Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 20:41 — 9.5MB)
Jack reads the gossip column, and gets a kick out of the celebrity gossip. Except for the stuff written about him. Rochester joins in Jack’s pondering buying real estate in Palm Springs. Will Jack actually be up for purchasing such expensive property? Frank Nelson is the real estate agent who is ready to give it a try. What kind of features might Jack be able to get for his money? The band plays, The Sweetest Music this Side of the Yukon. But it gets partly garbled and snipped.
In the studio, Jack tells the cast about his plan to buy property. Mary teases him about his golf game. After more teasing about Palm Springs real estate, Jack introduces the play and assigns parts to the cast. It’s to be a murder mystery, and Jack’s swearing in ceremony for his deputies becomes the commercial.
Larry Stevens has his song snipped. The play kicks off, Murder at the Lone Palms. The hard boiled spoof goes into high gear with puns galore. Inspector O’Benny is hot on the trail of a murderer, interrupted by his real estate agent at inconvenient times. The clues all seem to point to Mary LaRue, but is there a secret hiding in the closet? Frank the real estate agent falls prey to Jacks frustrating resistance and goes mad. Will O’Benny get his killer? Will Jack Benny get that house for the price he wants? Stay tuned and learn the truth.
