Ra | Fred Allen The Fred Allen Show | Comedy

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+ 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. Fred Allen's first taste of radio came while he and Portland Hoffa waited for a promised slot in a new Arthur Hammerstein musical. In the interim, they appeared on a Chicago station's program, WLS Showboat, into which, Allen recalled, "Portland and I were presented... to inject a little class into it." Their success in these appearances helped their theater reception; live audiences in the Midwest liked to see their radio favorites in person, even if Allen and Hoffa would be replaced by Bob Hope when the radio show moved to New York several months afterward. The couple eventually got their Hammerstein show, Polly, which opened in Delaware and made the usual tour before hitting Broadway. Also in that cast was a young Englishman named Archie Leach, who received as many good notices for his romantic appeal as Allen got for his comic work. Hammerstein retooled the show before bringing it to New York, replacing everyone but two women and Allen. Leach decided to buy an old car and drive to Hollywood. "What Archie Leach didn't tell me," Allen remembered, "was that he was going to change his name to Cary Grant." Polly never succeeded in spite of several retoolings, but Allen did go on to successful shows like The Little Show (1929–30) and Three's a Crowd (1930–31), which eventually led to his full-time entry to radio in 1932. Allen first hosted The Linit Bath Club Revue on CBS, moving the show to NBC and becoming The Salad Bowl Revue (in a nod to new sponsor Hellmann's Mayonnaise, which was marketed by the parent company of Linit) later in the year. The show became The Sal Hepatica Revue (1933–34), The Hour of Smiles (1934–35), and finally Town Hall Tonight (1935–39) [in 1939–40, however, sponsor Bristol-Myers, which advertised Ipana toothpaste as well as Sal Hepatica during the program, altered the title to The Fred Allen Show, over his objections]. Allen's perfectionism (odd to some, considering his deft ad-libs) caused him to leap from sponsor to sponsor until Town Hall Tonight allowed him to set his chosen small-town milieu and establish himself as a bona fide radio star.-WikiPedia Click here to read more about Fred Allen - The Fred Allen Show

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Please enjoy these 105 old time radio episodes:

Air Date	Title	Synopsis
10.04.1939	fred allen fred allen show (001) the search for dr livingston	+ Sponsored by: Sal Hepatica, Ipana. The first show of the season, the first show re-titled "The Fr...
10.11.1939	fred allen fred allen show (002) satire on surveys and polls	+ Sponsored by: Ipana, Sal Hepatica. Wynn Murray does a swinging arrangement of "Comes Love!" Fred ...
10.25.1939	fred allen fred allen show (004) the prairie predicament	+ Sponsored by: Ipana, Sal Hepatica. The first tune is, "Baby Me." Fred wise-cracks about the new "...
11.08.1939	fred allen fred allen show (006) doughnut king	+ Sponsored by: Ipana, Sal Hepatica. The first tune is "It's A Hundred To One." Fred analyzes the st...
12.27.1939	fred allen fred allen show (013) dr. allen clinic	+ Sponsored by: Sal Hepatica, Ipana. The first tune is, "Good Morning." The Ipana News: The World In...
01.31.1940	fred allen fred allen show (018) mountain justice	+ Sponsored by: Ipana, Sal Hepatica. News Of The Week...The World In Review topic: "Should New York ...
02.07.1940	fred allen fred allen show (019) political amateur hour	+ Sponsored by: Sal Hepatica, Ipana. Portland had recently appeared on, "Hobby Lobby." How to make t...
02.14.1940	fred allen fred allen show (020) the visibility was poor, but the pilot could see his finish	+ Sponsored by: Sal Hepatica, Ipana. "The World In Review": a motley array of unheard poets. A spoke...
02.21.1940	fred allen fred allen show (021) the missing cat	+ Sponsored by: Sal Hepatica, Ipana. "The News Of The Week" looks at the recent snowfall in the east...
02.28.1940	fred allen fred allen show (022) life at the south pole	+ Sponsored by: Ipana, Sal Hepatica. Fred interviews the assistant superintendant of the Statue of ...
03.20.1940	fred allen fred allen show (025) eagle gets loose in the studio	+ Sponsored by: Ipana, Sal Hepatica. The famous "Eagle Show," in which a trained eagle escapes to th...
03.27.1940	fred allen fred allen show (026) who killed mack borden	+ Sponsored by: Ipana, Sal Hepatica. The Mighty Allen Art Players perform, "Who Killed Mack Borden?"...
04.03.1940	fred allen fred allen show (027) the laziest man in the world	+ Sponsored by: Sal Hepatica, Ipana. Fred and Harry discuss "a peccadillo." "The World In Review" as...
04.10.1940	fred allen fred allen show (028) the crisis in the central park zoo	+ Sponsored by: Sal Hepatica. The World In Review: the census has begun. Fred interviews Richard Do...
04.17.1940	fred allen fred allen show (029) from nipper to nobody	+ Sponsored by: Sal Hepatica. "The World In Review": New York City is trying to eliminate the money...
04.24.1940	fred allen fred allen show (030) he caught his wife kissing a stranger	+ Sponsored by: Sal Hepatica. "The World In Review": Jamaica racetrack re-opens with parimutuel mac...
05.01.1940	fred allen fred allen show (031) information tease	+ Sponsored by: Sal Hepatica, Ipana. "News Of The Week": A survey of college publicity requirements....
05.22.1940	fred allen fred allen show (034) the curse of ra	+ Sponsored by: Sal Hepatica, Ipana. "News Of The Week": The problems of double features. Fred inter...
05.29.1940	fred allen fred allen show (035) death takes a pretzel baron	+ Sponsored by: Sal Hepatica, Ipana. "The World In Review": Amateur poets read the works for the fir...
06.05.1940	fred allen fred allen show (036) the senator's dilemma	+ Sponsored by: Sal Hepatica, Ipana. "The World In Review": Reactions to the wettest May since 1908....
06.12.1940	fred allen fred allen show (037) the judge was a vegetarian so he couldn't meat out	+ Sponsored by: Ipana, Sal Hepatica. The broadcast originates from Hollywood. Fred interviews a "cat...
06.19.1940	fred allen fred allen show (038) jack benny interview	+ Sponsored by: Sal Hepatica, Ipana. "News Of The Week": Well known dunces from unknown schools. The...
06.26.1940	fred allen fred allen show (039) us, the people speak	+ Sponsored by: Sal Hepatica, Ipana. "News Of The Week": people who plan unique vacations. The last ...
10.07.1945	fred allen fred allen show (45 49) (040) auditions	+ Sponsored by: Tender Leaf Tea, Blue Bonnett Margarine. 8:30 P.M. The program's guests are Edgar Be...
N/A	fred allen 451007 050 1st song how is the housing shortage effecting you {afrs#050}

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Classic cast. Classic program.

Scott

CLASSIC.......That is!!

Darwin

Somebody, Ah say, somebody knocked! Claghorn's the name, son - Senator Claghorn. Ah'm from the South. South, that is.

Bob

Howdy, bub!

Bob

I love that guy!

David

The Greatest of the Golden Age!

Kiven

I have heard some of his earliest shows and they are brilliant.

Philip

If I remember correctly from what I read, Fred Allen was a very simple, generous man who didn't even own a car. He would hand out money to people on the street as he walked from his apartment to the studio..

David

Featuring all 133 of his existing half and full-hour programs dated (1932-1953). Also, there are 26 programs that Allen was a guest star on. Allen's variety program was broadcast on CBS and NBC from 1932 to 1949.

FRED ALLEN

The Fred Allen Show, "Town Hall Tonight" is always a fun show to hear, but this is an especially memorable episode. On this show Frank Sinatra at the age of 21, with his swing band, made his professional radio debut. His group is called "Frank Sinatra and His Four Sharps" performing a Hot version of "Exactly Like You." Frank does not sing.

Mike

Also featured are The Charioteers, Cameron Andrews, a Voice Imitator and Larry Collins, who does a Strip Tease Trombone Act... you've gotta hear this one to believe it! A few years ago, I had sent that portion to my son Gary Haendiges, who is an excellent trombone player. To the best of my knowledge, Gary has never performed this kind of act.

Mike