Had Fred Allen lived longer, his mark on the new medium of TV would most assuredly have been more lasting. He was a gifted comedian who had intelligence and good sense to match. When he appeared on the tube in a Mark Goodson, Bill Todman production labeled "Judge for Yourself," he was already a successful radio star who was noted for his long-running, good-humored feud with pal, Jack Benny. Fred Allen had even made a few Hollywood films, perhaps the best being "It's In The Bag," in which Fred played a character with the moniker, Fred F. Trumble Floogle (a name that must have made W.C. Fields proud). A good example of his wit and wisdom is one of my favorite quotes: "You can take all of the sincerity in Hollywood and put it into a mosquito's navel and still have room for two caraway seeds and a producer's heart."
"Judge for Yourself" was only on for a season and I got in on the last part of its run when the format had changed to a simple panel of judges deciding whether a song performed usually by Judy Johnson, The Skylarks, or Bob Carroll would become a hit. The judge whose decision matched the audience's approval (determined by applause) was the winner.
Being only ten years old, I wasn't much of a judge, but did participate at home to see how my decisions matched the program's choices. I remember one song in particular that threw me. "Cross Over the Bridge" was voted by the audience as the song most likely to become a hit. I didn't like the song and remember saying, "That will never make it. What a loser." To my chagrin, "Cross Over the Bridge" went on to become one of the biggest hits of the year. I can still visualize the set as Judy Johnson sang the song. There was a brook in the moonlight with a scenic bridge. As she ended the tune, Judy Johnson with a romantic expression on her face crossed over the bridge.
Dennis James was the announcer for the show. He was always hawking Old Gold Cigarettes. The Old Gold dancing cigarette packs unfortunately were one of the main attractions of the program.
The high point of the show was Fred Allen's monologue. In a way, Fred Allen reminded one of a Bostonian Will Rogers, only with more sarcasm. He was truly a funny man.
