Fred Allen (1894 - 1956) was an American comedian best known for his witty, pointed radio programs of the 1930s and 1940s, including a comic feud with comedian
Jack Benny. Allen was famous among his peers for his ability to ad-lib - a skill that Benny famously paid tribute to, responding to a mock insult with the line "You wouldn't say that if my writers were here."
Allen was born John Florence Sullivan in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
His career faded with the advent of television, although many say he paved the way for later satirists such as Stan Freberg[?] in the 1950s.