The Jack Benny Program (TV Series) Honolulu Trip (1953) User Reviews

Television glamor

[jhboswell · 7/10 · 6 October 2007]

This was pretty early in Monroe's career, and Jack was very excited about having her. He did a little bit about a dream on a cruise, which he later repeated with Jayne Mansfield, about some great dreams and waking up to fat girls--you have to realize, he did a lot of fat jokes. Monroe is luminous: a stunning beauty at that time, and she does a good job with the comedy too. This was her first television show, and when Jack asked her what she wanted to do it, she said, "Oh, I don't want money. But nobody has ever given me a car."

He gave her a Cadillac. It was not widely known at the time, because of his cheap image, and probably no one at the time would have believed it anyway.

Honolulu Trip is one unique episode of "The Jack Benny Program": It's Marilyn Monroe's only appearance in it

[tavm · 7/10 · 2 September 2009]

Just watched this originally live episode of "The Jack Benny Program" on YouTube. This is the one with Marilyn Monroe. In this one, Jack tells the audience of his Honolulu cruise with Rochester who got a lot of leis compared to none for Jack though he does eventually get one from Frank Nelson whose deli Jack frequented. On the ship, Jack encounters a Dr. Kinsey (you'll have to see what happens when he hears that name), a fellow reader (Joseph Kearns), Mr. Kitzel (Artie Auerbach), and a heavyset woman (Maxine Gates) who he later dreams as Marilyn Monroe. It's this dream sequence that's the show's highlight as Ms. Monroe declares her "love" for him and Jack is soooo overwhelmed! Jack also jokes about Arthur Godfrey, the person who sits next to celebrities introduced by Ed Sullivan in the audience, and his former bandleader Phil Harris. Just a little amusing before the Monroe sequence but a good enough episode of "The Jack Benny Program" that I highly recommend. P.S. The narrator during the Honoluou sequence was familiar voice actor Paul Frees.