Wagner, Tattooer, Quips with Fred Allen
Researched & Written by Carmen Nyssen
As one of the most widely recognized tattoo artists of the twentieth century, New York Bowery’s Charlie Wagner enjoyed his share of publicity. From the earliest days of his career, his undertakings—good and bad—were featured in numerous national newspapers and magazines. In February of 1938, he also had the honor of being interviewed by one of the most revered comedians on the highly popular, long running weekly radio show, Fred Allen’s Town Hall Tonight.
Fred Allen was one of the hardest working comedians of the era, who unlike many of his contemporaries, devoted intensive hours between performances searching for innovative ideas and writing his own material. In the fall of 1937—in his never-ending quest to keep his subject matter fresh and lively—he created a new segment on the show, “People you Didn’t Expect to Meet,” which entailed an on-the-air visit with someone whose occupation was out of the ordinary.
It’s unclear if Allen, the King of comedians and the Golden Age of Radio, was aware that his special guest, Charlie Wagner, was the lauded ‘King of Bowery Tattooers;’ his angle was to showcase everyday people, while also promoting their unusual skills. But the show certainly received ample hype before it played on the air waves—touting the very interesting black eye specialist-tattoo artist. And, the exposure couldn’t have come at a better time for Wagner’s tattoo business, given the destitution of the Depression years on the Bowery especially.
The News Flash
1938 Feb 6 St. Louis Post-Dispatch pg. 53-“Charles Wagner, said to be the world’s most elaborately tattooed man, will be featured during Fred Allen’s Town Hall Tonight Wednesday.”
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1938 Feb 9 Indianapolis News pg. 13-“Charles Wagner, tattoo artist, will be interviewed by Fred Allen at 8 o’clock this evening over WIRE and N.B.C. as Allen attempts to find out whether it is true that beauty is only skin-deep.”
1938 Feb 9 Arizona Daily Start pg. 5-“Dean of the tattoo needle: Claiming to have placed more eagles rampant on arms, legs, and chests than any other tattoo artist, Charlie Wagner of New York’s bowery does a guest turn with Fred Allen, KOA, 7, and KFI, 10 p.m.
Tattoo Talk
Although Allen was a master ad-libber, revered for his exceptional talents in show business, he scripted his radio shows. That means his interplay with Wagner wasn’t entirely organic. Still, Allen strived to emphasize his guests’ attributes and wrote that into the subtext. The February 9, 1938 Akron Beacon Journal tagline highlighting, “Charles Wagner, tattoo artist, is in for a heckling by Fred Allen,” only guessed half the story. Wagner got in a few decent quips himself thanks to Allen’s ironic sense of humor in writing the lines.
A Bit of Wagner’s Tattoo Talk
In regards to Wagner’s tattooing (pg. 13), which Allen reported he did “by appointment” at 11 Chatham Square:
Allen: You’re a Rembrant [sic] of the epidermis
Mr. W: No. I just do tattooing, Fred.
Allen: Rembrant [sic] of the epidermis, Charlie, is what we Harvard boys call a tattooing artist.
The twist is that Allen actually attended Boston University, usually considered less prestigious than the nearby Harvard, while Wagner was proud to be just what he was—a tattooer.
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In regards to Wagner’s black eye repair (pg. 18):
Allen: “Say, I’ve just been thinking Charlie – I might have a little business for you the first week in March.
Mr. W: “Are you expecting a black eye Fred?”
Allen: [explains that his new movie will be out soon and he knew some people that had given critics black eyes for bad reviews]
Mr. W: “I’ll be ready Fred. If the critics don’t get you first.”
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And with a hearty, witty well-wish for Wagner, Allen closed with:
“And I hope you will continue to prosper in your design for living.”
Town Hall Tonight Tattoo Tales
Wagner definitely had personal input as evidenced by some of the exaggerated tales he told his radio host. In covering a bit of his career history, Wagner said he had been tattooing since 1888 [when he was 13-years-old], and tattooed sailors for the fun of it until he got a job in 1890 helping a professional artist at a Chatham Square Barber shop; then after the tattooer died in 1896 he took over the business. From there, he went on to describe how he invented the “electric needle” in 1904.
Given that electric tattoo machines had been in use since at least 1889, and Wagner didn’t take over Sam O’Reilly’s 11 Chatham Square shop until 1909, he was obviously padding his story a bit.
Read more about Charlie Wagner’s prominent Bowery tattoo career at Buzzworthy Tattoo History research compositions: Charlie Wagner, King of Bowery Tattooers and Charlie Wagner’s Chatham Electric Tattooing Enterprise.
The Show Went On
The interlude between Allen and Wagner played out as intended. It was short-and-sweet and it was a hit with the listeners in American radioland.
1938 Feb 11 Los Angeles Times pg. 34-“This department will have to admit, grudgingly, that some radio comedians at least are getting better. Most, of course, remain in the unspeakable class. Fred Allen in his latest program reached a new high in entertainment when interviewed a tattoo artist and black eye repairer. Best wisecrack: “one man with Napoleon tattooed on his stomach got so fat Napoleon actually was taking his hand out of his coat…”
Not to mention, a nice plug for the latest fad of tattooing Social Security numbers, just in time to dash out the Depression era destitution.
1938 Feb 11 Chicago Tribune pg. 28-“A use has been found for your social security number. Fred Allen brought it out the other evening in an interview with one Charlie Wagner, a tattooing expert. Wagner gets a lot of calls, he testified, from customers who want to have their serial numbers stenciled on their chests. Wagner even reported one New Dealer, following the last election, who would be satisfied with nothing less than a picture of Roosevelt across his heart.”
Second Radio Guest Spot
The Town Hall Tonight guest spot wasn’t Wagner’s only radio stint. Several years later, just prior to U.S. involvement in World War II, on March 4, 1941, Wagner was a guest on Gabriel Heatter’s “We, The People” radio program to discuss the latest trends in tattooing, such as people having Social Security numbers or draft numbers tattooed on their skin. As an added surprise, show manager John Leo “Jack” Wallum (1887-1960), from Cliffside, New Jersey, realized—after a bit of back and forth chit chat on the day of the airing—that he had been tattooed by Wagner.
Fred Allen’s Back Story
Fred Allen was born John Florence Sullivan on May 31, in 1894, Cambridge, Massachusetts. As a boy, his father secured a job for him at the Boston Public Library, where he happened across a book on the roots of comedy that changed his life forever. By the time he was 17-years-old, he was performing for the Boston Amateur Night in Scollay Square operated by ex-strongman Sam Cohen.
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It didn’t take long before he took over for Cohen as Master of Ceremonies. Coincidentally, Sam Cohen had associations with Boston tattoo artist and vaudevillian James Fraser. A March of 1916 Boston Herald article mentions Sam Cohen at 148 Court, the same location as Fraser’s tattoo shop, and that Cohen had dealings with Fraser concerning one of his acts.
In light of his entertainment career, it’s possible Allen had a quite a few experiences with tattoo artists. Some years after he quit radio and moved on to television, he became a panelist on the CBS quiz show What’s My Line?—from 1954 until his death March 17, 1956. As it happens, one of the episodes featured Denver, Colorado tattooer William “Frenchie” Neely as a guest.
Fred Allen closing quote from the episode: “I think he had designs on all of us John.”
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1956 March 4: What’s My Line?: Denver, Colorado tattoo artist William F. Neely at 10:25
Sources for my research:
Library of Congress, Fred Allen radio episodes
“Imitator of Lauder Sues Booking Agent.” Boston Herald, Mar. 1916, p. 18
Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb 1938, p. 34
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 6 Feb. 1938, p. 53
Akron Beacon Journal, 9 Feb 1938, p. 9
Indianapolis News, 9 Feb. 1938, p. 13
Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 1938, p. 28
“All Sorts Have Graced Fred Allen’s Air Show.” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 25 Apr. 1940, p. 28
“Appears on Heatter’s We the People to Reveal Spring Styles in Tattooing.” Pittsburgh-Post Gazette, 4 Mar. 1941, p. 27
“How to Meet Old Friends.” Courier-Journal, 6 Oct. 1941, p. 15
Province of Reason By Sam Bass Warner, Jr.
Much Ado About Me By Fred Allen
Fred Allen’s Radio Comedy, By Alan Havig, pg. 63: “In the fall of 1937, Allen created “People you Didn’t Expect to Meet,” a weekly visit with someone with an odd occupation. Prepared dialogue guided his way through interviews with these New Yorkers, who included a female cab driver, the head of a bartenders’ school, a singing telegraph operator.”
Questions or Comments? Email:
carmennyssen@buzzworthytattoo.com
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