Self-effacing and brilliant, master of the pregnant pause, ever with his chin perched on his hand in bemused mortification, Jack Benny was one of radio's brightest personalities and one of television's first true celebrities. Straight out of Chicago, Benny took to the violin from an early age and the instrument would become the centerpiece of his act. Uniquely, Benny's 1930s radio show set the comedian as the butt of the jokes, a petty, vain cheapskate, an ample target for a rich cast of characters who defied stereotype, most memorable of whom was Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, his faithful chauffeur and sidekick. Hardly intimidated by the new medium of television, Benny's skill at the deadpan expression brought new dimension to his persona, and THE JACK BENNY SHOW ran for over 15 years.