Fred Allen
Born: 1894-05-31 in Cambridge - Massachusetts - USA
Died: 1956-03-17
Known For: Acting
Biography
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.
Filmography
1991
- Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio as Self - Predicts Demise of Radio (archive footage)
1971
- The Great Radio Comedians as Self (Archive footage)
1956
- Project XX: The Jazz Age as Self - Narrator
1953
- Judge for Yourself as Himself
1952
- O. Henry's Full House as Sam "Slick" Brown (segment "The Ransom of Red Chief")
- We're Not Married! as Steve Gladwyn
1950
- What's My Line? as Self
- The Colgate Comedy Hour as Self
- The Jack Benny Program as Fred Allen
- Your Show of Shows
1947
- Is Everybody Listening? as Fred Allen - Fred Allen Radio Program
1945
- It's in the Bag! as Fred Floogle
1940
- Love Thy Neighbor as Fred Allen
- Buck Benny Rides Again as Fred Allen (voice)
1938
- Sally, Irene and Mary as Gabby Green
1935
- Thanks a Million as Ned Lyman
1931
- Success ... (Writer)
1930
- The Still Alarm as First Fireman
1929
- Fred Allen's Prize Playlets
- The Installment Collector as Newspaper Editor