Ah, Wilderness! The Jell-O Program Starring Jack Benny
Broadcast:
NBC - Sunday,
April
12, 1936 & Sunday,
May
16, 1937
Cast: Jack
Benny, Mary Livingston, Kenny Baker, Don Wilson,
Sam Hearn (1936), Andy Devine (1937), Phil Harris (1937)
On January 29, 1935 Eugene O'Neill sent the following
wire to his lawyer, Harry Weinberger:
GIVE BENNY MY CONSENT TO GO AHEAD WITHOUT CHARGE STOP
DON'T AGREE WITH YOU THINK BENNY VERY AMUSING GUY AND BELIEVE KIDDING MY
STUFF EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE HAS VERY HEALTHY EFFECT AND HELPS KEEP ME
OUT OF DEAD SOLEMN ILLUSTRIOUS STUFFED SHIRT ACADEMICIAN CLASS =
GENE
O'Neill thus gave
Jack Benny permission to do a parody of one of his plays on his weekly
radio show. The Jack Benny Program was in production on two
different radio networks from 1932 to 1958, under six product
brands. Jack and his regulars Mary Livingston (Sadie Marks, his
real-life wife.), Kenny Baker, Phil Harris, and Don Wilson,
performed their comedic variety show every Sunday at 7:00pm. The
parody of Ah, Wilderness! first appeared on April 12,
1936. Selected by a vote of the audience as their favorite, a
"new version" of the parody appeared on May 16,
1937.
