Two "Jack Benny Today" Mentions

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A few weeks ago, I was listening to a radio show that Jack did in Cleveland near the end of the 1947-8 season. Among his guests on that show was Cleveland Indians pitcher Bob Feller, who would, later that year, help lead his team to victory in the World Series. That evening, as I was reading the sports section of our paper, I came across an article discussing Barry Bonds and his possible use of steroids. And who does the article quote with a very harsh condemnation of Barry Bonds? None other than Jack's long ago guest Bob Feller, now 88 years old. I was thinking what are the odds of listening to a guest on Jack's show and reading a current story about them all on the same day?

Then, yesterday, I was listening to a 1951 radio show where Jack and Dennis did a quick two line joke about the actor Glenn Ford's name. And in today's paper, I read the obituary for Glenn Ford who died yesterday.

Given that 99% of the guests and supporting cast who appeared on Jack's radio program are dead, it's rare to find any current news stories about any of them. But once in a rare while, you come across something that reminds you that it really wasn't all that long ago that Jack was with us entertaining America with his great gifts of comedy.