On today’s episode, we’re rolling back to December 18, 1949, for the traditional The Jack Benny Christmas Show. It’s Christmas week on CBS, the stores are packed, and Jack and Mary are just trying to finish their shopping without losing their minds. Naturally, that means running into every character in Benny’s universe; Rochester, Phil Harris, Dennis Day, and a few crazy store clerks. The whole thing is sprinkled with Lucky Strike jingles, plus a running gag about the hit song “Mule Train,” which was absolutely everywhere that year. After the show, John digs into some fun history, including a surprisingly early use of the word “smog” to describe L.A.’s air.

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Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD