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"Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. I am not making up Rancho Cucamonga: It's a real place whose odd-sounding name, if you look it up in your Spanish-English dictionary, turns out to mean ''Cucamonga Ranch.'' "

All aboard, for Anaheim, Azusa, and Cuc - amonga.

On Sunday evening, January 7, 1945, Anaheim’s war news weary residents sat down again to listen to the nation’s favorite radio entertainer, Mr. SundayNight himself, Jack Benny. Heard locally on KFI radio at 4:00 P.M. (for NewYork broadcast at 7:00 P.M. EST) and sponsored by Lucky Strike cigarettes,this night’s broadcast would be like no other before and forever change [the] community of Anaheim. On this show, Jack’s writers conceived three newcharacters and devices that were to remain among the most popular inbroadcasting. We learned about penny-pinching Jack’s underground “vault” with its outlandish protection systems as well as meeting a young Sheldon Leonard playing the gravel-voiced “Race Track Tout.” The third “bit,” intended as a once-used throwaway line, will be long remembered by three Southern California communities.

The story goes like this: the L.A. Union Station conductor (played by Mel Blanc) announces to Jack’s entourage heading to New York: “Train leaving on Track five for Anaheim, Azusa and Cuc----amonga!” While Jack seems oblivious to the recitation of these rhythmic names, the residents of Anaheim are in disbelief. Known as the capital of the Valencia orange empire and the pre-war training grounds of Connie Mack’s Philadelphia Athletics, the name Anaheim was never known as a household word or the subject of national radio comedy. Regardless the three stops were not even on the same Santa Fe Railroad line, the audience response to Mel Blanc’s booming announcement was very positive and this bit was used often during Jack’s radio years and was heard again when Jack came to Television in the early 1950’s.

The national recognition that these three towns were starting to receive (humorous or not) was not lost on their local Chambers of Commerce. Wartime issues were still of top community interest but once hostilities ended, efforts began to “adopt” Jack as each town’s native son. Every plan must have a leader and Anaheim had Mr. Ernest W. Moeller, the Secretary–Manager of the Chamber of Commerce. Moeller, Chet Burke (The Anaheim Gazette Editor), Cornelius Smith from Azusa and Clifton Chappell of unincorporated Cucamonga began a campaign in late 1945 to declare Jack Honorary Mayor of the three communities.

Anaheim at this time was anticipating a post-war boom and the Chamber of Commerce as well as many service clubs were advertising Anaheim as the future business center of the southland. In addition, the Anaheim Kiwanis Club, the sponsor of the Orange County Youth Symphony, was planning their annual Concert for January 1946 and with the help of the Chamber of Commerce, were hoping to have Jack Benny as their guest conductor. Plans began to quickly gel when on Friday January 11, 1946 the representatives from the Chambers of the three communities met and directed Editor Burke on the 13th, to wire Jack Benny a request to accept duties of Honorary Mayor of Anaheim, Azusa and Cucamonga. The telegram also asked that Jack accept the additional post as violin soloist of the Youth Symphony. Jack’s positive response of Monday January 14th was printed in full on the front page of the following Thursday’s Anaheim Gazette.

At last on January 20th, prior to Jack’s regular Sunday program, representatives of the three cities presented Benny, at the NBC Hollywood studios, with his badge of office as the first “triple mayor” in the history of American politics. With it went three oversized wooden “keys to the cities.” Jack’s program that followed was devoted almost entirely to his new honor, as “Honorary Mayor” of the three cities that he helped make famous. It was reported that the laughs by the studio audience were much greater that usual, consuming almost eight minutes of the 30-minute show.