A Little News From Waukegan

Jack Benny constantly and consistently promoted Waukegan, Illinois as his home town. But by the time he started in radio in 1932, not only had it been years since he lived there, his father had moved to nearby Lake Forest.

This did not stop the local papers from proudly hailing him as one of their own. Jack’s pull was big enough to have one of his movies, Man About Town, premiere in Waukegan.

In many stories, there was just a brief mention of him in connection with radio or movies. Here are a couple of little longer ones, both from 1934 when Jack began broadcasting for General Tire. The News-Sun printed this on May 19.

Jack Benny City’s Contribution To Radio World, Will Star In Picture
Comedian Scheduled To Leave In Two Weeks To Start Film In Hollywood, Cal.
Jack Benny of radio fame, who has helped put Waukegan and Lake county on the map in the radio world, has signed a contract to star in a film for United Artists, according to reports today. Mary Livingston, his wife and radio partner, will go with him and they will continue their Friday evening broadcasts from Los Angeles, it is understood.
Jack is scheduled to leave for the movie city, Hollywood, within two weeks to start on the picture, according to Larry Wolters, writer of movie star gossip.
Benny's father, Mayer Kubelsky, was for years a tailor in Waukegan but now resides in Lake Forest when he is not in Florida. He recently returned from the south nicely tanned and visited the News-Sun office to extend his thanks for the favorable publicity his son has been receiving. It is Jack's success which has made it possible for his father to enjoy life and spend the winter months in Florida.
The radio star is well known locally having played the violin as a boy on the stage of the old Barrison theater here. He was then considered a boy prodigy on the fiddle but he drifted away from playing as he grew older and established himself as one of the leading comedians of the country. The violin gets little attention nowadays.
Benny was in Waukegan only a few months ago and visited friends here, spending a good deal of his time with Julius Sinykin, local clothier, who has known Jack for many years.

The General Tire version of the Benny show debuted on April 6. Don Wilson was Jack’s new announcer, Don Bestor now led the orchestra, with Mary Livingstone and singer Frank Parker holdovers from his series for Chevrolet. The News-Sun of April 25 gave a roundup of reviews.

FINE TRIBUTES TO JACK BENNY
Radio Editors Of Various Newspapers Give Big Hand to Waukegan Star.
Radio editors of American daily newspapers speak their opinions frankly about the important coast-to-coast radio programs that are on the air. If they don't like a program, they say so, very distinctly. If they do like it, they say that, too.
Here are some of the editorial expressions of opinion that appeared in representative American daily newspapers as Jack Benny of Waukegan opened his series for General Tire:
New York Sun: "Jack Benny's salary on that Friday night broadcast is reported to be $4000 a week. We think he's worth it."
New York Evening Post: "Jack opened his new commercial series last night and put on a very funny half hour that won more than its quota of laughs without telling jokes . . . We anticipate substantial amusement to be derived from the Benny-Bestor conversations." Cleveland, Ohio, News: "Don Bester has his band on the Jack Benny program. Don and Jack are old pals having been on the stage together. Bestor’s arrangements are often the fine on the air.”
Newark, N. J. Star-Eagle: "We saw Frank Parker, radio’s romantic and talented tenor, in New York just after he had signed the contract as soloist with Jack Benny's new show and he was as gratified as we were. He likes working with Jack and Mary Livingstone. Don Bestor’s orchestra will be on the new series and the show promises to be a hit."
Columbus, Ohio, Dispatch: "One comedian with whom we can find no fault, possibly because he permits other entertainers to tell his jokes, is Jack Benny."
Akron, Ohio, Beacon Journal: “If I were king of radio, I’d encourage programs as Jack Benny's comedy.
Camden, N. J., Courier: "Good news! There’ll be no uncertainty to whether Jack Benny remains on the air! Benny has just been snapped up by a rubber manufacturer."
Wilmington, Del., Star: “To top off the evening, what could be better than Jack Benny with Mary Livingstone and Don Bestor’s orchestra?”
Pittsburgh, Pa., Post Gazette: "It’s nice to set Jack Benny, Mary Livingstone, Frank Parker and Don Bestor lined up on that new program."
Newark, N. J., Evening News: "Maybe that top rating that Jack Benny got as a radio comedian by radio editors of the country means something, for Jack has just signed a new contract. Jack will have Mrs B.—Mary Livingston— with him as usual, and Frank Parker."

Jack had one special broadcast heard in Waukegan—and elsewhere—in 1934 in lieu of his regular half hour. On June 1, he was part of an hour-long a “Century of Progress Radio Invitation” that originated from the Chicago World’s Fair and was broadcast across the U.S.; KFI aired it beginning at 6:30 p.m.

It began with Bill Hays announcing from Chicago: “Ladies and gentlemen we are going to cut in on our Chicago World’s Fair program for a few minutes to bring you the General Tire comedian, Jack Benny. Jack and Mary did a routine from Hollywood but were supposedly on a train travelling there (Jack had moved the show from New York to shoot Trans-Atlantic Merry-Go-Round). Besides one of Mary’s poems, the show’s unknown highlight was the first appearance with Benny of Frank Nelson. Instead of playing the “Yehhhhs?” man, he portrayed Clark Gable. Jack’s old buddy Benny Baker also appeared a native American selling a Pullman blanket.

You can see from the ad to the right that a few of Benny’s old colleagues also appeared on the broadcast, but from the Fair site in Chicago.

Judging by the Associated Press’ radio listings, if regular programming had taken place that evening, Waukegans would have been able to pick either Jack on the NBC-WEAF (Red) Network, a string symphony orchestra on the NBC-WJZ (Blue) Network and Phil Spitalny’s Ensemble on CBS. Somehow, in Waukegan we don’t think Spitalny would have had a chance, even with Evelyn and her magic violin, and Jack playing his un-magic one.