Radio Entertainer, Actor. Born John Florence Sullivan, he began his career in vaudeville before becoming one of radio's most original and admired comedians. Allen began his radio career on October 23, 1932, starring on “The Linit Bath Club Revue”. By 1934, he was starring on “Town Hall Tonight”, a one-hour show which featured Allen examining current events and interviewing unusual guests. It was here that he began radio's longest-running "feud" in 1937, when he made a series of jokes about fellow comedian Jack Benny. Fred Allen invented an entirely new form of radio comedy which consisted of lampooning current events, making fun of his sponsors, and presenting skits that featured a cast of memorable recurring characters. His most popular feature was "Allen’s Alley," a weekly segment in which he would discuss issues of the day with characters like the blustery ‘Senator Claghorn’, Brooklyn housewife ‘Pansy Nussbaum’ and stoic New Englander ‘Titus Moody’. He was featured in the Texaco Star Theater from 1940 to 1944. Poor health forced Allen off the air in 1944, but he returned in the fall of 1945 with “The Fred Allen Show”, which lasted until June 26, 1949. He was a regular panelist on "What's My Line?" from 1954 to 1956. He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1988.
Radio Entertainer, Actor. Born John Florence Sullivan, he began his career in vaudeville before becoming one of radio's most original and admired comedians. Allen began his radio career on October 23, 1932, starring on “The Linit Bath Club Revue”. By 1934, he was starring on “Town Hall Tonight”, a one-hour show which featured Allen examining current events and interviewing unusual guests. It was here that he began radio's longest-running "feud" in 1937, when he made a series of jokes about fellow comedian Jack Benny. Fred Allen invented an entirely new form of radio comedy which consisted of lampooning current events, making fun of his sponsors, and presenting skits that featured a cast of memorable recurring characters. His most popular feature was "Allen’s Alley," a weekly segment in which he would discuss issues of the day with characters like the blustery ‘Senator Claghorn’, Brooklyn housewife ‘Pansy Nussbaum’ and stoic New Englander ‘Titus Moody’. He was featured in the Texaco Star Theater from 1940 to 1944. Poor health forced Allen off the air in 1944, but he returned in the fall of 1945 with “The Fred Allen Show”, which lasted until June 26, 1949. He was a regular panelist on "What's My Line?" from 1954 to 1956. He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1988.
Bio by: Eamonn
Family Members
Advertisement
See more Allen memorials in:
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
