timing?

Am I the only one who thought all the actors' timing was off? The actress would say something and then many beats later, Jack Benny would respond with a joke.
It was as if they were reading fuzzy cue cards. And as if they couldn't hear each other. Only occasionally did one line of dialog follow the other in a more natural speed.

Was this technical difficulties? Was it an old-fashioned acting style left over from the silents? That's all I can think of. Benny was in his 30s when this was made, so it's not as if he didn't know how to deliver a line.