Jack Benny Guest Appearances 1930-1939

JACK BENNY GUEST APPEARANCES 1930-1939

The following is a chronological log of Jack Benny’s guest appearances on radio programs during the years 1930 to 1939 (technically, as Jack made his radio debut in 1931 it covers the years 1931-1939). It attempts to be as complete as possible. I have included information on both circulating and non-circulating shows, and tried to note the current circulating status of the program to the best of my ability.

This log contains the program title; the radio network which broadcast the program; the day, date and time of the broadcast; the commercial sponsor of the program (where applicable), then a description of the show/guest appearance, and finally if a recording of the program "circulates" among Old Time Radio collectors.

The listed broadcast times are listed as Eastern Standard Time unless noted. The network AFRS is the Armed Forces Radio Service, which were programs sent for our soldiers overseas. The AFRS programmed both repeats of stateside shows (sans commercials) and original programming of their own. Please note that the air dates for many AFRS broadcasts are approximate, usually to within a day or so, but sometimes longer. Also some AFRS dates may be the date of recording and not transmission, although I am attempting to verify this data as much as possible.

Regarding program descriptions: for the purposes of this list it is taken as a given that Jack Benny appeared as a guest on every program listed. Other guests are noted as well. Guest appearances featuring Benny Show cast member Eddie “Rochester” Anderson have generally been listed under his given name.

For ease of reference, I have listed both the "sponsored" name of the program as well as the more common name.... i.e. Town Hall Tonight (The Fred Allen Show)

1931

09/04/1931 RKO THEATRE OF THE AIR

WEAF-NY (NBC)

10:30-11:00PM

1932

03/29/1932 ED SULLIVAN SHOW (BROADWAY'S GREATEST THRILLS)

WABC-NY

Tuesday 8:45-9:00pm

1934

06/01/1934 THE KEEP CHICAGO AHEAD CIVIC COMMITTE

NBC

Friday 09:30-10:30pm

07/24/1934 ARMOUR AND CO (?) (THE PHIL BAKER SHOW)

Tuesday?

NBC

The NBC Program Analysis sheets list a Jack Benny guest appearance for July 24, 1934, on the show "Armour and Co". The "Armour" program was hosted by Phil Baker, whose program aired in 1934 on Friday nights at 8:30pm EST. I have not been able to find a second source to verify that Jack Benny guest starred on the Phil Baker program on July 20 or 27. However, the July 20, 1937 General Tire/Jack Benny Show guest-starred Phil Baker, so perhaps Jack guested on Baker's show July 20, and then an hour later Baker returned the favor? To add to the confusion, there is uncertainty over the air date of the Benny show that Phil Baker guest starred on, if it aired on July 20 or July 27.

10/06/1934 RCA RADIO CITY PARTY

NBC

Saturday 9:00-9:30pm

10/11/1934 CAPTAIN HENRY'S SHOWBOAT

NBC

Thursday 9:00-10:00pm

Also with Frank Parker and Mary Livingstone

1935

03/15/1934 BEATRICE LILLE

WJZ

Friday 9:00-9:30pm

12/07/1935 THE OPENING OF NBC'S NEW HOLLYWOOD RADIO STUDIO

NBC BLUE AND RED NETWORK FEED

Saturday 10:30pm-12:30am

Also with Mary Livingstone, Don Wilson, Bing Crosby, Al Jolson, Will Hays,Ben Bernie and His Orchestra, Phil Regan, Jimmy Durante, Marion Talley, Bill Robinson, Grantland Rice, Jean Harlow, Cary Grant, Douglas Fairbanks, Rudy Vallee, John Charles Thomas, and many more.

1936

02/26/1936 TOWN HALL TONIGHT (THE FRED ALLEN SHOW)

NBC

Wednesday 9:00-10:00pm

Sponsor: Bristol Meyers

09/08/1936 FRED ASTAIRE REVUE

NBC

Tuesday 9:30-10:30pm

Sponsor: Packard Motors

1937

01/07/1937 ADOLPH ZUCKER'S SILVER JUBILEE DINNER

WJZ

Thursday 11:45pm-12:45am

Also with W. C. Fields, Lloyd Nolan, Leopold Stokowski, Ken Carpenter, Dorothy Lamour, Martha Raye, Adolphe Menjou, Carole Lombard, Wallace Beery, Victor Moore, and more.

02/08/1937 SPECIAL BROADCAST TO ENGLAND

NBC

Monday 4:45-5:00pm

A 15-minute version of a Jack Benny Show broadcast, done especially for this transatlantic broadcast to England. With regular Benny show cast members Don Wilson, Phil Harris, Mary Livingstone, and Kenny Baker. Mary reads a poem "Dear Old England", Kenny sings "When the Poppies Bloom Again", and the cast perform the play "The Bennys of Wimpole Street"

02/15/1937 LUX RADIO THEATRE

CBS

Monday 9:00-10:00pm

Sponsor: Lux

"Brewster's Millions"

Also with Mary Livingstone, Cecil B. DeMille, Frank Nelson.

03/02/1937 AMERICAN CAN CO. (THE BEN BERNIE SHOW)

WJZ

Tuesday 9:00-9:30pm

10/28/1937 EDDIE CANTOR'S 25TH ANNIVERSARY IN SHOW BUSINESS

ABC

Thursday 12:30am-2:00am

Also with Eddie Cantor, Darryl Zanuck, Master of Ceremonies George Jessel, Judy Garland, Deanna Durbin, The Raymond Scott Quintet, Edgar Bergen, Bill Robinson, Louis B. Mayer, Jimmy Durante, Darryl F. Zanuck. From Los Angeles, California.

12/22/1937 TOWN HALL TONIGHT (THE FRED ALLEN SHOW)

NBC

Wednesday 9:00-10:00pm

Sponsor: Bristol Meyers