Terry Bonadonna

For 40 years, the Cubs and White Sox met nearly every October for a best of seven city series. The games were taken seriously in front of sellout crowds. Players earned raises or lost their jobs based on their performance against their crosstown rivals. Over 11 episodes, Chicago’s Civil War takes an in depth look at the great baseball games of the Chicago City Series and the rivalry that they cultivated.

During a show business career that lasted over 60 years, Jack Benny was one of the premier entertainers in the world. Now, almost 50 years after his death, there is little doubt in my mind that his comedy is still as good as ever. But I wanted to see if that thought holds up to scrutiny while also exploring how a guy who almost never told any jokes could become such a comedy star in the first place.

Featuring interviews with author Kathy Fuller-Seeley, TV writer Ken Levine and Laura Leibowitz, the president of the International Jack Benny Fan Club, I’m Thinking it Over!: Jack Benny and Reflections on What Makes a Straight Man So Funny is a journey through the golden age of radio and the early days of TV. It’s also a celebration of a great comedian from yesteryear.