Fred Allen
Also Known As: John Florence Sullivan
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.
Department: Acting
Place of Birth: Cambridge - Massachusetts - USA
Adult: No
Birthday: May 31, 1894
Age: 130 years old
Gender: Male
Deathday: March 17, 1956
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Known For:
O. Henry's Full House
Overview: Five O. Henry stories, each separate. The primary one from the critics' acclaim was "The Cop and the Anthem". Soapy tells fellow bum Horace that he is going to get arrested so he can spend the winter in a nice jail cell. He fails. He can't even accost a woman; she turns out to be a streetwalker. The other stories are "The Clarion Call", "The Last Leaf", "The Ransom of Red Chief", and "The Gift of the Magi".
Genres: Drama Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1952-08-07
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The Great Radio Comedians
Overview: Documentary about radio comedies primarily focused on Burns & Allen, Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy, The Jack Benny Program, Fibber McGee & Molly, The Bob Hope Show, and The Fred Allen Show.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1971-05-11
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Is Everybody Listening?
Overview: A documentary about the 82% of US citizens that listen to the radio for their entertainment, news and sport.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1947-09-05
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Thanks a Million
Overview: A show troupe is engaged by Judge Culliman, who is running for Governor, to enhance his political campaign. When the inebriated Judge has to be replaced in doing his campaign speech by the troupe crooner, Eric Land, his political backers decide that they want him to run for Governor in the Judge's place. Romance, music, political corruption and the election results follow.
Genres: Comedy Music Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1935-11-13
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It's in the Bag!
Overview: The ringmaster of a flea circus inherits a fortune...if he can find which chair it's hidden in.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1945-04-21
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Love Thy Neighbor
Overview: Capitalizing on the famous radio 'feud' between comedians Jack Benny and Fred Allen. The two stars play versions of themselves, constantly at each other's throats due to real and imagined slights.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1940-12-27
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The Installment Collector
Overview:
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1929-04-19
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The Still Alarm
Overview: Two hotel guests are told the hotel is on fire, but the other guests and firefighters seem unconcerned.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1930-06-30
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Sally, Irene and Mary
Overview: Manicurists Sally, Irene and Mary hope to be Broadway entertainers. When Mary inherits an old ferry boat, they turn it into a successful supper club.
Genres: Comedy Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1938-03-04
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We're Not Married!
Overview: A Justice of the Peace performed weddings a few days before his license was valid. A few years later five couples learn they have never been legally married.
Genres: Comedy Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1952-07-11
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Behind Your Radio Dial
Overview: Familiar radio voice Ben Grauer leads the viewer on a behind the scenes tour of the National Broadcasting Company studios -- both radio and television -- in Rockefeller Center and Hollywood. The original 25-minute film previewed by network execs and affiliates in the fall of 1948 was cut down to 20 minutes before its first broadcast, reportedly to excise high-profile stars and programs such as Amos 'n' Andy, Jack Benny, and Edgar Bergen that had since left NBC for other networks.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1949-01-09
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Buck Benny Rides Again
Overview: Radio star Jack Benny, intending to stay in New York for the summer, is forced by the needling of rival Fred Allen to prove his boasts about roughing it on his (fictitious) Nevada ranch. Meanwhile, singer Joan Cameron, whom Jack's fallen for and offended, is maneuvered by her sisters to the same Nevada town. Jack's losing battle to prove his manhood to Joan means broad slapstick burlesque of Western cliches.
Genres: Comedy Western
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1940-05-31
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Fred Allen's Prize Playlets
Overview: Mr. Fiasco, a producer of plays gets three plays explained to him. In one of the plays, a man chooses scotch for a drink and dies. In the second play the man slaps his new wife in the face for nothing. The final play the man leaves his wife for work. The wife greets the iceman who knows the husband just left. He is greeted with open arms. The husband returns early and knows the iceman is under the table. After his wife gives him a lump of sugar, he smashes the iceman on the head with a lump of ice. Mr. Fiasco has the man thrown out.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1929-11-25
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Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio
Overview: For 50 years radio dominated the airwaves and the American consciousness as the first “mass medium.” In Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio, Ken Burns examines the lives of three extraordinary men who shared the primary responsibility for this invention and its early success, and whose genius, friendship, rivalry and enmity interacted in tragic ways. This is the story of Lee de Forest, a clergyman’s flamboyant son, who invented the audion tube; Edwin Howard Armstrong, a brilliant, withdrawn inventor who pioneered FM technology; and David Sarnoff, a hard-driving Russian immigrant who created the most powerful communications company on earth.
Genres: Documentary History
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1991-10-01
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