Voting Station

Fred Allen

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Comedian

The Resume

    (May 31, 1894-March 17, 1956)
    Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts
    Birth name was John Florence Sullivan
    Hosted the radio shows 'Town Hall Tonight' (1935-40) and 'The Fred Allen Show' (1945-49)
    Appeared in the films 'Love Thy Neighbor' (1940) and 'It's in the Bag' (1945)
    Panelist on 'What's My Line' (1954-56)

Why he might be annoying:

    He started in vaudeville as 'the world's worst juggler.'
    His ad-libbing often caused his show to have to fade out before the planned ending.
    He held a long-running mock feud with Jack Benny.
    He belittled television, but tried three times without success to launch TV projects of his own.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He engaged in a long-running battle with radio censors.
    His show's character of Senator Beauregard Claghorn inspired the cartoon character Foghorn Leghorn.
    His 'Town Hall News' influenced Laugh-In's 'Look at the News' and Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update.'
    He said, 'Television is a medium because anything well done is rare.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 15 Votes: 46.67% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 5 Votes: 20.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 43 Votes: 53.49% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 8 Votes: 12.50% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 4 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 10 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 13 Votes: 30.77% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 14 Votes: 35.71% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 58 Votes: 36.21% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 17 Votes: 41.18% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 27 Votes: 37.04% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 32 Votes: 34.38% Annoying