jayne mansfield

Jack Benny brought his popular radio show (which had begun in 1932) intact to television in 1950, where it flourished for the next 15 years. Benny played a comedic version of himself, with chauffeur Rochester (Eddie Anderson), wife Mary (real-life wife Mary Livingstone), Don Wilson, Dennis Day. An almost supernaturally talented roster of supporting comedians also feature, including Mel Blanc (the voice of all of the Warner Brothers cartoon characters, including Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck) and Frank Nelson, the mustachioed clerk that turned up everywhere, always with the query, “Yeeeeeeees?” (A posthumous cartoon “homage” to Nelson turns up repeatedly in countless retail, waiter, and hotel clerk jobs on THE SIMPSONS, exactly like the real Nelson did on Benny’s show.) Individual descriptions of both holiday episodes included in this compilation follow:”The Christmas Show” (1960) – Hysteria mounts in the department store as Benny shops from crazed floor manager Frank Nelson and sales clerks Mel Blanc and Barbara Pepper, not to mention an extremely memorable encounter with a mugger (Benny Rubin). “The New Year’s Eve Show” (1956) – Jayne Mansfield interrupts Benny’s monologue to retrieve her purse, which had been snatched by an usher prior to an announcement by Benny to the studio audience that it had been “found.” Rochester sings “New Year’s in Trinidad” during a commercial and Mel Blanc impersonates animals for a talent contest (good luck to his competition).