The best years of the series were when Fred Allen was a regular panelist. He had a certain down-to-earth and acerbic nature, akin to a small-town wiseacre, that welcomingly contrasted with the sort of hoity-toity urbanity of the proceedings. Gave the show a real spark. Reruns used to air on the Game Show Network.
Just spent the past two hours watching reruns on YouTube. Fred Allen was, as you so well noted, a veritable asset to the panel. It is refreshing to revisit these programs and look back at a period in our history when men and women dressed properly, showed deference and respect for each other and spoke proper English. I doubt any of the panelists, with the exception, perhaps, of Bennet Cerf, had a college education. We have regressed as a society.