Jack Benny was born in Chicago, at Mercy Hospital. He was raised in Waukegan, Illinois, a far northern suburb of Chicago. Jack's family tended to move around a bit, he & his family lived in several homes in Waukegan. Unfortunately, the home that he spent most of his childhood years in has been torn down. That house was located at 224 South Genesee Street and it is now an empty lot.

Jack also lived in another Waukegan home, located at 518 West Clayton, approximately during the years 1909 & 1910. He was fifteen & sixteen during those years. Posted below are two photos of that house, which were recently taken.








Posted below is a photo from 1960, Jack came back to Waukegan and posed in front of the house.





Jack Benny was performing with his violin at the Barrison Theater, which was a few blocks from his home, at the same time the infamous Marx Brothers were there. The Marx Brothers wanted to hire Jack as their accompanist and for him to go on tour with them. They offered him $7.50 plus room and board. Jack's parents refused to allow their 17 year old son to go on the road.

If it wasn't for Jack Benny's friendship with the Marx Brothers, he might never had met his future wife Mary Livingstone, who was a distant cousin of the Marx Brothers.

Jack Benny was a true comic genius. He assembled a very talented group of people and made absolutely certain that his radio & TV shows had lots of laughs. It didn't matter if Jack received the comic line. Jack was the star and he got the credit or the blame, depending on how the public critiqued that weeks episode. His talented ensemble group of comic actors included:

Sheldon Leonard - major TV producer & minor actor - created The Dick Van Dyke Show
Mel Blanc - genius with voices - voice of Bugs Bunny plus hundreds more
Bea Benaderet - star of long running Petticoat Junction - Kate Bradley
Joseph Kearns - co-star of Dennis the Menace TV show - Mr. Wilson

Below is a magazine ad for a 1923 Maxwell. There was a running gag on The Jack Benny Show (radio and TV show), in which the star portrayed a character who was an incredible cheapskate and would constanly refuse to buy a new car  The character that Jack portrayed, who also was named Jack Benny claimed his current car was able to last a few more miles. His car on the TV show and the radio show was a 1923 Maxwell. Mel Blanc made the sounds of the Maxwell on the radio show.




Below is a 1955 video of a comedy routine that Jack Benny and Johnny Carson concocted. Carson was a master of impersonating Benny's mannerisms. A very young Carson comes on the show and suggests that Jack should stop doing his "trademark" comic mannerisms. Jack gets mad at Carson and is telling him off. Carson "reminds" Jack that his statement was an arranged comedy bit.

Very entertaining comedy bit. A passing of the comedy torch from one generation to the next.






Below is a Texaco commercial that Jack Benny made. The running gag that Jack Benny was INCREDIBLY CHEAP was used in this classic TV commercial. When he pulls up to the Texaco pump, in his 1923 Maxwell, he orders 1 gallon of gas. Dennis Day, a regular comic actor and singer on The Jack Benny Show, was the attendant at the Texaco station. The gasoline attendant denied he was Dennis Day, even tho he was. 

If Jack was alive today, with the current price of gasoline, he probably would have to buy 1/10 of a gallon. He could go the cheap way, buy an electric car and charge it using solar panels.  Mother Nature provides energy for free. Jack Benny would have LOVED free energy.

This nostalgic ad for Texaco was before the days of oligopolistic oil cartels. WHAT A QUAINT LITTLE AD.





Below is a magazine ad, from the late sixties. Jack Benny is on a two page ad, extolling the virtues of Texaco. Didn't Jack know that oil companies didn't have any virtues?




Waukegan is very proud of their "Favorite Son". The town fathers built a statue and placed it in a small park, which is named Benny Park, it is located at approximately 190 North Genesee. Posted below are several pictures of the statue. The statue is holding a flag because it was taken on Memorial Day weekend.










At the base of the statue are two crocodiles. The infamous phrase used by thieves of Jack's money, "Your money or your life?" is imprinted on one crocodile. The funny line that Jack used in response to the crook's question, which was said after a very longgggg pause, "I'm thinking" is imprinted on the other crocodile. The two crocs are guarding Jack's vault, the place that holds all of the money Jack ever made.

The town also honored Jack by naming a Middle School after him. The sports teams at the school are nicknamed "The 39ers." In case you don't remember, Jack Benny was perpetually 39 years old.

Posted below is a few photograph of Jack Benny Middle School, located at 1401 Montesano Ave.

 






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