Golden Age of Radio

Popular Mechanics, June 1951 Rochester Designs Own Speedster Tired of “driving” the boss’ horse-and-buggy Maxwell, Eddie Anderson , famed Rochester of Jack Benny ’s show, designed himself a sleek sport car that will hit more than 100 miles an hour. Its power plant is a highly tuned Cadillac engine, Anderson proved himself to be no slouch as an engineer, coming up with such innovations as dual soft springs in the rear for a gentle, firm ride. Said to cost about $20,000, the speedster was made by Emil Diedt, builder of the Blue Crown Special racers. <Motor Trend Magazine drawing > Frame of the Rochester car is principally chrome- moly tubing. Seats are low, being mounted within frame members. Car has 6 ½ -inch ground clearance. Below, Rochester and his car. Note the “clamshell” fenders

Reading Eagle – May 1, 1940 ‘Kidnaping’ Starts Riot at Harvard Rochester, Benny’s Stooge, Center of Fracas Cambridge, Mass.. May 1 (AP)— The first riot of spring occurred in Harvard Square last night and seven Harvard students were arrested for disturbing the peace. The riot, which embodied all the usual features of Harvard Square spring disturbances, apparently developed from a combination of the warm evening air and the fact that a group of Massachusetts Institute of Technology students put one over on the Harvards by “abducting” Eddie “Rochester” Anderson , Negro comedian on the Jack Benny radio program . Rochester, scheduled to appear at a Harvary smoker, turned up instead at the Delta Kappa Epsilon House at M. I. T., after being persuaded by a group of Dekes to leave his plane at Providence, R. I., and motor to Cambridge. The comedian thought he was at Harvard until two hours later. The riot, which found some 200 students milling around in the s...