Fred Allen Show | The Perfect Crime | October 19, 1947

Return to the Golden Age of Radio with Fred Allen and his celebrated comedy company in this October 19, 1947 broadcast of The Fred Allen Show, featuring “The Perfect Crime.” With mystery and crime stories enormously popular on radio, in movies, and in pulp fiction, the subject provides Allen with ideal material for parody, verbal comedy, and his unmistakably skeptical view of popular entertainment. *Synopsis* “The Perfect Crime” takes the familiar ingredients of a crime story and filters them through the wonderfully unpredictable comic world of Fred Allen. Rather than delivering a conventional mystery, Allen uses the premise to have fun with the clichés audiences had come to recognize from detectives, criminals, police procedurals, suspense programs, and Hollywood crime pictures. The concept of a “perfect crime” was already a familiar dramatic device, making it especially inviting material for parody. Radio schedules of the era were filled with mysteries, detective adventures, thrillers, and tales of criminals attempting to outwit the authorities. Allen’s comedy thrived on precisely these kinds of recognizable conventions. Once the audience understood the formula, Fred and his writers could twist expectations, exaggerate familiar situations, and undermine dramatic tension with jokes and absurdity. The broadcast also showcases the ensemble structure that made The Fred Allen Show one of network radio’s most distinctive comedy programs. Fred’s exchanges with Portland Hoffa provide an understated counterpoint to his elaborate wordplay, while the program’s supporting performers supply a remarkable assortment of voices and personalities. Among the most famous creations associated with Allen’s program were the residents of Allen’s Alley. Kenny Delmar’s Senator Beauregard Claghorn, Parker Fennelly’s Titus Moody, Minerva Pious’s Mrs. Nussbaum, and Peter Donald’s Ajax Cassidy became familiar figures to millions of listeners. Through them, Allen could transform a simple topical question into a comic survey of exaggerated American viewpoints. “The Perfect Crime” also offers modern listeners an entertaining glimpse of the extraordinary variety available on American radio in 1947. Comedy programs freely borrowed the conventions of dramas, movies, advertising, news, and other popular entertainment, confident that listeners would immediately recognize what was being parodied. *Audio Restoration* This historic recording has undergone significant audio restoration and enhancement to provide the best possible listening experience while respecting the character of the surviving source. Restoration may include careful noise and hum reduction, removal of clicks and distracting artifacts, tonal correction, frequency balancing, dynamics processing, and level adjustment. The objective is improved clarity and consistency without eliminating the warmth and distinctive sound of a vintage radio broadcast. *Cast & Production Credits* Fred Allen – Host and star Portland Hoffa – Featured performer Kenny Delmar – Announcer and featured performer Minerva Pious – Featured performer Parker Fennelly – Featured performer Peter Donald – Featured performer The DeMarco Sisters – Vocal group Al Goodman and His Orchestra – Music NBC Radio Network – Original network Original broadcast – October 19, 1947 Enjoy this restored episode and experience Fred Allen’s masterful combination of parody, topical humor, character comedy, and inventive radio satire.