Jack Benny
Jack Benny (1894–1974) was an American comedian whose radio and television programs made him one of the most popular entertainers of the mid-twentieth century.
His comic persona centered on exaggerated vanity about his age (perpetually 39) and legendary stinginess—the latter immortalized in a holdup skit where a robber demands "Your money or your life!" and Benny's long pause gets the biggest laugh.
His deadpan timing and ability to get laughs from silence influenced generations of comedians.
Amusing quality
- jokesHumorous remarks or stories
- timingArt of choosing moments
- deadpanExpressionless, especially for humor
- witClever, inventive humor
funny · comedy · shtick · monologue · punchline · gag · banter · Rochester
Raised performance platform
- varietyState of being diverse
- actDeed or performance
- routineRegular sequence of actions
- theaterVenue for live drama
performance · circuit · revue · touring · footlights · emcee · live performance · entertainer
Extreme reluctance to spend
- cheapskateStingy person
- tightwadStingy person, slang
- stingyUnwilling to spend freely
- vaultSecure storage chamber
Maxwell · running gag · frugality · skinflint · miserly · parsimonious · tightfisted · exaggeration
Transmitted media signal
- NBCAmerican television network
- CBSMajor television and radio network
- Jell-OFlavored gelatin brand
- Lucky StrikeHistoric American tobacco brand
sponsor · airwaves · listener · golden age · sitcom · weekly · live audience · sound effects
Prized antique string instrument
- fiddleAdjust restlessly; folk violin
- bowRespectful forward inclination
- screechingMaking harsh high sounds
- practiceRepeated work toward mastery
recital · running gag · theme song · pretension · musician · performance · self-mockery
humor
Amusing quality
- jokesHumorous remarks or stories
- timingArt of choosing moments
- deadpanExpressionless, especially for humor
wit · funny · comedy · shtick · monologue · punchline · gag · banter · Rochester · Maxwell
stage
Raised performance platform
theater · performance · circuit · revue · touring · footlights · emcee · live performance · entertainer · showmanship
penny-pinching
Extreme reluctance to spend
- cheapskateStingy person
- tightwadStingy person, slang
- stingyUnwilling to spend freely
vault · Maxwell · running gag · frugality · skinflint · miserly · parsimonious · tightfisted · exaggeration · character
broadcast
Transmitted media signal
Lucky Strike · sponsor · airwaves · listener · golden age · sitcom · weekly · live audience · sound effects · announcer
Stradivarius
Prized antique string instrument
- fiddleAdjust restlessly; folk violin
- bowRespectful forward inclination
- screechingMaking harsh high sounds
practice · recital · running gag · theme song · pretension · musician · performance · self-mockery
- comedycomedy, jokes, humor, puns, sarcasm
- comedianscomedian, stand-up, comic, stand-up comic, standup comic
- radio dramaradio play, radio serial, radio scripts, radio broadcast, radio mystery
- Radio EntertainersGeorge Burns, Bob Hope, Mel Blanc, Rochester, Abbott and Costello
- Screen LegendsHumphrey Bogart, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn
- TV PioneersEd Sullivan, Lucille Ball, Johnny Carson, Walter Cronkite, Edward R. Murrow
Jack BennyRobin Williams
Jerry Lewis · Don Rickles · Jim Carrey · Gilbert Gottfried · Chris Farley
Jack BennyRobin Williams
Rodney Dangerfield · motor-mouth · Chris Tucker · Eddie Murphy · Lewis Black
jack, Jack, jacked, blackjack, flapjack, lumberjack, Benjamin, jackhammer, jacking