Jack Benny Surprise on TWTD

[Maxwell]

This weekend Chuck Schaden's "Those Were the Days" radio show celebrated its 37th year on the air. Part of the program was a 1999 interview with Hal Kanter who spoke of writing for Jack's guest appearances on other programs. Kanter wrote for Jack Paar who replaced Benny one summer in the '40s. He had some very nice things to say about Jack, including a story about a joke he gave Jack and a little momento he received as a result. It confirms all of the nice things you've heard about Jack over the years.

The surprise was that the first show Paar did after his season as Benny's replacement was scheduled, but Schaden couldn't find the tape. (He has donated all of his shows to Chicago's museum of broadcasting which is under construction, or more precisely in limbo due to lack of funding promised by the State of Illinois). The Paar tape was apparently misfiled and not in the box it should have been in. So as a replcement episode, he played the Benny Show (featuring Fred Allen) in which Benny introduced Paar as his summer replacement.

The show will be available for listening online starting Tuesday at http://www.nostalgiadigest.com/Those%20Were%20The%20Days.htm. Click on the radio.