Mill Creeks's "Best of Jack Benny" details

As I am a big Jack Benny fan (TV AND radio) - is there a link about this - I wasn't able to find it on Amazon: Would appreciate more info.

 

I can't tell you how excited I was to see Jack Benny on the active posts page (I love the active page because I often find interesting threads I would normally miss). I too would like more info on how to buy.

 

Sounds like a set I'm going to have to have...thanks for the info, doc.

 

Thanks for the info. I wish I could get the episode with The Lettermen.

 

There are a few titles in there I haven't seen before, such as those with guests Audrey Meadows and Ernie Kovacs. But are these remastered or the same public domain titles that have been circulating?

With all of the extras (Jack's guest appearances on other shows), it would seem that this is a packed set...and are probably not remastered because the retail price is only $15.

Just a few notes: The "4 O' Clock in the Morning" episode first aired on February, 6 1955 as the 10th show of the season. It was the 5th year on TV , and was also Benny's last season after 23 years on the radio. One film print circulating of that episode now has the 1959-60 season theme, which is completely different than the original theme and also features an animated montage of musical notes and a drawing of a violin on a chair. The episode incorrectly lists 1960 as the copyright, yet Mary Livingstone retired from show business around the time the 1957 season ended. Another giveaway is that the filmmaking style of the show noteably improved by the late 1950s. That happened after Irving Fein became Executive Producer around 1956 or 57, replacing both Hilliard Marks (Mary's brother) and Ralph Levy.

Of the many episodes that have long been kept out of syndication, I'd be interested to see the 1958 show with ex-Benny radio regular Phil Harris in a rare TV appearance and one from 1959 with former President Harry Truman! This set will not give us that chance.

After Jack's weekly show was cancelled in 1965, he made his first post-series special. If that's included in this set (the one with Bob Hope & The Beach Boys entitled The Jack Benny Hour), that was originally produced on color videotape as were all of Benny's specials during the last 9 years of his life. Unfortunately, only an awful looking black & white kinescope film copy remains but it's a funny show.

 

One of the many projects that UCLA is looking to work on is a definitive release of the entire catalog of the Jack Benny Show, which they have copies of throw the Benny estate. So while that may be in the future, a set like this will have to do.

 

The entire Jack Benny Program ? In my lifetime ? Oh, Don !

 

Amazon does have it up for pre-order now at this URL.

 

You can. It's in this THIS 3-VHS SET. Available second-hand via Amazon. Not a DVD, true. But still a good Benny entry indeed.

That VHS set also has one of the very best Benny shows (IMO) -- "Jack Goes To A Concert" (12/11/60). That one has Jimmy & Gloria Stewart in the same roles as the Ronald Colmans in the radio version from years earlier, with Jimmy & Gloria trying to avoid Jack at the theater.

"I think the peanut shower's over, Gloria. I just got hit with the bag."

 

Yes. I especially like the vintage commercials for Eastern Airlines (included on the copies I have). Puts you right back there in 1965, complete with DC-8s that belch smoke on every takeoff. ~cough~

"Mr. Benny, as your Eastern Captain, if you even FEEL the plane land, just tell me and I'll do the whole thing over again."

 

To revive this old thread, did anyone pick this up? I finally ordered a copy.

 

This is an impresive collection! Jack Benny is one of the funniest comedy stars of all time - of any era!

Hopefully Mill Creek will put together a "Burns and Allen" companion volume!

 

I have been enjoying this set immensely. Obviously the picture is not great, but the content is wonderful.

 

UCLA's Jack Benny collection is most impressive; they have access to a huge amount of supplemental material above and beyond the 220+ television episodes in the collection.

http://www.cinema.ucla.edu/collectio...les/benny.html

 

While this is a fun set, and for the price, I'm very happy with it.

BUT, I just did a comparison between an episode of the Mill Creek set and a copy I found in a dollar store (by a company called Treasure Box, in a cardboard sleeve for 99 cents, or 2 for a dollar, I don't remember which).

It was the "Jack Benny Hour" episode, with Bob Hope.

The Mill Creek isn't the greatest transfer, with video lines through parts of it. Watchable though.

But, the Treasure Box one, not only is it a better transfer, but it is an even more complete episode. It even has the old Eastern Airlines commercials in it.

I'm used to Mill Creek being one of the best of the PD companies. In this case though, don't throw out those budget DVDs if you still have them.

 

I saw this set at Big Lots yesterday for $6.

I didn't pick it up, because I was surprised that the copies they had had different covers. Some had "39 Episodes" on the front, while others had "40 Episodes". From the listing on the back, the "39 Episodes" ones were missing one of the General Electric Theater episodes. Did this have to be pulled from the set, or was it never on there to begin with?