Customer Reviews

Jack Benny: Income Tax & Adopts a Son [VHS]

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Two great episodes, and the first is the classic tightwad Jack Benny trying to stiff Jimmy & Gloria Stewart. In the 2nd episode, Jack plays a wimpy father who adopts a very large baby played by none other than Milton Berle. A highly recommended video for lovers of old TV comedy.

Jack Benny, for those who don't know, was a comedian who got laughs in a then original way: he used himself as the butt of jokes. well, i should say he used his false persona as the butt of jokes. Only Jack Benny could get laughter looking at a bill in a restaurant and cleverly talking his way out of paying it. If it wasn't Jack Benny, i'd imagine the audience would boo and groan about such cheapness. this brings us to Jack's long standing appeal: his timing. A long pause was just as funny as the dialogue. on radio a pause was instant laughter...on TV we can see the pause and his stare into the camera or off to the side and in a moment of frustration we'll hear him scream "now cut that out!!".on the first episode we see Jack and his date with Jimmy Stewart and his wife at a restaurant. the IRS wants to know how Jack could take a party of three to a high class restaurant and only pay a few dollars. this was originally did on radio with Ronald and Benita Colman as the unlucky victims of Jack's intrusiveness. The fact that Jack never suspected he had flaws and bad habits made it even more hilarious when someone would point them out. the second show features Milton Berle as a 'kid' who gets adopted by a couple in a sketch. Jack plays the adoptive father who claims that there's no such thing as a bad boy. Meanwhile, Milton the Kid wants to make out with Mama and do other mature things that no 'kid' should ever have on their mind...like pulling out a cigar and smoking it. Milton does his famed ad-libs too...well, they might've been scripted but Milton always had this ad-lib feel about his appearances and you never knew if what he was saying was scripted or ad-libbed.

This volume of Universal Studios Home Video set of "The Jack Benny Program" gives us 2 episodes featuring guest stars James Stewart and Milton Berle.

Both are solid outings, but the first program with Jimmy Stewart is among the best Jack ever did in his long-running television series, which began in 1950.

"The Income Tax Show" gives us an idea as to just how tight a tightwad Jack can be, as he's investigated by a pair of representatives of the IRS at his home. After discovering that Jack only shelled out the paltry sum of $3.90 at a dinner outing for 4, including neighbor Jimmy Stewart and his wife, Gloria, we're then treated to a flashback of the miserly episode in question. Very funny! Classic J.B. all the way!

James Stewart appeared in multiple episodes of Jack's TV series, as well as putting in very humorous guest appearances on Benny's radio program, a long-running series which spanned from 1932 to 1955.

You can't go wrong with ANY Jack Benny Programs .... on radio OR television!

Now Rochester .... Get my dinner! :)

All 6 of the tapes in this series are worth buying, as Jack Benny was one of the funniest comedians we've ever had. If you still have a VCR, buy all of them!