"He could make anybody (everybody) laugh"

Bob Hope was the wisecracker. Milton Berle was a clown. George Burns and Gracie Allen were farceurs of domestic life. And Jack Benny was the "Everyman" comedian.

For nearly half-a-century, Benny kept audiences in stitches with his alter-ego of a vain penny-pincher who was forever 39 and delusional about his skill at playing the violin. His catchphrases — "well" (with a long pause) and "now cut that out" — were part of the pop culture landscape for decades.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-jack-benny-classic-hollywood-20130722,0,1825339.story