A similar bust of Walt Disney can be found at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame Plaza at the Disney-MGM Studios

A lot of listeners apparently did care as he was soon offered to headline a show all his own. Jack Benny’s radio show under a variety of different sponsor names (The Canada Dry Ginger Ale Program, The Chevrolet Program, The Jello Program, The Lucky Strike Program) aired for 23 years from 1932 to 1955 -- first on CBS, then on NBC, then back to CBS. In his series, Benny developed traits that would endear him to millions of listeners: being stingy with money, forever claiming he was 39 years old, badly playing the violin and other humorous "faults." In reality, Jack Benny was a very generous person. He also played the violin quite well and in 1956 performed to a sold-out audience at Carnegie Hall. He also made sure his supporting players were treated respectfully and they often had funnier lines than the star himself. Two in particular would have Disney connections in animated films. Singer Dennis Day gave voice and song to Johnny Appleseed in the 1948 feature Melody Time. Bandleader Phil Harris was personally hired by Walt to play Baloo in The Jungle Book (1967). That memorable performance led to equally great voice work as Thomas O’Malley in The Aristocats (1970) and as Little John in Robin Hood (1973).

The comedy and occasional variety formula that was used in Benny’s radio series successfully transferred to television. But he was initially cautious about TV. There were only four television shows produced for the 1950-51 season on CBS. Output of The Jack Benny Program would increase to every other week by 1954 and finally weekly in 1960. In the fall of 1964, Benny returned to NBC but his age and changing audience tastes were starting to have an effect on the ratings. Although still claiming to be 39, Benny had in fact turned 71 in 1965 and felt it was time to slow down. He signed a contract with NBC calling for one or two specials each year. These would continue until his death from pancreatic cancer in 1974.

The first of these specials aired on November 3, 1965. Titled appropriately enough The Jack Benny Hour, he wanted to make sure plenty of viewers tuned in. Guests included entertainment legend and friend Bob Hope, beautiful young German actress Elke Sommer (who had mesmerized male film-goers in the second Pink Panther movie -- 1964’s A Shot in the Dark) and The Beach Boys who performed then-current hits (and now classics) "California Girls" and "Barbara Ann." Benny and Hope even try to get in on the action playing over-aged surfer dudes!

About halfway through the show, Benny pays a visit to Walt Disney. The office set used in the anthology series is the setting and is packed with Disney plugs both obvious and not-so-evident: Walt looking over promotional posters for his upcoming live-action film That Darn Cat (released in December 1965), a huge map of Disneyland, a talking audio-animatronic bird named Esmerelda (a nod to Disneyland’s Enchanted Tiki Room) and a walk-on by the tiger seen in the 1964 film A Tiger Walks.

The premise is that Benny wants to do something special for the cast and crew working on his show:

The stern look on Walt’s face as Benny attempts to convince him that what he would really like are free tickets is priceless. And despite some intimidation by the tiger and talking bird, Benny is determined to go forward ("We’re all one big happy family," says Walt). Benny is sure that he can win over Walt by reminding him of the free tickets he gave him to see a filming of Benny’s television show -- nine years earlier -- and that Walt often made special arrangements for groups of underprivileged children to go to Disneyland:

But before giving Benny the tickets, Walt recalls that he gave him a solid-gold lifetime pass when the park first opened. "You did," says Benny, only to reveal that it is now being used as a tooth filling!

He finally gets the tickets and in return for his generosity, Benny says he will publicize Disney’s work on his special by taking a Walt Disney-like approach to a foreign film sketch he is planning:

As he leaves, one more thought occurs to him: "My wife, Mary -- she’s not on my show -- but she has never been to Disneyland and I was just thinking ..."

Thanks to Walt, now Jack has 111 free tickets to Disneyland!

As for the Walt Disney-like foreign film sketch, it is a slight take off on Mary Poppins titled "Maria Popponini." Elke Sommer plays a sexy Italian governess hired to kid-sit. She flies in on an umbrella and immediately smittens the father Rosano (Jack Benny). Adding to the complications is Marcello the Chauffer (Bob Hope) who is apparently having an affair with Roasano’s wife Angelina. The centerpiece of the sketch is a musical number about cheese set to the tune of "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" that goes:

Mozzarella, Provolone, Parmesan, Ricotta.
You should eat it every day and you should eat a lot-a!
It is great with Vino [Wine] and it’s even good with water
Mozzarella, Provolone, Parmesan, Ricotta!

It is safe to say the writers of this tune posed no threat to the Sherman Brothers! On the whole it is a typically silly variety show sketch, somewhat enhanced by a few ad-libbed asides from Benny and Hope. The show itself ends with a bit of a twist. As Benny wraps up with "Thank Yous" and "Good Nights," a stage assistant informs him that Walt has requested Benny to return the free tickets and has sent someone over to get them. That "someone" is the tiger seen earlier during the visit with Walt. As the tiger approaches Benny, he takes the umbrella used in the sketch and flies high into the rafters! "Good night folks! Nice pussycat!"

It was great to share these guest star appearances of Walt with others. Putting the description of these shows and words in print has hopefully captured the fun entertainment these respective programs provided.

A Footnote
*In 2002, I had the privilege of participating as one of the 10 finalists in Walt Disney World’s annual Disney Heritage Celebration Trivia Challenge. Moderating the final round was Disney historian Jim Korkis. Since then, I have been honored to call Jim a good friend. Thanks to his generosity, he has provided some additional information on "The Mickey Mouse Theater of the Air":

"The Mickey Mouse Theater of the Air aired on NBC and was sponsored by Pepsodent Toothpaste with announcer John Hiestan and starring Walt Disney (Mickey Mouse), Thelma Boardman (Minnie Mouse), Stuart Buchanan (Goofy), Clarence Nash (Donald Duck) and Florence Gill (Clarabelle Cow) with music by the Felix Mills Orchestra, Donald Duck's Swing Band and The Minnie Mouse Woodland Choir. One of the main writers was Bill Demling who crafted stories where the Fab Five and friends meet storybook/fairy tale characters like Cinderella, King Neptune, the Pied Piper, The Old Woman Who Lived In A Shoe, and others. Of course, Donald was the chief instigator of trouble (and he even argued with the announcer at times). The first show of the series was on January 2, 1938 and the last show aired on May 15, 1938. There were 20 total shows that aired. According to voice artist and researcher Keith Scott, Walt only provided the voice of Mickey for the first four episodes. Because he couldn’t take the time to come to the studio each week for a live recording, Walt found someone else to do Mickey’s voice for the remaining 16 episodes. Besides doing the voice of Mickey Mouse, Walt sometimes appeared as himself. For instance in the ‘Snow White’ episode, he dances with her!

"Walt Disney was under contract to the Disney Studio and in his contract was a clause that allowed him to appear on a limited number of non-Disney shows. Besides being a natural 'ham' (although ironically also very shy at the same time), Walt enjoyed appearing on radio and television because they were ‘controlled’ experiences. Walt could control how he and his studio were presented and at the same time get free advertising for his animation and live-action film projects. While these were primarily scripted experiences, Walt obviously ad-libbed in places just as he did when he filmed the introductions to his television shows. In fact, despite his admitted nervousness in front of a microphone or on camera, it is obvious that Walt is really enjoying himself when he does his guest appearances."

Back

- Essay by Bill Griffiths with additional writing by Jim Korkis
Photos by Matthew Walker
Posted

E-mail your comments about this story to Bill@startedbyamouse.com discuss this article in the StartedByAMouse.com Disney Discussion Forums or use the Talkback feature below.

We Were Started By A Mouse Too!  •  When In Cyberspace ... Disney Link Directory  •  

  •  Purchase Walt Disney World Tickets here - DISNEY TICKETS via DWTickets.com  •  

  •  Receive discounts on ORLANDO VACATION HOMES near Disney World from OrlandoVacation.com  •