The iconic car that comedian Jack Benny drove as the brunt of jokes on his radio and TV shows for over 20 years was a 1923 Maxwell Model 25 Tourer. This antiquated open-air car built by the Maxwell Motor Company became an integral part of Benny‘s pop culture legend.
So what‘s the story behind Jack Benny‘s famously beat-up ride? Why did he choose this particular car to incorporate into his comedy act? And how did it become seared into the public imagination as a symbol of Benny‘s thrifty on-stage persona? Read on for the fascinating history of this four-wheeled comedic legend.
Jack Benny‘s Comedic Character: Playing the Penny-Pinching Misery
Jack Benny built his entertainment career around a persona: playing a pathologically stingy man obsessed with his money. This exaggeratedly thrifty character was reflected in his choice of clothes, his reactions to spending even pennies, and especially his faithful old car.
Benny first developed this on-stage miser character in vaudeville theater in the late 1910s. When he transitioned to radio in 1932, the persona came with him. His radio writers fleshed out the traits of Benny‘s alter ego to highlight his excessive cheapness.
The character would do anything to avoid spending money – even clinging to an ancient, worn-out Maxwell car from the early 1900s that should have been junked years ago. This persona that Benny leaned into set up countless jokes at the expense of his wheezy antique clunker.
While Benny himself didn‘t share these extreme traits, he did lead a relatively frugal lifestyle in real life. So the radio and eventual TV character played up his actual thrifty tendencies for comedic effect. And the worn-out 1923 Maxwell became the cherry on top of his penny-pinching persona.
Why the Maxwell Brand Was Picked
So why did Jack Benny and his writers choose a circa 1923 Maxwell as his character‘s car, rather than another vintage model?
A few key reasons made the Maxwell a perfect comedic foil:
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Affordability – Maxwells were middle-class cars, not luxury models. This fit Benny‘s miserly character.
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Worsening condition – A 20+ year old Maxwell in the 1940s would be sufficiently worn out.
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Defunct company – The Maxwell brand going under in 1925 added laughable misery.
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Timing – A model from 1923-25 was old enough to be obsolete but still operable.
In an era focused on progress in the roaring 1920s, clinging to a decrepit 20-year-old Maxwell was comedy gold for Benny‘s outdated persona.
Jack Benny‘s Actual Maxwell Car
According to most accounts, Jack Benny purchased a real 1923 Maxwell Model 25 Tourer to use as a prop on his radio show in the mid-1930s.
The Tourer model was an open-top four-seat car built for middle-class buyers. Benny likely bought it in used condition for a few hundred dollars.
This particular car was never seen on his radio or TV shows – it merely served as a prop for comedy sound effects. But Benny held onto his Maxwell for decades as his act transitioned to television in the 1950s.
Actual appearances of Benny‘s Maxwell were limited. Archival photos show it displayed at events to promote The Jack Benny Program over the years. So while primarily a sound effect, Benny‘s Maxwell did exist in physical form.
Details of the 1923 Maxwell Model Benny Used
Benny‘s specific car was a Maxwell Model 25 Tourer, one of the company‘s most successful mass-produced models in the early 1920s.
The Model 25 specs:
- Produced: 1923-1925
- Price new: $965 (~$15,000 today)
- Body style: 4-seat open-top tourer
- Engine: 4-cylinder, 35 HP
- Top speed: 55-60 mph
The Tourer was a popular middle-class car of the period, but soon outshone by more advanced 1920s autos. Benny maximized the comedic potential of this decent but outdated ride.
The Original Maxwell Motor Company
Benny‘s old Maxwell dated back the early days of the Maxwell-Motor Company, founded in the early 1900s.
Quick facts on the firm:
- Founded: 1904 in Tarrytown, NY
- Early models: Runabouts, touring cars
- Peak production: ~34K cars in 1923
- Factory fire: 1907, rebuilt in Indiana
- Sold to Chrysler: 1925
In the 1910s-early 1920s, Maxwell built affordable, quality cars like Benny‘s Model 25. But a devastating factory fire followed by the recession of 1920-21 led to Maxwell‘s financial issues and eventual absorption by Chrysler in 1925.
Walter P. Chrysler Saves the Maxwell Assets
After early success, Maxwell fell into financial trouble in the early 1920s. It likely would have vanished if not for automobile mogul Walter Percy Chrysler.
Chrysler, an industry leader, purchased the company in 1925. This allowed Maxwell to live on for several more years under the Chrysler Corporation umbrella.
Key points on Chrysler:
- Founded his Chrysler Corp in 1925 from Maxwell assets
- Pioneered innovations like replacing wood parts with metal
- Led Chrysler to surpass Ford by 1928
- Retired 1938 with worth of $100 million
Chrysler built his empire by acquiring Maxwell and other struggling automakers in the mid-1920s. So Maxwell ended up a stepping stone to his tremendous success.
The Maxwell Brand Under Chrysler
For a few years after Chrysler took over in 1925, Maxwell-branded cars continued production in Chrysler‘s factories:
- Chrysler revived the Model 25 Tourer and other Maxwells
- The Maxwell-based Chrysler Six launched Chrysler as a brand in January 1924
- But by 1927-28, Maxwell was phased out in favor of new Chrysler marques
- The last Maxwell holdover was the 1926-1928 Chrysler Four
- Chrysler focused on brands like Plymouth, DeSoto and its namesake Chrysler by the 1930s
So while Jack Benny squeezed laughs from his decrepit 1923 Maxwell 25 years later, the Maxwell name had faded away shortly after Chrysler absorbed the company. It was relegated to a footnote of 1920s automotive history.
Jack Benny‘s Career and Net Worth
While Jack Benny‘s on-air persona clung to his ancient Maxwell jalopy, the real Benny earned a hefty income during his entertainment career.
Benny‘s Earnings Over the Decades:
| Year | Show/Medium | Est. Annual Earnings |
|---|---|---|
| 1919 | Vaudeville | $1,500 per week |
| 1932 | Radio | $50,000 |
| 1936 | Radio | $300,000 |
| 1948 | Radio | $2 million |
| 1953 | TV | $2 million |
| 1960 | TV | $5 million |
Total Career Earnings Estimate:
- Vaudeville (1918 – 1931) – ~$750,000
- Radio (1932 – 1955) – ~$25 million
- TV (1950 – 1965) – ~$50 million
- Movies (1930s – 1960s) – ~$2 million
- Other ventures – ~$5 million+
Net Worth at Death in 1974: $10 million to $15 million
So while the 20+ year old Maxwell was his trademark, Jack Benny earned an impressive fortune as one of the top entertainers of the 20th century.
The Iconic Car‘s Eventual Fate
After being a radio and TV prop for over 20 years, Jack Benny‘s 1923 Maxwell was reportedly donated to a museum:
- Displayed briefly at the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in the 1970s
- Sold to an unknown collector or museum around 1974
- Current whereabouts are unconfirmed but it may still exist
This comedy workhorse of a car ended up outliving the Maxwell brand itself. Despite the still-unknown fate of Benny‘s actual Model 25 Tourer, it remains one of pop culture‘s most iconic "clunkers."
Conclusion
For audiences in the 1930s through 1960s, hearing the clattering and sputtering of Jack Benny‘s ancient Maxwell over the airwaves became comedy gold.
This wheels-challenged 1923 Tourer exemplified Benny‘s satirical penny-pinching persona during his decades of radio and television stardom. The origins of this pop culture icon lie in Benny‘s clever use of an outdated car to bring laughs at his own expense.
Nearly a century later, Jack Benny‘s famed Maxwell remains a testament to how a forgotten jalopy can transform into the ideal comedic sidekick.
