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Fred Allen: "Imitation is the sincerest form of television."

"Imitation is the sincerest form of television." - Fred Allen

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  1. DavidAugust 9, 2012 at 12:08 PM

    Fred was the best even at his worst, He once desribed show buisness as a treadmill to oblivion. He understood trhe change radio and later TV made to entertainment better than anyone else. A lifetime of well honed material could be used up in a single season or two, along with the performer; Sid Ceaser being just one of many so burned out.

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  2. GeorgeAugust 9, 2012 at 2:49 PM

    Actually, it was radio Fred Allen saw as a treadmill to oblivion because it chewed up and spat out content faster than most writers could create it. He liked vaudeville because he could evolve an act, slowly, as he worked a circuit, once week at a time. Agree 100% on Ceaser.

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