In 1949, Jack Benny took advantage of new capital gains laws and moved his popular program from NBC to CBS, an immense boost to that network in ratings and prestige. At about the same time, a senior at the University of Nebraska named Johnny Carson was putting together his thesis, "How to Write Comedy for Radio," a tape-recorded presentation filled with examples of Jack Benny's work. Carson couldn’t have known it at the time, but within a few years Benny would become one of Carson’s biggest boosters – they formed a kind of mutual admiration society that would last until Benny’s death in 1974. Benny had been one of America’s dominant comedy voices during the 1930s, '40s and '50s – and by utilizing tricks he’d learned from Benny, Carson, as host of “The Tonight Show” for thirty years, would become one of America’s dominant comedy voices during the 1960s, '70s and '80s.
The Hopalong Cassidy Magical Marketing Machine
The Unsinkable Betty White
The Stormy Success of "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour"
Liz and Dick and Lucy and the Ring
Fade to Blacklist: Part 2
Fade to Blacklist: Part 1
The Rise and Fall of "Moonlighting"
The 1960s: How We Played
The 1960s: What We Watched
"The Andy Griffith Show" and How It Grew
James Cagney's Final Act(ing)
The Variety Show Skirmishes of 1963
1952: The 60-Second Election
The Quiz Show Scandals: "Twenty-One"
Ed Sullivan, American Gatekeeper
The Quiz Show Scandals: "The $64,000 Question"
In Godfrey We Trust
The Rise and Fall of Dragnet
When Maude Findlay Had an Abortion
Join Podbean Ads Marketplace and connect with engaged listeners.
Advertise Today
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Cinema: A to B
I Finally Watched...
Star Wars Escape Pod
Pod Meets World
Pop Culture Happy Hour