I seem to remember reading a newspaper review in the past few months of a new book about radio comic Fred Allen (I am currently reading his 1950s memoirs, bought for two bucks the the NYPL book sale). But on Amazon and Bookfinder, all I can find is an old biography, written more than a decade ago, and some collections of his writings.
Does anyone know anything about this, or can you recommend a good search site? I also tried Googling “Fred-Allen,” to no avail.
I have Fred Allen’s two memoirs, his collection of letters, and the 1989 Robert Taylor bio, which I assume is is the decade-old one you refer to, so I would be actively seeking a new bio if one were available. But I also haven’t heard about any and can’t find a reference to one.
If you do come across the reference again, please post it here.
P.S. I wonder if the Stuart Hample who edited All the Sincerity in Hollywood: Selections from the Writings of Fred Allen is the same Stuart Hample who did the Inside Woody Allen cartoon series. Oddly, the collection, Non-Being and Somethingness, doesn’t have Hample’s name as a co-author on Amazon.
Thanks, anyway, Harpo . . . I wonder if I hallucinated that new bio? I’m enjoying Much Ado About Me, and this morning I walked by the site of 104 W. 40th Street, to see if that old theatrical boarding house from 1914 was still there . . . I mean the building, not if there was still a theatrical boarding houses there. Nope, it’s a big glass box now.
Eve, what’s your opinion of Allen’s memoirs? Is it a good read worth picking up? I’d be interested in tracking one down if it’s any good. I’m a huge Jack Benny fan, so I’d be interested in learning more about his nemesis. I wonder if Allen made any appearances on Benny’s TV show? That would be long after the peak of their much-publicized radio “feud” of course. Too bad no-one is rerunning The Jack Benny Program in my market. TV-Land would be wise to pick it up…
You can search the Library of Congress catalog here There’s a 1990 book by Havig and a 1989 book by Taylor. I didn’t see anything recent except the 2001 collection of his writings compiled by Hample.
It’s not nearly as bitter and acerbic as I’d hoped; it was written for a 1950s general audience. But definitely worth a read—funny, with some great anecdotes about his vaudeville days of the 1910s–20s. I’m only halfway through, so he hasn’t done radio yet . . .