Jack Benny accomplished many "firsts" in his career but a biggie was that he was the first radio comedian to ever give credit to his writing staff. This did not sit well with certain other comedians of the day. Several went to Benny and urged him to reverse his decision, ostensibly because they thought it would destroy an important illusion. The public, they told him, wanted to believe that the performers were really that witty. A comedian crediting writers, they told him, would be like a swashbuckling screen star telling people — or reminding those that already knew — that his most daring feats were accomplished by a stuntman. They really believed this. Benny heard their advice, politely rejected it…and went on to become one of the most successful comedians of all time.
And what's amazing is that, even though he credited his writers, most of the public seems to have believed that he actually was that stingy; that Rochester really was his valet; that he lived next door to Ronald Colman, etc. Telling the world that his shows were written sure didn't hurt those illusions.
He had a great writing staff, too. Most of them were with him for much of his career and all distinguished themselves in one way or another. Two are of special interest. Harry Conn was the sole writer of The Jack Benny Program when it had its initial success. Later on, Al Boasberg was Benny's "punch-up" guy, getting paid well to add a key joke here or there. Both men were recently profiled in a couple of articles in Written By, the Writers Guild's magazine, and they have those pieces online. Read 'em right here.