SOURCE: "Fred Allen," in The Funny Men, Simon and Schuster, 1956, pp. 34-59.

In the following essay, Allen—a noted comedian and television host and no relation to Fred Allen—reminisces about Allen, his career in radio, and the reasons behind his failure to adapt his comic style to television.

St. Patrick's Day 1956 was one I shall not soon forget. The day before—Friday, March 16—New York was hit by an unseasonal blizzard and on Saturday the city's Irish paraded through snow and bitter cold. One elderly Irishman that night took a stroll from which he never returned. About the time he was putting on his overcoat to go out I was sitting in a room on the twelfth floor of the Waldorf-Astoria with Sid Caesar and several members of his staff. We had just come upstairs after attending the annual award ceremonies of the Academy of Television Arts...