Fred Allen

Fred Allen (May 31, 1894 – March 17, 1956) was a United States comedian best known for his witty, pointed radio programs of the 1930s and 1940s, including a comic "feud" with comedian Jack Benny. Allen was famous among his peers for his ability to ad-lib - a skill that Benny famously paid tribute to, responding to a mock insult with the line "You wouldn't say that if my writers were here."

Biography

Allen was born John Florence Sullivan in Cambridge, Massachusetts to Irish Catholic parents. He started off his professional career as Freddy St. James, but a mix-up at a venue turned out to be a blessing. Edgar Allen was booked at the same place as Freddy James, but the front office accidentally promoted the appearance of Edgar James and Fred Allen.

Related Topics:
Cambridge, Massachusetts - Irish Catholic

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Fred Allen started his career in radio the same year as Jack Benny, 1932. Allen hit it big with the program Town Hall Tonight in 1934, the same year Jack Benny rose in the ranks of radio with 'The Jell-O Program'. Their feud started in the mid-1930s and, in a testament of the times, people believed in this feud so much that a boxing match between the two was staged, and it was sold out. Benny and Allen made guest appearances in each other shows and movies, needling each other with lines like, "Benny was born ignorant, and he's been losing ground ever since." They appeared as themselves in the 1940 film "Love Thy Neighbor", and Benny can be seen in Allen's neglected comedy film It's In The Bag (1945), along with William Bendix, Robert Benchley, and Jerry Colonna, among others.

Related Topics:
1932 - It's In The Bag - 1945 - William Bendix - Robert Benchley - Jerry Colonna

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Allen's humor was topical, with a more absurdist and literate slant than other comics, which limits its appeal to modern audiences. He fussed and moaned about corporate America and the absurdity of the times. Allen wrote most of his own material. He employed a few writers but they more or less served as consultants and sounding boards in the rough drafts.

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Allen's comic stereotypes make many people today cringe. His Allen's Alley segment, for example, contained four stereotype characters: the Southern politician, the New England farmer, the Jewish wife, and the ranting Irishman.

Related Topics:
New England - Jewish

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Fred's female second banana was his wife, whose role was to simply stroll on-air exclaiming: "Mister Allen! Mis...ter Allen!" and then launch into a routine with Fred, usually about her mother. Hoffa remained with Allen throughout his entire radio show. Unlike Jack Benny, who used his wife Mary Livingstone as more or less his ego deflator, Fred used Portland's child-like un-professional delivery to comedically prop his ego.

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