One of the things that surprised me while researching this article was how many techniques we associate with modern sitcoms were already being developed on The Jack Benny Program decades earlier. Historian Geoffrey Mark argues: "It isn't that Jack Benny created the first sitcom. He created the elements that make sitcoms work."
Media historian and author Kathy Fuller-Seeley points out that Benny and his writers gradually shifted from jokes and monologues to recurring characters, continuing storylines and ensemble relationships—the very things that sitcoms still rely on today.
I spoke with Geoffrey, Kathy and Jack's daughter, Joan Benny, for a look at how one of radio's biggest stars helped shape television comedy. If you'd like to check out the full story, you can do so by doing a search for Jack Benny womansworld. If you do, I hope you'll enjoy it.