# Explain This Jack Benny Joke **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 12, 2012, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-jack-benny-joke/634519 "2012-09-12T16:54:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AndyLee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@AndyLee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyLee)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-jack-benny-joke/634519/1 "2012-09-12T16:54:05Z")
They play old timey radio shows on WBBM in Chicago at mindnight and they had the Jack Benny Show on. Jack was in the bakery and he says: Jack: I’ll have six donugt, two eclairs and three napoleons. Clerk: Those are josephines. Jack: What? Don’t tell me that. I know a napoleon when I see it Clerk) Those are Danish pasteries. It got a big laugh but I don’t get it. The show also mentioned that Jack was going to be on TV soon on a weekly show, so I am guessing the time frame would be late 40s or early 50s. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-jack-benny-joke/634519/2 "2012-09-12T17:12:40Z")
In 1952, [Christine Jorgensen](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Jorgensen), a native of New York, had a sex change operation in Denmark (transitioning from male to female). Although it wasn’t the first sex change operation, it was the first that was widely publicized, and was the subject of many, many jokes at the time. Since Jack Benny’s “napoleons” have been converted to “josephines”, they are obviously Danish pastries. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-jack-benny-joke/634519/3 "2012-09-12T17:16:15Z")
It’s sort of a backwards joke, then. The explanation serves as the punch line; what would normally be the punchline is the setup. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-jack-benny-joke/634519/4 "2012-09-12T17:17:28Z")
A [Napoleon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danish_pastry) is a kind of pastry. [Danishes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danish_pastry) are also pastries. [Josephine](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9phine_de_Beauharnais) was the wife of [Napoleon I](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_I), and thus ‘Josephine’ is a good name for a pastry that isn’t a Napoleon, but is close. I think the joke ends there, but you can stretch it a bit more, if you want to. While Josephine was not Danish herself, she is an ancestor of the current Danish royal family, via her son from her first marriage, [Eugene](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eug%C3%A8ne_de_Beauharnais) - Eugene’s daughter (also named Josephine) married the king of Sweden, and their granddaughter married the King of Denmark. Edit - on the other hand, SpoilerVirgin’s explanation is funnier, and fairly topical at the time. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-jack-benny-joke/634519/5 "2012-09-12T17:28:52Z")
I think **SpoilerVirgin’s** explanation is probably the correct one. I don’t think that Jack Benny would have used a joke that depended on listeners knowing the royal lineage of Napoleon’s wife. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-jack-benny-joke/634519/6 "2012-09-12T17:31:07Z")
Cool explanation. I read the OP and it had me curious (I learned that Princess Josephine of Denmark was born in April 2011, which didn’t help). ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-jack-benny-joke/634519/7 "2012-09-12T17:35:49Z")
Note that that part came after: > [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > I think the joke ends there, but you can stretch it a bit more, if you want to. The joke, either way, is a play on Napoleon and Josephine. Either Danish was chosen as a random non-Napoleon pastry, or it was chosen specifically for the reasons SV outlined. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-jack-benny-joke/634519/8 "2012-09-12T17:40:45Z")
Although Jack Benny was before my time, I got the joke as soon as I read it. The only thing that confused me was the “Danish” reference, since in my experience, these types of sex change jokes usually refer to Sweden (a popular location for sex reassignment surgery in the early years of the procedure). A quick trip to Wiki confirmed that Jorgensen had her operation in Denmark (although she had originally intended to have it in Sweden). Jorgensen was definitely major pop culture news at the time. The joke would have been similar to making a Kardashian joke today – something that almost everyone would recognize. Here’s a short [article](http://www.stevecap.com/alternatechannels_net/us/trends/christine_jorgensen.htm) discussing the popularity of Denmark jokes at the time. > [@](#): > > Within weeks [of the Joregensen story], comedians like Jack Benny were doing “Denmark jokes” about gender-reassignment surgery. ---
**Author:** ![AndyLee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@AndyLee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyLee)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-jack-benny-joke/634519/9 "2012-09-12T17:43:25Z")
OK thanks, that kind of makes ssnese, since the Wikipedia says: Jack Benny made his TV debut in the 1949 season.[5] There is a kinescope of his later November 1949 TV appearance on the intermittent Jack Benny Program special appearances of the time. Benny ran shorter runs in his early seasons on TV into the early 1950s, as he was still firmly dedicated to radio. The regular and continuing Jack Benny Program was telecast on CBS from October 28, 1950, to September 15, 1964, and on NBC from September 25, 1964, to September 10, 1965. 343 episodes were produced ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-jack-benny-joke/634519/10 "2012-09-12T18:03:44Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > The joke would have been similar to making a Kardashian joke today – something that almost everyone would recognize. I keep seeing ‘Kardashian’ in thread titles and headlines, but never open the links. Are they really topical? Hasn’t _Deep Space Nine_ been off the air a very long time? 😕 . ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-jack-benny-joke/634519/11 "2012-09-12T18:05:13Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I keep seeing ‘Kardashian’ in thread titles and headlines, but never open the links. Are they really topical? Hasn’t _Deep Space Nine_ been off the air a very long time? 😕 > > . This is a whoosh, right? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-jack-benny-joke/634519/12 "2012-09-12T18:10:55Z")
Mmm… _Could_ be… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-jack-benny-joke/634519/13 "2012-09-12T18:11:49Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I keep seeing ‘Kardashian’ in thread titles and headlines, but never open the links. Are they really topical? Hasn’t _Deep Space Nine_ been off the air a very long time? 😕 > > . Did you hear the one about Gul Dukat? 😉 I just had to explain to my father last week who the Kardashians are. Of course now he sees them everywhere. Not everyone may recognize them, but they certainly are ubiquitous in pop culture. Maybe in 2072 there will be an SDMB thread in which someone asks for an explanation of this bit from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner: > [@President Obama](#): > > “Seriously, guys, what am I doing here?” Obama said. “I’m the President of the United States, and I’m opening for Jimmy Kimmel? Why am I telling knock-knock jokes to Kim Kardashian? What is she famous for, anyway?” ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-jack-benny-joke/634519/14 "2012-09-12T18:30:08Z")
To be honest, I know that “Kardashians” are a big deal in pop culture right now, and I’ve seen some photos, and I know that they have something to do with some reality show (at least I think so) but beyond that I haven’t a clue. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-jack-benny-joke/634519/15 "2012-09-12T18:42:42Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > I think **SpoilerVirgin’s** explanation is probably the correct one. I don’t think that Jack Benny would have used a joke that depended on listeners knowing the royal lineage of Napoleon’s wife. I’m old enough to remember both Jack Benny and Christine Jorgensen jokes, and I agree. Everyone back then knew who Josephine was, some might have even known she was Austrian, but no one knew any Danish connection. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-jack-benny-joke/634519/16 "2012-09-12T18:54:31Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Everyone back then knew who Josephine was, some might have even known she was Austrian Josephine was French (from Martinique), not Austrian. You’re thinking of Marie Antoinette. And, again, nobody suggested that the joke was based on Josephine’s grandchildren, just that you could, if you wanted to, stretch it beyond a simple play on words. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-jack-benny-joke/634519/17 "2012-09-12T22:36:52Z")
if the show was Trading in the Maxwell that was from 49 and was on recently. at the end of 60 was when he went weekly on tv. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-jack-benny-joke/634519/18 "2012-09-13T00:13:34Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I keep seeing ‘Kardashian’ in thread titles and headlines, but never open the links. Are they really topical? Hasn’t _Deep Space Nine_ been off the air a very long time? 😕 I’m just glad I’m not the only one who thinks of \*Deep Space Nine \*whenever the Kardashians are mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-jack-benny-joke/634519/19 "2012-09-13T03:20:57Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Everyone back then knew who Josephine was . . . That amazes me. And depresses me. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-jack-benny-joke/634519/20 "2012-09-13T03:32:42Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > I’m just glad I’m not the only one who thinks of \*Deep Space Nine \*whenever the Kardashians are mentioned. No, you’re not the only one. And I’m disappointed that they have normal human necks and shoulders. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-jack-benny-joke/634519.md?page=2)