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Ah, Wilderness!
The Jell-O Program Starring Jack Benny
Broadcast: NBC - Sunday, April 12, 1936 & Sunday, May 16, 1937

Cast: Jack Benny, Mary Livingston, Kenny Baker, Don Wilson,
Sam Hearn (1936), Andy Devine (1937), Phil Harris (1937)

On January 29, 1935 Eugene O'Neill sent the following wire to his lawyer, Harry Weinberger:

GIVE BENNY MY CONSENT TO GO AHEAD WITHOUT CHARGE STOP DON'T AGREE WITH YOU THINK BENNY VERY AMUSING GUY AND BELIEVE KIDDING MY STUFF EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE HAS VERY HEALTHY EFFECT AND HELPS KEEP ME OUT OF DEAD SOLEMN ILLUSTRIOUS STUFFED SHIRT ACADEMICIAN CLASS =  GENE

O'Neill thus gave Jack Benny permission to do a parody of one of his plays on his weekly radio show. The Jack Benny Program was in production on two different radio networks from 1932 to 1958, under six product brands. Jack and his regulars Mary Livingston (Sadie Marks, his real-life wife.), Kenny Baker, Phil Harris, and Don Wilson, performed their comedic variety show every Sunday at 7:00pm. The parody of Ah, Wilderness! first appeared on April 12, 1936. Selected by a vote of the audience as their favorite, a "new version" of the parody appeared on May 16, 1937.


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