Product Details

• Actors: Jack Benny, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, Mary Livingston, Bob Crosby, Gisele MacKenzie
• Directors: Various
• Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Alpha Video
• DVD Release Date: November 23, 2004
• Run Time: 113 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000641ZS6
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #225,253 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well!, August 23, 2008

By 

David A. Plouffe (West Covina, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jack Benny Show, Volume 4 (DVD)

As with the other DVDs in this series, the fourth volume of The Jack Benny Show also contains four episodes of the television program. There are no extras to speak of, mainly a catalog of other Alpha Video selections and a handful of previews that seem to be released by independent sources.

Episode One: Reminiscing About New Year's Eve
Probably my least favorite episode on the DVD. Jack relates his adventures on New Year's Eve. His date cancels and most of the episode shows Jack sulking around town in a top hat, coat, and tails. He gets home just in time to ring in the New Year with Rochester.

Episode Two: Jack Dreams He's Married To Mary
A pretty good episode. After a misunderstanding with Mary, Jack takes a nap and dreams he is married to Mary (his real-life wife). In his dream, Mary is the one that goes off to work each day, Jack stays home, cooking and cleaning. They have a daughter named Joan (played by his real-life adopted daughter Joan).

Episode Three: Jack's Hong Kong Suit
Jack bought a suit when he was in Hong Kong for a mere $12. We find out why at the end of the episode during a violin duet with Giselle MacKenzie.

Episode Four: Beverly Hills Police Station
My favorite episode of the DVD. It is based on the radio episode from October 1, 1950 - The Maxwell is Stolen. Rochester calls Jack and reports that someone has stolen the Maxwell! They meet up at the "over the top" Beverly Hills Police Station where you have to have an appointment and their police dogs are prim and proper poodles! The transition from radio to TV works well here. A really great episode!

4.0 out of 5 stars The comedy team of Benny and Anderson is underappreciated, March 13, 2011

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Jack Benny Show, Volume 4 (DVD)

To me, the most interesting aspect of "The Jack Benny Show" is the relationship that Benny has with his black butler Eddie "Rochester" Anderson. Anderson has a gravelly voice that makes it one of the most distinctive that you will ever hear. Although Rochester is in the traditional black role of butler, his character is often portrayed on a par with Benny and that is unusual for any show with a major star, much less in the early days of television. Rochester is portrayed as an intelligent and capable man, treated with respect by the Benny character.
In the first episode, "Reminiscing About New Year's Eve", Jack plans on going out on a date with a woman after turning down an invitation to attend a party with the cast members of his show. When the woman stands him up, Benny ends up spending New Year's Eve with Rochester. The scene closes with Rochester and Benny sitting hip-to-hip on the couch sipping champagne. In the 1950's the idea that a major star would sit that close to a black co-star was most unusual and it is a tribute to Benny that he allowed it.
Rochester also appears in "Jack Dreams He's Married to Mary" and in "Beverly Hills Police Station" and in both cases he has a major role. He delivers many comedy lines and there is a strong onscreen chemistry between Benny and Anderson. The friendship exhibited by the two of them on camera also extended into their personal lives. Once, when Benny and Anderson were touring in Missouri, Anderson was denied a room at the hotel where the cast was staying. Benny simply said, "If he doesn't stay here, then neither do I." Anderson spent the night in the hotel.
While the Rochester character did retain some of the stereotypes of blacks, it also worked to debunk them as well. It is a rare occasion when the star deliberately allows their sidekick to upstage them, but Benny did it and went the extra mile when he needed to for his friend and colleague. If you watch these shows with that thought in mind, then you will understand how groundbreaking Benny was as an entertainer and person. His forte was timing, facial expressions and self-deprecating humor and no one did that better than Jack Benny. Anderson and Benny alternated in the role of the straight man, and they are a comedy team that doesn't get the credit that they deserve.