Jack Benny DVD collection - 41 episodes

[Maxwell]

Hi, gang, I just found this for FIVE DOLLARS in the "2 for $10" kiosk near the WalMart electronics department! It is a trove of Benny material, with lots of Lucky Strike and State Farm ads, musical numbers intact, etc. I am disappointed that the Fred Allen-Eddie Cantor episode hangs up, as well as "How Jack Found Mary" and the famous 1960 Christmas show ( containing Mel Blanc's character's suicide ). It is definitely a manufacturing defect, because I bought a SECOND set, and it hangs up in precisely the same places on the same discs. But, hey, for $5, I can't expect much in the way of quality from the DVD company. However, I have gotten MUCH enjoyment from the original entertainment value. My favorite episode, I think, is "4 O'Clock In The Morning"!

Sincerely, William Carroll in Denham Springs, Louisiana

I've been through the first two DVDs in my set, and no hangups so far (knock on wood). I have several of the episodes in another set of 20 shows, but the new additional shows make it worth the price, especially since mine was a birthday present.

Here's a question for LL: A whole lot of the Benny shows, even the kinescopes of live broadcasts, have all of the commercials deleted. Some have the commercial portion of the middle commercial deleted, and of course those that have been in syndication for the past 40-some years have all of the commercial content deleted. Do you know if there are any uncut versions in somebody's vault someplace where at least the middle commercials are still intact? (Maybe you'll have to take a trip down to the vault and ask Ed. I'm sure he'd like the company.)

[LLeff]

Here's a question for LL: A whole lot of the Benny shows, even the kinescopes of live broadcasts, have all of the commercials deleted. Some have the commercial portion of the middle commercial deleted, and of course those that have been in syndication for the past 40-some years have all of the commercial content deleted. Do you know if there are any uncut versions in somebody's vault someplace where at least the middle commercials are still intact? (Maybe you'll have to take a trip down to the vault and ask Ed. I'm sure he'd like the company.)

It's a good question...the vast majority of the shows exist in 16mm prints in either UCLA or the University of Wyoming, but I haven't screened any of them personally yet to know if they have the middle commercial or not. But they're the best shot at getting a "master" copy.

[shimp scrampi]

I hope MCA (or yeah, yeah Universal/Studio Canal/Hypercompuglobalmeganet, whoever owns the stuff this week) has 35mm elements of minimally the shot on film stuff they own. It would be a shame to have these preserved only in 16mm quality (though, by definition I think kinescopes of any of the live broadcasts are 16mm). Certainly the stuff MCA put out on VHS looked like 35mm sources.