Les Miserables Afrs

Step into Studio 8-H on this October evening in 1942, where Fred Allen and his incomparable cast are about to transport you from the wartime present into nineteenth-century France. "Les Misérables" promises a rollicking burlesque of Victor Hugo's epic novel, complete with Allen's razor-sharp satirical takes on everything from revolutionary fervor to melodramatic excess. Expect elaborate sound effects—the clang of chains, the roar of angry mobs, the orchestral swells that underscore impossible romance—all woven into a comedy sketch that will have you laughing at the very things Hugo treated with utmost seriousness. Allen's quick wit and impeccable timing work in concert with Portland Hoffa's straight-woman reactions, while the supporting players tumble through scenes of manufactured pathos and genuine hilarity. The band punctuates every punchline, and the live audience's laughter crackles through your receiver like an invitation to the most sophisticated, irreverent comedy club ever broadcast.

By 1942, The Fred Allen Show had become America's premier comedy-variety hour, a weekly showcase where intelligence and humor were never enemies. In an era of wartime rationing and anxiety, Allen's willingness to mock high culture and puncture pretension offered audiences something invaluable: permission to laugh at the world's grandiosity. His "Alley" sketches had become legendary; his feud with Jack Benny, the stuff of genuine cultural legend. This particular adaptation demonstrates Allen's genius for finding comedy in the gap between artistic ambition and human reality—perfect timing for a nation seeking both escape and catharsis.

Tune in and discover why critics called Fred Allen the thinking person's comic. This is radio at its finest: smart, swift, and utterly alive with the spontaneous energy of live performance.