The Jack Benny Program - Dream of Marrying Mary (1/3)

[fromthesidelines]

Jack's early filmed episodes were shot without a live audience, at close friend George Burns' "McCadden" facilities, at General Service Studios [Benny kept insisting to the "canned laughter man" that he wanted the laughter softer...and LOWER]. This was also one of the few times Jack, Mary and Joan appeared together on the same program. Joan sometimes "filled in" for her mother when the radio shows were taped during this period; she read Mary's dialogue, then Mary's portion was inserted later on.

[hwy61media]

Jack had impeccable taste. Mary was a quite fetching young lady here.

[fromthesidelines]

This was one of the first filmed programs of the series [February 7, 1954], and Mary Livingstone would ONLY appear on those because of her aversion to appearing before live audiences- when her friend Gracie Allen retired in 1958, Mary announced hers. The opening Lucky Strike commercial is missing- although I'm pretty sure it was one of those "Luckies Taste Better" ads (with a vocal by Dorothy Collins), and the announcer at the end saying, "Be Happy- Go Lucky!".

[hwy61media]

It's too bad that Mary didn't like the camera. I thought she was great.