Timeless Facts About Jack Benny, The King Of Comedy
The legendary Jack Benny was a gentle, generous man with no shortage of famous friends—and so beloved that even a headline-making scandal couldn’t put a dent in his popularity.
Jack Benny Facts
1. He Was A Reluctant Maestro
Jack Benny was born Benjamin Kubelsky in Chicago, Illinois, on February 14, 1894. His parents bought him a violin when he was six years old, hoping one day he would become a great musician. The good news was he loved the violin.
The bad news was he loathed practicing. Still, he became an accomplished player—mostly to get out of doing things he considered way worse.
2. He Stunk At School
Benny hated school and homework. He was a daydreamer who played hooky frequently. When he did go to school, he pulled pranks, and they were disgusting. He enjoyed stuffing Limburger cheese into his homeroom radiators to stink up the entire class. He flunked out of high school and business college. His own father fired him from the family store.
It seemed the only thing Benny could focus on was that violin, so at 17 he joined the orchestra pit at a local vaudeville theater, ready to make some noise.
3. He Could’ve Toured With Groucho
Before the legendary Marx Brothers brought their comedy act to Hollywood, they toured the vaudeville circuit with their mother Minnie, stopping in Benny’s hometown of Waukegan, Illinois in 1911, Minnie noticed how quickly Benny picked up new music and offered him a job playing for her sons on tour. His parents wouldn’t hear of it.
They considered show business immoral and a waste of his talents—but they couldn’t keep him home for long.
