Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:32 — 6.8MB)
Don introduces Jack and teases him about being dizzy. Jack tells a story about flying a kite as a child. Mary Livingston arrives to the applause of the soldiers. She tells about sharing a motherly kiss with one of the soldiers, then Dennis Day arrives. He tells about his Mother’s Day gift for his own mom. Phil enters with his own remarks about Mother’s Day.
Dennis sings: Johnny Doughboy Found A Rose in Ireland.
When Dennis asks, Jack explained to him what a navigator does. As Jack offers a technically accurate description, Phil and Dennis add the jokes. Mary threatens Jack to let her read a poem. “She called all the pilot sweetheart, but she sure had a lot of control.” Insert tribute to the military men up to the quality of Longfellow? Before Phil can play a good hot band number, an interruption arrives to encourage buying a bond.
Phil Harris and his orchestra plays: I Can’t Give You Anything but Love.
Jack announces that when the season will also end the sponsorship by Jell-O. Are they all getting fired? Jack describes how it all happened. We joined the trip to see the sponsor as Rochester drives the Maxwell. Don and Mary try to encourage him, but Jack insists on trying to be humble as he prepares for the encounter with the sponsor. The sponsor, Mr. Mortimer has good news to share. Jack will be broadcasting for another of their products. How will Don take the news about leaving Jell-O behind as a sponsor?
PS: the real story is that Jell-O was selling so well by sponsoring Jack Benny show, they were merely selling more than they can handle. Especially with wartime shortages on sugar. By moving his sponsorship to another one of the General Foods products the hope was he would be able to sell that product just as well. The new product isn’t quite mentioned yet, but you can guess what it might be!
