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Fred Allen | |
|---|---|
 Fred Allen circa 1940 | |
| Born | John Florence Sullivan May 31, 1894 Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | March 17, 1956 (aged 61) New York City, U.S. |
| Years active | 1914–1956 |
| Spouse | |
| Career | |
| Show | The Fred Allen Show |
| Network | CBS, NBC |
| Style | Comedian |
| Country | United States |
John Florence Sullivan (May 31, 1894 – March 17, 1956), known professionally as Fred Allen, was an American comedian. His absurdist topically-pointed radio program The Fred Allen Show (1932–1949) made him one of the most popular and forward-looking humorists in the Golden Age of American radio.[1][2]
His best-remembered gag was his long-running mock feud with friend and fellow comedian Jack Benny, but that was only part of his appeal. Radio historian John Dunning (in On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio) wrote that Allen was perhaps radio's most admired comedian and most frequently censored.[3] A master ad libber, Allen often tangled with his network's executives and often barbed them on the air over the battles while developing routines whose style and substance influenced fellow comic talents, including Groucho Marx, Stan Freberg, Henry Morgan, and Johnny Carson; his avowed fans also included President Franklin D. Roosevelt, humorist James Thurber, and novelists William Faulkner, John Steinbeck, and Herman Wouk, who began his career writing for Allen.
Allen was honored with stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for contributions to television and radio.[4]
- ^ "Fred Allen's Will Filed. Widow Gets Half Outright and Income From Other Half". The New York Times. 1956-04-11. p. 49.
John F. Sullivan, known in the theatrical world as Fred Allen, bequeathed one-half of his estate outright to his wife and directed that she receive the income from the other half.
- ^ Obituary Variety, March 21, 1956.
- ^ Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 261–269. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2019-08-11.
- ^ "Hollywood Walk of Fame database". HWOF.com. Archived from the original on 2016-04-15. Retrieved 2009-08-12.