Sunday Nights at Seven: The Jack Benny Story [Hardcover]

Jack Benny (Author), Joan Benny (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1990

Now in trade paperback, this bestselling biography of Jack Benny, in the tradition of Gracie and The Ragman's Son, is the definitive book on Benny, written in his own words, and with rare photographs and recollections by his daughter. 32-page insert.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"He was a nice man," writes George Burns in the foreword to this book by and about his friend of 50 years, a sentiment readers will resoundingly agree with. When Jack Benny died at age 80 in 1974, he left this unpublished autobiography, to which his daughter adds accounts of the family's home life. But far more entertaining and moving is Jack Benny's related story, tracing how this one-time vaudeville trouper who left his native Waukegan, Ill., in his youth rose to stardom on radio, in TV and films. The secret of his tremendous appeal, he reveals--as though taking us into his confidence--was impeccable timing as a comedian and an ability to endear himself to people. His daughter's contribution to the memoir offers interesting if repetitious recollections on growing up in Hollywood and vivid portraits of family friends Cary Grant, Ronald Colman, Lucille Ball and other famous folk. And although she professes love for her mother, Mary Livingston, she also criticizes her as pretentious, a spendthrift and generally mean-spirited. The daughter's sensibilities, at least as expressed here, contrast sharply with the father's big-hearted outlook on life. Photos not seen by PW. Author tour.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

About half of this book consists of an unpublished autobiography that Jack Benny wrote in the late 1960s; the remainder comprises reminiscences and commentary by Joan Benny. Joan's feeling for her mother, Mary Livingstone, could best be described as ambivalent, and her life (including three marriages) hasn't been perfect, but the love and admiration she feels for her father is apparent. By virtually all accounts Benny was a nice, pleasant man, and those same adjectives also apply to this book. The best Benny biography is still The Jack Benny Show by Milt Josefsberg ( LJ 3/15/77), a long-time writer for Benny. But Sunday Nights is better than his manager Irving Fein's Jack Benny: An Intimate Biography ( LJ 12/15/75) or Mary Livingstone Benny and others' Jack Benny ( LJ 2/15/78). Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 7/90.
- John Smothers, Monmouth Cty. Lib., Manalapan, N.J.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 302 pages
• Publisher: Warner Books; First Edition edition (October 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446515469
• ISBN-13: 978-0446515467
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #820,966 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 4 1/2* Benny Rides Again, October 10, 2002

By 

M. Allen Greenbaum (California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sunday Nights at Seven: The Jack Benny Story (Hardcover)

Jack Benny is the father of modern comedy, popularizing (and perhaps originating) the self-referential and self-conscious comedy practiced in the last 20 years by comedians such as Andy Kaufman, Steve Martin, and Bill Murray. He may have also begun the modern media-related "show within a show" concept, exemplified to some extent by "Seinfeld," and in the past by the shows of George Burns, Danny Thomas, and Lucy and Desi. Perhaps it is more accurate to describe him as the father of post-modern comedy, where every occurrence, sound effect, and the idea of comedy itself is the object of Benny's gentle yet piercingly funny humor. But enough intellectualizing, above all perhaps, he was an extraordinarily talented, funny, and well-loved man.

Mr. Benny's daughter found this unfinished biographical material and we are grateful for the insights to his character, his humor (beginning with his days in vaudeville), and his wide-ranging, generally liberal thoughts on celebrity, comedy, and race. These sections of the book justify its purchase and are the primary source of its enjoyment.

As others have noted, Joan's sections of the book can drag and one eagerly waits for the bolded font which is her father's own words. I do think she provides some valuable insights into Mr. Benny's domestic life and routine, as well as some humorous and interesting glimpse into growing up as the daughter of one of our most popular and well-respected entertainers. Unfortunately, some of this seems fairly generic to that culture, especially her early years. Her criticisms of her mother, however well founded, seem discordant with the prevailing tone of the book. The book would have been better with more pruning of Joan's autobiographical comments.

Still, the other material is a treasure for his millions of fans, and I recommend the book to fans. Joan's part does not detract from her father's; after all, the book was never finished and gives an incomplete picture anyway. Mr. Benny seems a modest man and I believe his biographies would complement the wonderful material here. If you're new to the subject, perhaps you should begin with the biographies and then proceed here, if you're a confirmed fan, the order won't matter, and you will want this in your collection.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Would Have Been Five Stars for the AutoBiography, January 29, 2005

By 

Adam Gonnerman (North America) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sunday Nights at Seven: The Jack Benny Story (Hardcover)

Jack Benny wrote an autobiography entitled: "I Always Had Shoes." Though complete, it was never published, and when Jack's daughter Joan found it she decided to take excerpts from it and publish it with her own reflections on growing up in the Benny household.

Jack Benny's text is highlighted in bold type, while Joan's is in regular font. The average reader will no doubt very soon begin skipping Joan's writing and will read only Jack's text. Jack was apparently a surprisingly good writer.

Why not just publish Jack's autobiography? I'd give it five stars in a heartbeat.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a Sunday night ritual, January 13, 2004

By 

Jerry McDaniel - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sunday Nights at Seven: The Jack Benny Story (Paperback)

i think that this book was written to highlight the memoirs of Jack Benny that were discovered. Joan added her own lifestory growing up as a child of a celebrity and how proper she had to behave in public. it's not right for me to say that Joan doesn't have a right to judge Mary based on HER experiences with her...afterall, Joan knew both her parents better than anyone outside of George Burns (that's the truth! no joke!). Joan's commentary or anecdotes in the early chapters aren't a problem. It's the later chapters where to me it seems that it becomes a problem. One reviewer on here made mention to the fact that Joan recounts her prom and her miserable marriage. i found nothing wrong with Joan interjecting stories about her child-hood and the "paternal" side of Jack...but when she starts to talk about HER personal life away from her father, it sticks out like a piece of watermelon on a steak sirloin because HER personal life isn't suppose to be a part of the book...it's suppose to be about Jack Benny first and if Joan makes commentary it should revolve around Jack {not her marriage or child-hood peer pressure}. Her opinions of Mary...like i said earlier...might be true because she knew Mary behind the scenes and we didn't. however, her opinions of Mary, coupled with her own personal man troubles are somewhat distractive to a "Jack Benny book" and that's why i give it 4 stars.