One of the last comedians from the days of vaudeville and burlesque has died at the age of 102.
Irv Benson toured vaudeville theatres all over North America topping the bill as the first comic – or top banana – and appeared dozens of times on the Tonight show with Johnny Carson.
Benson came of comic age at the same time as other vaudeville and burlesque comedians, including Red Skelton, Jackie Gleason and Phil Silvers.