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Rating: 
Summary: Yes for Jack. No for Joan. (sorry Joan)
Review: As another reviewer has stated, "I give Jack Benny 5 stars". And I too agree... However "Sunday Nights at Seven" was intended to be Jack's autobiography. Unfortunately he passes away at age 39 (!) and the draft was forgotten in a shoebox in his closet. Luckily for we Jack fans, his daughter Joan found it and decided to publish it. Unluckily for we Jack fans, Joan decided to continue writing where dad left off. This is where the book goes down the drain. Basically it becomes "look at me! I'm Jack Benny's daugher and I had a wonderful childhood and I'm a wonderful person and you wonderful people want to know all about me"!!! Don't get me wrong, I'm glad she had a wonderful childhood. Jack was a wonderful, caring, tender man. And I'm certain that he and Mary were great parents. But I am reading this book to hear about Jack, Mary and the gang - and not who his daughter took to the prom and what drama she went through in her first marriage and so on. Joan does relay some nice anacdotes, however it seems to be too much ego stroking on her part. If you are a Jack fan this book IS interesting since Jack tells part of it so it's not a whole loss. Although the book by Irving Fein would give you a better picture (and it is written better than this book). If Amazon can get a copy for you I do reccomend it - it is at least enjoyable.
Rating: 
Summary: Light, fun read
Review: Don't expect some exhaustive book on Benny (like the recent mega-biography of Bing Crosby) and you won't be disappointed. This book consists of light, amusing anecdotes - show biz fluff and recollections. It is great fun for Jack Benny fans and can be consumed in one afternoon. Enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: a Sunday night ritual
Review: i think that this book was written to highlight the memoirs of Jack Benny that were discovered. Joan added her own lifestory growing up as a child of a celebrity and how proper she had to behave in public. it's not right for me to say that Joan doesn't have a right to judge Mary based on HER experiences with her...afterall, Joan knew both her parents better than anyone outside of George Burns (that's the truth! no joke!). Joan's commentary or anecdotes in the early chapters aren't a problem. It's the later chapters where to me it seems that it becomes a problem. One reviewer on here made mention to the fact that Joan recounts her prom and her miserable marriage. i found nothing wrong with Joan interjecting stories about her child-hood and the "paternal" side of Jack...but when she starts to talk about HER personal life away from her father, it sticks out like a piece of watermelon on a steak sirloin because HER personal life isn't suppose to be a part of the book...it's suppose to be about Jack Benny first and if Joan makes commentary it should revolve around Jack {not her marriage or child-hood peer pressure}. Her opinions of Mary...like i said earlier...might be true because she knew Mary behind the scenes and we didn't. however, her opinions of Mary, coupled with her own personal man troubles are somewhat distractive to a "Jack Benny book" and that's why i give it 4 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: 4 1/2* Benny Rides Again
Review: Jack Benny is the father of modern comedy, popularizing (and perhaps originating) the self-referential and self-conscious comedy practiced in the last 20 years by comedians such as Andy Kaufman, Steve Martin, and Bill Murray. He may have also begun the modern media-related "show within a show" concept, exemplified to some extent by "Seinfeld," and in the past by the shows of George Burns, Danny Thomas, and Lucy and Desi. Perhaps it is more accurate to describe him as the father of post-modern comedy, where every occurrence, sound effect, and the idea of comedy itself is the object of Benny's gentle yet piercingly funny humor. But enough intellectualizing, above all perhaps, he was an extraordinarily talented, funny, and well-loved man. Mr. Benny's daughter found this unfinished biographical material and we are grateful for the insights to his character, his humor (beginning with his days in vaudeville), and his wide-ranging, generally liberal thoughts on celebrity, comedy, and race. These sections of the book justify its purchase and are the primary source of its enjoyment. As others have noted, Joan's sections of the book can drag and one eagerly waits for the bolded font which is her father's own words. I do think she provides some valuable insights into Mr. Benny's domestic life and routine, as well as some humorous and interesting glimpse into growing up as the daughter of one of our most popular and well-respected entertainers. Unfortunately, some of this seems fairly generic to that culture, especially her early years. Her criticisms of her mother, however well founded, seem discordant with the prevailing tone of the book. The book would have been better with more pruning of Joan's autobiographical comments. Still, the other material is a treasure for his millions of fans, and I recommend the book to fans. Joan's part does not detract from her father's; after all, the book was never finished and gives an incomplete picture anyway. Mr. Benny seems a modest man and I believe his biographies would complement the wonderful material here. If you're new to the subject, perhaps you should begin with the biographies and then proceed here, if you're a confirmed fan, the order won't matter, and you will want this in your collection.
Rating:
Summary: Would Have Been Five Stars for the AutoBiography
Review: Jack Benny wrote an autobiography entitled: "I Always Had Shoes." Though complete, it was never published, and when Jack's daughter Joan found it she decided to take excerpts from it and publish it with her own reflections on growing up in the Benny household.
Jack Benny's text is highlighted in bold type, while Joan's is in regular font. The average reader will no doubt very soon begin skipping Joan's writing and will read only Jack's text. Jack was apparently a surprisingly good writer.
Why not just publish Jack's autobiography? I'd give it five stars in a heartbeat.
Rating:
Summary: Jack Benny is his own Words. That's great.
Review: Jack Benny's unpublished memoirs finally have a book to nest in. In his own words, things flow, they mean something, they're warm, witty, and genuine like the man was himself. Jack Benny holds a very special place in my heart as a comedian with brilliant and unique timing; and as a true gentlemen. All this comes through in how own words.
His daughter's contribution is not as great, which is what keeps me from adding the fifth star to this rating. She's ok, but not essential to this book. She's obviously filled with great admiration, respect, and love for her father and his place in the world of comedy; but she is kind of intrusive. She gets in the way of Jack Benny's own words, that prove to be far more interesting and enjoyable than her's. You should read it just the same, because it's well worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Jack Benny is his own Words. That's great.
Review: Jack Benny's unpublished memoirs finally have a book to nest in. In his own words, things flow, they mean something, they're warm, witty, and genuine like the man was himself. Jack Benny holds a very special place in my heart as a comedian with brilliant and unique timing; and as a true gentlemen. All this comes through in how own words.
His daughter's contribution is not as great, which is what keeps me from adding the fifth star to this rating. She's ok, but not essential to this book. She's obviously filled with great admiration, respect, and love for her father and his place in the world of comedy; but she is kind of intrusive. She gets in the way of Jack Benny's own words, that prove to be far more interesting and enjoyable than her's. You should read it just the same, because it's well worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Jack is great, "Daddy" much less so.
Review: The sections from Jack Benny's draft of an autobiography, which make up a little less than half of this book, are well worth reading by any Benny fan. Joan Benny, Jack's daughter, is to be commended for rescuing that draft from obscurity. Alas, the balance of this book suffers from Joan's poorly edited writing. Expecting to read about Jack, the reader discovers that "The Jack Benny Story" is mostly about Joan, though there are frequent references to "Daddy," as Jack is called throughout the book.
Rating:
Summary: Poorly constructed.
Review: Wonderful book. I usually don't read star biographies, but I coulding resist this one. Sunday Nights at Seven reveals what's only hinted at on Jack's programs - that he was the opposite of his radio persona - warm, generous and the first to laugh heartily at another's jokes. Although too young to ever hear Jack on the radio (taped recordings are my only recourse) the book allowed me to learn much more--without getting taudry--about the funniest comedian of all.
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