Fred Allen's Radio Comedy

314 Pages·1990·13.09 MB·English

by  Alan Havig

Fred Allen's
Radio Comedy
AMERICAN CIVILIZATION
A series edited by Allen F. Davis
Fred Allen's
Radio Comedy
ALANHAVIG
TEMPLE UNIVERSITY PRESS
PHILADELPHIA
Temple University Press, Philadelphia 19122
Copyright © 1990 Temple University. All rights reserved.
Published 1990
Printed in the United States of America
§ The paper used in this publication meets the minimum
requirements of American National Standard for Information
Sciences-Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials,
ANSI Z39.48-1984
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Havig, Alan R., 1940-
Fred Allen's radio comedy / Alan Havig.
p. cm.-(American civilization)
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-87722-713-6 (alk. paper)
1. Allen, Fred, 1894-1956. 2. Radio programs-United States
History. 3. Comedy programs-United States-History.
4. Comedians-United States-Biography. I. Title. II. Series.
PN1991.4.A6H3 1990
792.7'028'092-dc20 89-20566
CIP
To my parents
Harold R. Havig, 1899-1989, and
Blanche S. Havig

Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Illustrations following page 98
Chapter 1 An Introduction 1
Chapter 2 The World of a Smalltimer, 1894-1932 25
Chapter 3 The Fred Allen Shows, 1933-1949 47
Chapter 4 Creating Radio Comedy 75
Chapter 5 Fred Allen and Radio Censorship 99
Appendix The Complex World of Network Radio 123
Chapter 6 Fred Allen's Comedy of Language 127
Chapter 7 Fred Allen, Satirist 153
Chapter 8 Allen's Alley, 1942-1949 183
Chapter 9 An Epilogue 211
Notes 217
Index 273
vii

Acknowledgments
I wish to thank those whose support helped make this book
possible. Nancy Walker, a former colleague at Stephens Col
lege and now at Vanderbilt University, generously shared
her knowledge of American literary humor. Many students
who enrolled in my "Popular Culture in 20th Century
America" course through the years, and in "Humor in
America," which the Center for Conceptual Studies at Ste
phens sponsored in the spring semester of 1986, were help
ful associates-in-Iearning as I explored radio comedy in a
broader cultural context. My special thanks go to colleagues
Amy Harvey and David Edens, co-teachers of the Concep
tual Studies course. Stephens College not only offered me
teaching opportunities but also financial support for my
research: a summer study grant in 1977, a Firestone-Baars
Faculty Development grant in 1982, and a sabbatical leave
in the fall of 1983. I am grateful to the staff of the Hugh
Stephens Library at Stephens College for essential assis
tance, specifically Director Marguerite Mitchel, Joanna
Todd, Jean Nauert, Carla Conley, and Margaret Faust.
Sherry Hunter and Laura Ellis, friends and former students,
served as long-distance research associates at a crucial time
when I could not be in New York, and I thank them.
I am most happy to express public appreciation to
ix