The writers of Jimmie Allen had been flying aces in World War I. They came up with the idea of a show about a boy pilot whilst at a party in Kansas City and used thier experience as pilots to create and write the show.

The show was one of the first to capitalise on the idea of a club as a promotional tool. To join the Jimmie Allen Flying Club all a child had to do was apply at any Skelly Gas Station (the initial sponsor). As a member the child received a whole host of goodies ranging from a set of wings through to a “personal” letter from Jimmie himself. An incredible 600,000 club newspapers were sent out to children each week and many thousands attended the Jimmie Allen Air Races that were held in Midwest cities.

The show was first broadcast between 1933 and 1937 and then came back to the air with brand new stories after the war between 1946 and 1947. The post war stint in no way lived up to the fascination for the show in the 1930s.

An interesting fact about this show is that the original Jimmie Allen, John Frank, was over 40 years old when the series was first aired.