Jack Twice on Christmas, 1949

[Yhtapmys]

Fans of Jack got to hear him twice on Christmas Day. Being a Sunday, his own programme was broadcast on CBS. But earlier that day:

JACK BENNY WILL BE THE GUEST STAR OVER CBS Christmas Day when The Actor's Company presents its gala, all-star one-hour production of "The Man Who Came to Dinner'' on the "Hotpoint Hour." He will play the role of Sheridan Whiteside, created on the stage by Monty Woolley. The glittering cast will include Henry Fonda and John Garfield as narrators, and Charles Boyer, Gene Kelly, Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and Rosalind Russell.

Here is some of the other programming that day:

JACK BENNY PLANS TO spend Christmas Eve quietly at home decorating his Yule tree, but his happy solitude is suddenly broken when his gang drops in and hashes up the proceedings, during CBS' "Jack Benny Program" Sunday.

FOR THE 10th CONSECUTIVE YEAR, CBS' "Amos 'n' Andy" on Sunday will present Amos' interpretation of the Lord's Prayer to his little daughter Arbadella, one of the most famous of radio Christmas features.

CBS had a pretty good lineup. I realise it was different for different time zones, but here's what was in store. The "Hotpoint Hour" was followed by "The Famly Hour of Stars" (which was a half hour; I think John Hodiak hosted), then "Our Miss Brooks." Then it was Benny, Amos n Andy, followed by Edgar Bergen, Red Skelton, Meet Corliss Archer, Horace Heidt and The Carnation Contented Hour. Sunday daytime programming included a Charles Collingwood newscast, Guy Lombardo, and 15 minutes with Frank Sinatra and Dorothy Kirsten (who got first billing).

Some other programming notes:

FOR THE SECOND Successive year, and by popular request, CBS newsman Douglas Edwards Sunday tells the real story of Santa Claus, the top personality of the day, in an intimate, first-hand sketch on the CBS word portrait program, 'The Newsmakers."
THE ANNUAL CHRISTMAS MESSAGE of King George VI to the British Empire will be recorded over a special circuit from London and broadcast on CBS Sunday.
IN A SPECIAL CHRISTMAS DAY BROADCAST, CHAIRman Lyman Bryson and three distinguished guests, Clifton Fadiman, Eva Le Gallienne and Mark Van Doren, will read portions of classic Christmas stories on CBS' "Invitation to Learning'' Sunday.
SCREEN STAR RONALD COLMAN NARRATES THE touching story of the donkey that carried Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem, in Charles Tazewell's "The Small One,'' the Christmas program of CBS' "Family Hour of Stars'' Sunday.

NBC's lineup consisted of an hour-long Xmas Program From Rome (opposite Benny), followed by Phil Harris and Alice Faye, The Adventures of Sam Spade, Theatre Guild on the Air, American Album of Familiar Music, Take It Or Leave It (with Eddie Cantor) and The Bob Crosby Show.

ABC was, well, crap. Game shows and gossip. The line-up varies at the different listings I have in front of me, but there was an hour of Stop the Music, followed by Walter Winchell (15 minutes) and Louella Parsons (15 minutes and praying Winchell didn't scoop her), the game show Chance of a Lifetime ($500,000 prize), then Jimmy Fidler and Ted Malone for 15 minutes each. It also ran "Hollywood Calling" with George Fisher. Drew Pearson did a 15-minute commentary.

Mutual seems to have specialised in detective shows. The Sunday line-up featured Martin Kane, Private Eye, The Shadow, True Detective Mysteries, Mystery of the Week (with Roy Rogers!), Nick Carter, The Adventures of The Falcon, and The Saint (with Vincent Price). Sheilah Graham got 15 minutes of airtime for gossip and Juvenile Jury was on during the day. And in the holiday spirit:

LIONEL BARRYMORE, WHOSE ANNUAL PORTRAYAL of the miserly Scrooge in Charles Dickens' famous ''Christmas Carol" is a must for holiday listeners, will broadcast his interpretation of this classic character over the Mutual network on Christmas Day.

Yhtapmys

[Brad from Georgia]

I'm probably in the minority, but I liked Jack's interpretation of Sheridan Whiteside--especially his reaction to a telegram from Monty Woolley: "Hmmmm...." (sound of crumpling).

[Maxwell]

I'm with you Brad. I enjoyed Jack in "The Man Who Came to Dinner."