For a man who was the undisputed master of comedy timing, you would have to say this is the only time when Jack Benny’s timing was all wrong. He left us much too soon.”
Submitted by CDR Roy A. Mosteller, USNR (Ret)
