This special, originally aired September 27, 1961, is a one of a kind tribute to Jack Benny for the benefit concerts he performed all over the country to raise money for struggling orchestras. Through the course of his life, Jack said nothing gave him more pleasure in show business than these concerts, affording him the opportunity to play with the greatest symphonies in the world while helping them stay afloat financially. This largely musical special is overflowing with great performances, by Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, pianist Van Cliburn, violinist Isaac Stern and jazz clarinetist Benny Goodman. Video quality is very rough here, but this is still worth seeing as a very rare bit of Jack Benny history. The priceless concert footage here has hardly been seen since this special originally aired, and I'm not aware of any other video of Jack's symphony performances.
Name | Type | Role | |
---|---|---|---|
Isaac Stern | Guest Star | ||
Van Cliburn | Guest Star | ||
Benny Goodman | Guest Star | ||
Roberta Peters | Guest Star |