A Friend at Union Station – 1955

This episode has some of the best of the cast in the entire radio run of the Jack Benny Show.

• Jack Benny – as himself
• Eddie Anderson – Rochester
• Dennis Day – as himself
• Don Wilson – as himself
• Mel Blanc – as the painter and train announcer
• Frank Nelson – as the Information Desk “Yes” man
• Sheldon Leonard – as the Race Track Tout
• Artie Auerbach – as Mr. Kitzel
• Bob Crosby’s Orchestra

The Jack Benny radio show is considered one of the best comedy shows of Old Time Radio (OTR). Some even say it is the best. It aired from 1932-1955. Jack Benny began his TV show in 1950. Even with the transition to TV, he was a die hard proponent of keeping his radio show going as long as possible. Contrary to the running gag that Jack was cheap, he paid his cast members well. He wanted to support them as long as possible. So for five years, he continued working on the TV show and his weekly radio show concurrently.

This particular episode is a gem. It has many running bits that go back decades in the making. All in all, it’s pretty clean, cute comedy. Many people these days may find the comedy and commercials (Lucky Strikes and Tareyton Filter Cigarettes) to be dated and simple. Today’s world moves fast. Maybe simple is just what we need now and again.