Fred Allen Show

Here is a delightful television episode with the greatest of radio stars, Jack Benny and Fred Allen. Way back in the radio days, one of made a slight personal comment about the other, and then he was riposted; and the next thing you knew, there was a hilarious, steady stream of very funny insults. This culminated in their movie together, Love Thy Neighbor; and one of the early requests from Command Performance listeners in the Second World War (American GI's), was that Benny and Allen would make up (it was simply hilarious). Fred was unsuccessful on television--could have been those awful baggy eyes--but Jack was a sensation. The episode reminisces their wonderful rivalry on radio, with Fred trying to steal Jack's sponsor; but doesn't give this gifted, intelligent comedian his best milieu--listen to him on old radio shows for a high sardonic wit. And then, as the episode contents reveal, there is a joyful appearance by an even earlier radio star, Eddie Cantor. Double nostalgia--then, and now.

The hilarious Benny-Allen feud here extends from radio and movies to make it to television, but sadly, just this once. Jack starts off telling us in his monologue that Fred's a good friend in real life, but ruminates a bit on it, and eventually decides he can't stand him. The plot involves Jack about to sign on another year of sponsorship with American Tobacco Company, which looks like a sure thing until we see that before Jack can get into the sponsor's office, Fred has beaten him there and tries to persuade them to dump Jack and let him be the new star of "The Lucky Strike Programme." When jack shows up, panicking that for some reason the sponsor's being cagey about a new contract, Fred's caught hiding in the sponsor's closet, puffing a smoke cloud out of a Lucky. They sort it out, and leave, but then in a surprise cameo, Eddie Cantor then follows out of the closet, also trying to hook Jack's gig. The three comedians have a wrap up together on the stage, but whatever the payoff was, we don't see it. Though this is indeed an historic episode, somehow, it's left to us with this cut short ending. Though the story revolves around Lucky Strike Cigarettes, and it's manufacturer, all the ads have been chopped out as well.

Allen was at the time, a three time loser on TV; his shows never drew the popularity of his radio series to keep them going, so in real life, he would probably been anxious to talk to a big sponsor, though obviously not to chisel a friend out of an existing relationship.

As always, it was fun to see them work together, it tempts the imagination with what more might have been like.

This was Fred's only appearance on Jack's program. Too bad, because when they traded barbs on radio, they were hilarious. But frankly, the skit here fails to take advantage of their mock feud. They're kept separate for too long, and when finally paired up, the material unfortunately sags. Reviewer jhboswell is right—Allen's real forte was radio. His program was both very funny and well put together with its colorful supporting characters.

It's also revealing seeing Allen and Benny together, and how much of Jack's comedy was visual as well as spoken. So it's not surprising, to me at least, that Jack would be a bigger TV success than Fred. Nonetheless, it's a good chance to catch one of the giants of radio comedy. Also—be sure to catch the surprise guest.