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Fred Allen Quotes

John Florence Sullivan , known professionally as Fred Allen, was an American comedian. His absurdist, topically pointed radio program The Fred Allen Show made him one of the most popular and forward-looking humorists in the Golden Age 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 wrote that Allen was perhaps radio's most admired comedian and most frequently censored. A master ad libber, Allen often tangled with his network's executives 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 .

Allen was honored with stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for contributions to television and radio. Wikipedia  

✵ 31. May 1894 – 17. March 1956
Fred Allen photo
Fred Allen: 12   quotes 3   likes

Famous Fred Allen Quotes

“A human being is nothing but a story with skin around it.”

Fred Allen

“Imitation is the sincerest form of television.”

Fred Allen

Attributed in Newsweek, 14 January 1980.

“All the sincerity in Hollywood you could stuff in a flea's navel and still have room left to conceal eight caraway seeds and an agent's heart.”

Fred Allen

From a lost letter to Kenny Delmar quoted in Earl Wilson's syndicated column (May 1959).

“A good comedian can say things funny and other guys just say funny things.”

Fred Allen

Attributed by Robert Lemke in The Sunday Press (Binghamton, NY), “Rock ‘n Roll ‘Musically Horrid” Says Ex-2-a-Dayer,” pg. 2-C, col. 1 (9 August 1959)

“I have just returned from Boston. It is the only thing to do if you find yourself up there.”

Fred Allen

Letter to Groucho Marx.

Fred Allen Quotes

“California's a wonderful place to live - if you happen to be an orange.”

Fred Allen

Reported in Steven D. Price, 1001 Greatest Things Ever Said About California (2007), p. viii.

“A celebrity is a person who works hard all his life to become known, then wears dark glasses to avoid being recognized”

Fred Allen

Treadmill to Oblivion.

Back To Work , Life , Personality

“A molehill man is a pseudo-busy executive who comes to work at 9 am and finds a molehill on his desk. He has until 5 pm to make this molehill into a mountain. An accomplished molehill man will often have his mountain finished even before lunch.”

Fred Allen

Treadmill to Oblivion http://books.google.com/books?id=8IC6ZSGPAAYC&q="A+molehill+man+is+a+pseudo+busy+executive+who+comes+to+work+at+9+am+and+finds+a+molehill+on+his+desk+He+has+until+5+pm+to+make+this+molehill+into+a+mountain+An+accomplished+molehill+man+will+often+have+his+mountain+finished+even+before+lunch"&pg=PA27#v=onepage (1954).

Mountain , Business

“Sullivan will be successful as long as other people have talent.”

Fred Allen

As quoted in Always On Sunday. Ed Sullivan: An Inside View (1968) by Michael David Harris; reproduced in "Sunday Marks Ed Sullivan's 20th Anniversary on TV," https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/82860831/ The San Antonio Express (June 16, 1968), p. 117

People , Success

“I'm a little hoarse tonight. I've been living in Chicago for the past two months, and you know how it is, yelling for help on the way home every night. Things are so tough in Chicago that at Easter time, for bunnies the little kids use porcupines.”

Fred Allen

Much Ado About Me (1956).

Way , Home , Time , Past

“What does Sullivan do? He points at people. Rub meat on actors and dogs will do the same thing.”

Fred Allen

As quoted in Always On Sunday. Ed Sullivan: An Inside View (1968)

People , Dogs

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