Jack Benny : SING OUT SWEET LAND

A star-studded tribute to America starring John Wayne, Lorne Greene, William Shatner, Dan Blocker, Michael Landon, Ann-Margret, Lucille Ball, Jack Benny, Hugh O'Brian, Roscoe Lee Browne, Glen Campbell, Greg Morris, Ross Martin, Johnny Cash, Roy Clark, Bing Crosby, Phyllis Diller, Bob Hope, Celeste Holm, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Dan Rowan, Dick Martin, Tom Smothers, Red Skelton, Leslie Uggams, Dennis Weaver, Ed McMahon and more.[1970].

A brief appearance by George Burns.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L3XxI6MK8Y

In an interview on The Tonight Show from about 1973 or '74, impressionist Rich Little talked about how reluctant Jack Benny was to sing on this show, because, according to Little, he claimed that he'd never sung in his entire life.
This wasn't true, of course; Benny had sung several times on his own show, particularly in the running gag of the corny song he'd written, "When You Say I Beg Your Pardon, Then I'll Come Back to You." Maybe because the song was intentionally mediocre, he hadn't minded singing it, and his singing was supposed to be funny. But singing a brief phrase from "God Bless America" in this TV special was apparently too daunting for him. The producers suggested that he mouth the words, and they would have Little dub the actual singing for him. Benny supposedly replied, "Well, if they're going to go to that much trouble, why don't they get Jan Peerce (a famous opera-caliber singer of the time) to do it?!" He
relented and did his own singing; his shy, poignant delivery of his brief line in the song shows his nervousness.



I'm not crying, you fool, I'm laughing!

Hewwo.