Fred Allen (May 31, 1894 – March 17, 1956) was an American comedian whose radio show (1934–1949) made him one of the most popular acts of the so-called Classical Era of American radio. He became famous for his sketches with actor Jack Benny. His performances influenced comedians such as Stan Freberg.
His real name was John Florence Sullivan, and he was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to an Irish Catholic family. His mother, Cecilia Herlihy Sullivan, died of pneumonia when he was three years old. His father, James Henry Sullivan, struggled with alcohol after the death of his wife, so Allen was cared for by a maternal aunt, with whom he decided to remain after his father remarried.
Early in his career, while working at a bookstore and a piano company, Allen began performing in amateur nightclubs, taking the stage name Fred St. James. Later, he was able to quit his jobs and pursue a career in vaudeville, performing comedy routines and juggling. He began touring and eventually decided to change his stage name to Fred Allen.
However, Allen's wit wasn't well-suited to vaudeville audiences, and after one unsuccessful performance, he quit the show.
Allen left vaudeville and went on to work in Shubert Brothers' theatrical productions such as The Passing Show in 1922. The show ran for ten weeks at Broadway's Winter Garden Theatre. In that show, he met one of the chorus girls, Portland Hoffa, whom he married.
He earned critical acclaim for his comedic work in several of the productions in which he appeared, particularly Vogues and Greenwich Village Follies. He also wrote a humor column for Variety called "Near Fun."
Fred Allen's first exposure to radio came when he and his wife performed on the Chicago radio show WLS Showboat. Later, the couple landed a spot on Arthur Hammerstein's musical show, Polly. The show also featured a young Cary Grant. Other programs he appeared on included The Little Show (1929-30) and Three's a Crowd (1930-31), and from that point on, he began to dedicate himself to radio full-time.
However, Allen's wit wasn't well-suited to vaudeville audiences, and after one unsuccessful performance, he quit the show.
Allen left vaudeville and went on to work in Shubert Brothers' theatrical productions such as The Passing Show in 1922. The show ran for ten weeks at Broadway's Winter Garden Theatre. In that show, he met one of the chorus girls, Portland Hoffa, whom he married.
He earned critical acclaim for his comedic work in several of the productions in which he appeared, particularly Vogues and Greenwich Village Follies. He also wrote a humor column for Variety called "Near Fun."
Fred Allen's first exposure to radio came when he and his wife performed on the Chicago radio show WLS Showboat. Later, the couple landed a spot on Arthur Hammerstein's musical show, Polly. The show also featured a young Cary Grant. Other programs he appeared on included The Little Show (1929-30) and Three's a Crowd (1930-31), and from that point on, he began to dedicate himself to radio full-time.
Allen hosted The Linit Bath Club Revue on CBS, later taking the program to NBC, under the name The Salad Bowl Revue.
The most lasting change premiered on December 6, 1942, and was the formation of "Allen's Alley," inspired by the newspaper columns written by O. O. McIntyre (1884-1938), one of the most popular columnists of the 1930s.
Good friends in real life, Fred Allen and Jack Benny unintentionally created a gag in 1937, in which each disputed with the other from his own program. The back-and-forth between them became so successful that both continued with it for a decade.
After their show ended, Allen became a regular guest on NBC's The Big Show (1950-1952), hosted by Tallulah Bankhead. He appeared on 24 of the show's 57 installments, including the inaugural, proving that he had not lost his trademark wit. In some respects, The Big Show was inspired by Allen's old show: former Texaco Star Theater host Jimmy Wallington was one of The Big Show's hosts, and Portland Hoffa also made several appearances.
Allen attempted three television projects that were short-lived, including an adaptation of "Allen's Alley" to the new medium. The other two were game shows. One of them, Judge For Yourself (subtitled "The Fred Allen Show") was a game show that incorporated musical numbers.
Allen also worked in his later years as a newspaper columnist and humorist. He wrote Treadmill to Oblivion (in 1954, recalling his years in radio and television) and Much Ado About Me (in 1956, about his childhood and his years in vaudeville and Broadway). The first of the books was one of the best sellers about the classic radio era. But before finishing the last chapter of the second, Allen suffered an acute myocardial infarction that caused his death at the age of 61. His death occurred in New York City. Allen is buried at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne.
Fred Allen has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: one for his radio work at 6709 Hollywood Boulevard. And another for his television work at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard.
Good friends in real life, Fred Allen and Jack Benny unintentionally created a gag in 1937, in which each disputed with the other from his own program. The back-and-forth between them became so successful that both continued with it for a decade.
After their show ended, Allen became a regular guest on NBC's The Big Show (1950-1952), hosted by Tallulah Bankhead. He appeared on 24 of the show's 57 installments, including the inaugural, proving that he had not lost his trademark wit. In some respects, The Big Show was inspired by Allen's old show: former Texaco Star Theater host Jimmy Wallington was one of The Big Show's hosts, and Portland Hoffa also made several appearances.
Allen attempted three television projects that were short-lived, including an adaptation of "Allen's Alley" to the new medium. The other two were game shows. One of them, Judge For Yourself (subtitled "The Fred Allen Show") was a game show that incorporated musical numbers.
Allen also worked in his later years as a newspaper columnist and humorist. He wrote Treadmill to Oblivion (in 1954, recalling his years in radio and television) and Much Ado About Me (in 1956, about his childhood and his years in vaudeville and Broadway). The first of the books was one of the best sellers about the classic radio era. But before finishing the last chapter of the second, Allen suffered an acute myocardial infarction that caused his death at the age of 61. His death occurred in New York City. Allen is buried at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne.
Fred Allen has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: one for his radio work at 6709 Hollywood Boulevard. And another for his television work at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard.
Fred Allen was also inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1988.
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