The True Story Of Your Hero

Step into the mayhem of Fred Allen's Portland studio on this glorious 1938 evening as the maestro of comedic chaos unveils "The True Story Of Your Hero"—a delicious parody that skewers American idol worship with the sharpness of a needle through silk. What begins as an innocent tribute to a celebrated public figure quickly unravels into absurdist pandemonium, with Allen's lightning-quick wit snapping at every sacred cow in sight. You'll hear the masterful interplay between Fred and his wife Portland Hoffa, the cacophony of his "Alley" characters—those recurring oddball denizens of American life—and the orchestral swells that punctuate each perfectly-timed punchline. The studio audience roars with delight as Allen dismantles pretense with surgical precision, reminding listeners that heroes are merely mortals draped in newspaper headlines and public relations.

By 1938, The Fred Allen Show had become radio's most celebrated comedy program, a weekly appointment for millions who craved something sharper than the saccharine offerings flooding the airwaves. Allen's program stood apart precisely because it refused to flatter its audience or genuflect before celebrity; instead, it held up a mirror to American obsessions and hypocrisies, proving that comedy's truest purpose was enlightenment wrapped in laughter. This episode exemplifies that mission, arriving at a moment when Depression-weary Americans desperately needed to laugh at themselves.

Tune in and experience radio comedy at its most intelligent and irreverent—this is Fred Allen at his finest, a voice so distinctly American and so utterly uncompromising that his broadcasts remain, more than eighty years later, a treasure trove of wit, warmth, and wisdom. Don't miss it.