The baritone you’re thinking of on The Jack Benny Program (the Jack Benny radio show) was Larry Stevens , not Dennis Day. Dennis Day was the show’s famous tenor , while Larry Stevens was brought in as a baritone when Dennis Day temporarily left the program.

Quick answer

  • Tenor (longtime cast member): Dennis Day
  • Baritone (temporary replacement singer): Larry Stevens

Who was Dennis Day?

Dennis Day (born Owen Patrick Eugene McNulty) was the beloved young, naive boy-singer character on Jack Benny’s radio and TV shows from 1939 until Benny’s death in 1974. He was a tenor , known for his high, clear voice and his catchphrase “Oh, Jack!”.

Key facts:

  • First appeared on the Jack Benny radio show: October 8, 1939.
  • Played a perpetually youthful, gawky singer, often introduced with Verna Felton as his mother.
  • Remained a core cast member through both the radio and television eras.

Who was the baritone, Larry Stevens?

In early 1945 , Dennis Day temporarily left the NBC radio show. Jack Benny needed another singer, and Larry Stevens , a baritone , was hired as his replacement for that period. According to a 1945 radio magazine:

“February 1945 Radio find of the year is Jack Benny’s new singer, Larry Stevens. The baritone was completely unknown, and had never performed commercially, until he participated in a Freddy Martin bond rally at Los Angeles’ Cocoanut Grove.”

Key points:

  • Voice type: Baritone (not tenor).
  • Role: Temporary singer on The Jack Benny Program while Dennis Day was away.
  • Characterization: He filled Dennis Day’s singing slot but did not try to take over Dennis’s naively boyish character; he remained more of a straightforward vocalist.

Why the confusion?

The question mentions “Dennis,” which naturally points to Dennis Day , but Dennis was never the baritone—he was the show’s iconic tenor. The actual baritone introduced during Dennis Day’s absence was Larry Stevens. So:

  • If you’re recalling the long-running singer named Dennis: that’s Dennis Day (tenor).
  • If you’re specifically asking about the baritone who appeared on the Jack Benny radio show around that time: that’s Larry Stevens.

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