Tune In Tonight: Classic Radio Comedy Stars
Instructions: Before television arrived, the family gathered around the radio to laugh with Jack Benny, Burns and Allen, and Fibber McGee — and these legendary comedians were as beloved as any star on any screen.
- 1.
Jack Benny had a famous running gag on his radio program — he always claimed to be the same age, no matter how many years went by. What age did he insist he was?
A29B35C39D42 - 2.
Which actor played Jack Benny's sharp-witted valet Rochester on The Jack Benny Program?
AEddie 'Rochester' AndersonBMel BlancCDon WilsonDDennis Day - 3.
Fibber McGee and Molly had one running gag that audiences looked forward to every single episode. What happened whenever Fibber opened the hall closet?
AA skeleton tumbled outBEverything came crashing down in a tremendous clatterCHe found something valuable insideDHis wife Molly would scream and run away - 4.
Edgar Bergen was a ventriloquist who became a radio superstar — which was a delightfully funny idea, since no one could see the dummy's mouth not moving. What was the name of his most famous wooden dummy?
AMortimer SnerdBElmer FudgeCCharlie McCarthyDArchie Andrews - 5.
George Burns and Gracie Allen were one of radio's most beloved comedy teams. What role did George Burns typically play in their act?
AThe scatter-brained partnerBThe calm, logical straight manCThe villain of each sketchDThe studio announcer - 6.
The Jack Benny Program had a running gag about Benny's ancient, sputtering automobile, which he refused to replace because of his famous stinginess. What make of car was it?
AFord Model TBStudebakerCPackardDMaxwell - 7.
Fred Allen's radio show featured a segment called 'Allen's Alley,' where he interviewed colorful characters including Senator Beauregard Claghorn, a blustery Southern politician. Which famous cartoon character was later inspired by Senator Claghorn?
AYosemite SamBBugs BunnyCFoghorn LeghornDDaffy Duck - 8.
"Fibber McGee and Molly" was famously sponsored for many years by which household products company, whose goods were woven naturally into the show's storylines?
AProcter & GambleBLever BrothersCCampbell's SoupDJohnson's Wax - 9.
"Fibber McGee and Molly" ran as one of America's most popular radio comedy programs from 1935 to 1959. On which network did it air?
ACBSBNBCCABCDMutual Broadcasting System - 10.
Gracie Allen's comedy style — delivering perfectly logical conclusions from hilariously wrong starting assumptions — was sometimes called 'illogical logic.' What was the name of her real-life husband and comedy partner?
AFred AllenBJack BennyCGeorge BurnsDBob Hope - 11.
Another beloved running gag on The Jack Benny Program was that Benny's character was a dreadful musician. What instrument did he supposedly play, to the audience's great amusement?
AViolinBTrumpetCPianoDClarinet - 12.
The Jack Benny Program aired on NBC for many years before moving to a different network in 1948. Which network lured Benny away with a deal that made other big stars follow him?
AABCBMutual BroadcastingCDuMontDCBS - 13.
From 1934 to 1942, The Jack Benny Program was sponsored by which brand, mentioned so often that many listeners simply called the show by the sponsor's name?
AJell-OBLucky StrikeCMaxwell HouseDCoca-Cola - 14.
"Amos 'n' Andy" was one of the most popular programs in early American radio. On which network did it begin its national broadcasts in 1929?
ACBSBNBCCABCDMutual Broadcasting - 15.
One of Jack Benny's most famous comedy bits had a robber pointing a gun and demanding, "Your money or your life!" After a long, dramatic pause, what did Benny's character say?
A"Take it, take it all!"B"My money? You'll never see a cent!"C"Help! Somebody call the police!"D"I'm thinking it over!"
Answer Key
Jack Benny's running joke that he was eternally 39 years old was one of the most beloved gags in radio comedy — he kept that fictional age for decades while audiences laughed along.
Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson brought the valet Rochester to life with a gravelly voice and perfect comic timing, and he became one of the most popular supporting characters in all of radio.
The overstuffed hall closet crash was the show's most famous gag — every time Fibber opened that door, an avalanche of household junk would clatter and clang for a full half-minute, delighting audiences every time.
Charlie McCarthy was Bergen's tuxedo-wearing, monocle-sporting dummy, famous for his witty and sometimes cheeky remarks to the celebrity guests who appeared on the program.
George Burns was the master straight man — asking simple, sensible questions that set up Gracie Allen's wonderfully illogical answers, which she delivered with complete sincerity.
Jack Benny's battered old Maxwell — always breaking down and making dreadful noises — was one of the show's most beloved running gags, a perfect symbol of his legendary reluctance to spend money.
Senator Beauregard Claghorn, performed on radio by Kenny Delmar, is widely regarded as the inspiration for Foghorn Leghorn — the big, boastful rooster (voiced by Mel Blanc) who debuted in Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoons in 1946.
Johnson's Wax sponsored 'Fibber McGee and Molly' for many years, and the product tie-ins were written so naturally into each episode that audiences barely noticed they were hearing an advertisement.
"Fibber McGee and Molly" aired on NBC for its entire run, making it one of the longest-running comedy programs in American radio history.
George Burns and Gracie Allen married in 1926 and became one of the most beloved husband-and-wife teams in American entertainment, thriving in vaudeville, radio, and later television.
Jack Benny's terrible violin playing was a cherished running joke — though in real life Benny was actually a capable violinist who had studied as a child, he played the hopeless musician to hilarious effect on his show.
CBS famously signed Jack Benny in 1948 by offering a deal that let him sell his program as a corporation, resulting in lower taxes — a move so attractive that it triggered a wave of other big-name radio stars switching to CBS.
Jell-O was Benny's sponsor from 1934 to 1942, and it was plugged so frequently and cheerfully that fans often called the program 'the Jell-O Program' — Benny later moved to Lucky Strike cigarettes as his sponsor.
"Amos 'n' Andy" moved to NBC for national broadcasts in 1929 and quickly became one of the most listened-to programs in the country, drawing enormous audiences six evenings a week.
Benny's famous pause followed by "I'm thinking it over!" perfectly captured his character's legendary stinginess — implying he valued his money more than his own life — and the audience's laughter at that line became one of radio comedy's greatest moments.