The Jet Benny Show
Encyclopedia
The Jet Benny Show is a 1986
science fiction
parody
film, in which the title character
is a spoof of Jack Benny
. The plot is a broad parody of the Star Wars
films, and is deliberately low-budget in appearance.
television
show, which appears to be The Jack Benny Program
, although it’s never called this by name. The host (Steve Norman) welcomes his special guest (Polly MacIntyre), and introduces the sketch for the evening (which is the body of the film, and in color).
,” is traveling through space in his ship — the Maxwell, piloted by the android Rochester (Kevin Dees) — when the vessel loses power and crashes down on an unfamiliar planet. After Jet regains consciousness, Rochester and the Maxwell are nowhere to be found; Jet spends the next few years living in the woods like a hermit
.
One day, Jet sees a woman (MacIntyre) being whipped and beaten by a thug and his henchmen, and he uses his raygun
to scare them off. The woman turns out to be Princess Miranda; her family and people have been tyrannized by the forces of Lord Zane for the last few years, with the aid of android Rochester whose memory had been damaged by the crash.
After freeing Rochester and restoring his memory, the reluctant Jet is persuaded by Miranda into breaking into Zane's castle and freeing her brother, Prince Carmen (Richard Sabel). After escaping from the castle, the heroes take the Maxwell (which was in Zane’s possession) to help Miranda’s father, the King (Mark Walz); he and his people are in a walled city
, which is being besieged by Zane’s forces. The heroes win the battle, and the members of the royal family are reunited.
Jet is getting ready to leave the planet when Miranda catches up to him and kisses him; as a result, Jet, who had been eager to get away from the planet, is now reluctant to leave.
1986 in film
-Events:*April 12 - Actor Morgan Mason marries The Go-Go's Belinda Carlisle.*April 26 - Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger marries television journalist Maria Shriver.*May - Actress Heather Locklear marries Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee....
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
film, in which the title character
Title role
The title role in the performing arts is the performance part that gives the title to the piece, as in Aida, Giselle, Michael Collins or Othello. The actor, singer or dancer who performs that part is also said to have the title role....
is a spoof of Jack Benny
Jack Benny
Jack Benny was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film...
. The plot is a broad parody of the Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
films, and is deliberately low-budget in appearance.
Opening
At the start of the film, we see a black-and-whiteBlack-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
show, which appears to be The Jack Benny Program
The Jack Benny Program
The Jack Benny Program, starring Jack Benny, is a radio-TV comedy series that ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th-century American comedy.-Cast:*Jack Benny - Himself...
, although it’s never called this by name. The host (Steve Norman) welcomes his special guest (Polly MacIntyre), and introduces the sketch for the evening (which is the body of the film, and in color).
The “sketch”
Jet Benny (Norman), a self-proclaimed “intergalactic soldier of fortuneMercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
,” is traveling through space in his ship — the Maxwell, piloted by the android Rochester (Kevin Dees) — when the vessel loses power and crashes down on an unfamiliar planet. After Jet regains consciousness, Rochester and the Maxwell are nowhere to be found; Jet spends the next few years living in the woods like a hermit
Hermit
A hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...
.
One day, Jet sees a woman (MacIntyre) being whipped and beaten by a thug and his henchmen, and he uses his raygun
Raygun
Rayguns are a type of fictional directed-energy weapon. They have various alternate names: ray gun, death ray, beam gun, blaster, laser gun, phaser, etc. They are a well-known feature of science fiction; for such stories they typically have the general function of guns...
to scare them off. The woman turns out to be Princess Miranda; her family and people have been tyrannized by the forces of Lord Zane for the last few years, with the aid of android Rochester whose memory had been damaged by the crash.
After freeing Rochester and restoring his memory, the reluctant Jet is persuaded by Miranda into breaking into Zane's castle and freeing her brother, Prince Carmen (Richard Sabel). After escaping from the castle, the heroes take the Maxwell (which was in Zane’s possession) to help Miranda’s father, the King (Mark Walz); he and his people are in a walled city
Defensive wall
A defensive wall is a fortification used to protect a city or settlement from potential aggressors. In ancient to modern times, they were used to enclose settlements...
, which is being besieged by Zane’s forces. The heroes win the battle, and the members of the royal family are reunited.
Jet is getting ready to leave the planet when Miranda catches up to him and kisses him; as a result, Jet, who had been eager to get away from the planet, is now reluctant to leave.
Closing
On the television show, the host thanks the guest and cast members for their work, and starts talking about next week’s show.Low-budget look
Unlike the science fiction movies this film parodies, The Jet Benny Show was given a deliberate low-budget appearance; “outer space” was a black backdrop with large white lights poking through it, the spaceship had visible wires, action figures were used for a chase scene, et cetera. In one scene, the action was replaced with rotoscoped animation.External links
- In My Image: Roger D. Evans talks about the making of The Jet Benny Show (October, 2001)