1894-05-31 Cambridge - Massachusetts - USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Fred Allen (May 31, 1894 – March 17, 1956) was an American comedian whose absurdist, topically pointed radio show (1932–1949) made him one of the most popular and forward-looking humorists in the so-called classic era of American radio. His best-remembered gag was his long-running mock feud with friend and fellow comedian Jack Benny, but it was only part of his appeal; radio historian John Dunning (in On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio) wrote that Allen was radio's most admired comedian and most frequently censored. A master adlibber, Allen often tangled with his network's executives (and often barbed them on the air over the battles), while developing routines the style and substance of which influenced contemporaries and futures among comic talents, including Groucho Marx, Stan Freberg, Henry Morgan and Johnny Carson, but his fans also included President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and novelists William Faulkner, John Steinbeck and Herman Wouk (who began his career writing for Allen). Ironically, in view of his often barbed observations of the medium, Fred Allen was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for contributions to television Description above from the Wikipedia article Fred Allen, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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The Great Radio Comedians | Self (Archive footage) | 1971-05-11 |
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We're Not Married! | Steve Gladwyn | 1952-07-11 |
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O. Henry's Full House | Sam "Slick" Brown (segment "The Ransom of Red Chief") | 1952-08-07 |
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Is Everybody Listening? | Fred Allen - Fred Allen Radio Program | 1947-09-05 |
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It's in the Bag! | Fred Floogle | 1945-04-21 |
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Love Thy Neighbor | Fred Allen | 1940-12-27 |
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Buck Benny Rides Again | Fred Allen (voice) | 1940-05-31 |
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Sally, Irene and Mary | Gabby Green | 1938-03-04 |
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Thanks a Million | Ned Lyman | 1935-11-13 |
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The Still Alarm | First Fireman | 1930-06-30 |
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The Installment Collector | Newspaper Editor | 1929-04-19 |
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Fred Allen's Prize Playlets | 1929-11-25 |
