The first season of The Jack Benny Program consisted of four episodes, during 1950 and 1951. This premiere television season of The Jack Benny Program overlapped with his radio program of the same name, which would continue until 1955, whereas this television program would last until 1965.
Jack Benny was the show's host, creator and star. Because he was unwilling to commit to the still-new technology of television on a weekly basis, the first television season of The Jack Benny Program did not include any more than these four sporadically scheduled special episodes; each was broadcast live as was typical during the Golden Age of Television. It was not until season 5 that the program would settle into a regular biweekly time slot. The program was broadcast on CBS (until its final season), and the theme song is "Love in Bloom".[1]
Special guest: Dinah Shore. After The Sportsmen Quartet introduce Jack (to the tune of "There's No Business Like Show Business"), his monologue {"I'd give a million dollars to know how I look"} and sketch are about how he decided to make a TV show, and got Dinah Shore to appear on it (Ken Murray, whose program Jack pre-empted that evening, also makes a brief appearance). Mel Blanc appears as a technical director who interrupts Jack's monologue. After Dinah sings a few songs, Jack gets out his violin and starts playing, which causes the studio audience to get up and leave.
Special guests: Faye Emerson, Frank Sinatra, and Frank Fontaine. Jack and Sinatra do a skit about New York City, and Sinatra sings "Take My Love." Later, Jack tries to show Faye that he can play romantic roles; he does a dramatic scene with her that's supposed to end in a kiss, but Sinatra walks in and steals the kiss for himself. Frank Fontaine appears as John L.T. Savonie, who in a running gag keeps repeating his endless Social Security number.
Special guests: Claudette Colbert, Basil Rathbone, and Robert Montgomery.
Special guest: Ben Hogan.