Why did Jack Benny always claim he was 39?
Jack claimed on one of the radio shows to be 36. It got a laugh, so they continued using it. Later he became 37, then 38, then 39. There were plans to have a big production for Jack’s 40th birthday show, but people started contacting him that he shouldn’t turn 40, as it was too big of a milestone. Thus on the 2-14-54 program, they celebrate Jack’s 40th birthday. Toward the end of the show, Jack gets a telegram from his sister, Florence, saying that Jack was actually born a year later than originally thought, making him…39. Jack phones home to Rochester, and asks him to get out his birth certificate. He asks him what is written in the spot that says “Date of Birth.” Rochester replies, “A hole.” “A hole?” exclaims Jack. “Yeah Boss, we erased it once too often!
