Tag Archives: Fred Allen
Fred Allen and his Friendly Feud with Jack Benny
It is impossible to chronicle the birth of the Fred Allen-Jack Benny feud without going into the life and background of Fred Allen. At the age of fourteen, Fred Allen opened a book that would forever change the course of … Continue reading
December 12: Happy Birthday Frank Sinatra
December 12 would be Frank Sinatra’s 100th birthday. We would like to wish Ol’ Blue Eyes a happy one. Sinatra is a bit of an enigma. There is no getting around it: Frank was cool. Frank made sure that everyone … Continue reading
May 31: Happy Birthday Fred Allen
Fred Allen had no idea when he was growing up that he would become one of the most popular entertainers of his time. In fact, as a poor Irish kid on the streets of Cambridge, Massachusetts, he would have been … Continue reading
How Hitler Helped Create Allen’s Alley
The title of this should not be interpreted with any insinuation that Fred Allen may have been a Nazi. Like most Americans of his generation, the more Fred and the rest of the entertainment industry learned about Hitler and his … Continue reading
Happy Birthday Portland Hoffa!
Portland Hoffa, wife and radio co-star of comedian Fred Allen was born on this day, Jan 25, 1905, in Portland Oregon. Hoffa and Fred Allen met while on the road with The Passing Show of 1922, and started going together … Continue reading
Jack Benny v Fred Allen Feud “Battle of the Century” 3-14-1937
Billed as the “Battle of the Century”, comedians Jack Benny and Fred Allen began long running faux feud. This is the opening of the on-air brawl, the broadcast of the Jack Benny program from March 14, 1937: [Audio clip: view … Continue reading