Golden Age of Radio

  Say Hello To- VERNA FELTON—whose specialty on the air is playing mothers. You’ve heard her as Dennis Day ’s mother on the JackBenny program and as the mother of practically every famous personality dramatized by Hedda Hopper . Verna’s own mother, Clara Allen, was a noted actress, and Verna herself began acting when she was six. In 1923 she married Lee Millar, stage and radio star in his own right, and now they are one of Hollywood ’s ideally happy couples. They own right, and now they are one of Hollywood ’s ideally happy couples. They own a home with a garden composed entirely of old-fashioned flowers, where Verna spends most of her time when she’s not on the air, and they have one son, Lee, Jr., whose nickname is Spuddy . PLENTY PROUD is the mother of tenor Dennis Day , singing star of the Jack Benny program. Dennis Keeps busy while Benny’s show vacations for the summer months, makes an appearance Sunday on “Pause That Refreshes”

St. Joseph Gazette- Apr 27, 1982 Don Wilson, radio – TV figure, dies -AP Don Wilson dead PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (AP)—Don Wilson, the rotund foll of Jack Benny ’s comedy routines on radio and television for more than 30 years, has died at the age of 81. Wilson was found unconscious Sunday at his home in Cathedral City and was taken to Eisenhower Medical Center. Doctors at the hospital were unable to revive him and he was pronounced dead at 6:51 p.m. The cause of death was listed as a cerebral vascular accident or stroke. He joined the Jack Benny radio show in 1933 after working as a sports announcer for NBC . He was initially only the program’s announcer, but Benny soon worked him into the show as a regular character. His wife, Lois Corbet, also eventually became a character on the radio and television shows, along with Eddie “Rochester” Anderson. Dennis Day , Phil Harris , Mary Livingston , Artie “Mr. Kitzel” Auerbach, Mel Blanc , Bea Benaderet , Verna Felton, Fran...