“Benson and Mann” were among the earliest acts on “The Tonight Show” after Johnny Carson became host in October of 1962, and Mr. Benson appeared dozens of times on the show into the 1970s.

Irv Benson Having enjoyed a long and successful run on the east coast American Burlesque circuit, Benson travelled west to play Las Vegas for the first time in 1957, with the Minsky Follies show.[1] Benson gained national exposure during the 1960s, when fellow vaudevillian Milton Berle hired him to play a faux heckler named Sidney Spritzer.[2] The character would turn up in the balcony overlooking the stage of Berle’s variety show (where the studio audience could see him) and banter with Berle about the host’s alleged lack of talent and originality. Benson became Johnny Carson’s favorite comic and appeared frequently on the Johnny Carson-hosted Tonight Show.. He was honored for Best Documentary at the 2011 Backlot Film Festival for “The Last First Comic” uncovering the roots of American comedy also going inside the colorful world of the Burlesque show. He turned 100 in January 2014 For more information, visit www.TheLastFirstComic.com.

Lee Majors is best known for playing astronaut Steve Austin in The Six Million Dollar Man and his role on The Big Valley and The Fall Guy. He will talk about the importance of getting a flu shot. For more information, visit www.NCOA.org/Flu.

Steve Weisman will discuss income tax identity theft.

3-16-2014