OK, I drove through Altoona Iowa today. I listen to a lot of old
classic radio. I swear I have heard Hennie Youngman, or someone else
with some famous quote. I swear it was, "I was bombing in Altoona,
when..."
I think it refers to Pearl Harbor or something, but I also swear it was Altoona....
1. Am I nuts or where the %^%*& do I find this quote.
2. IF it is Altoona, is it PA or IA or some other BFE place?
Man, am I going nuts. I know I have heard this before.......

I couldn't find any Altoona quote that makes reference to Pearl
Harbor. The most famous old comedian's quote which mentions Altoona is
this one:

"There is no reason for me to die. I already died in Altoona."
 George Burns (1896-1996) 

http://www.dontquoteme.com/search/quote_display.jsp?quoteID=2446&gameID=1

George Burns also wrote a book called "Living It Up, or, They Still
Love Me in Altoona." The Altoona to which Burns referred was almost
certainly Altoona, Pennsylvania:

"The Mishler Theatre... is a turn of the century theatre that has
served Altoona continuously for most of this century with performers
such as George Burns and other famous vaudevillians regularly stopping
off the train to entertain those in Altoona."

http://www.altoonafp.org/fact_sheet.htm

I believe theater people speak of a performance "bombing" or being
"bombed" when it is poorly received by that audience.
If the quotation is correct, in this context the speaker was admitting
that his performance was doing poorly.
At one time, new broadway productions did a trail run first, somewhere
else.  If it bombed, it was either reworked or never made it to
Broadway.

Pink is correct.  It's Altoona, PA.    Burns & Allen,  Eddie Cantor,
Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Fanny Brice, The Marx Brothers -- all the old
greats got their start on the vaudeville circuit and Altoona was one
of the many stops they made, where they'd perform several shows a day.
  Dying in Altoona meant your act was probably pretty lousy.  (as
Myoarin points out, "bombing" in Altoona is the same thing).  Altoona
represented the heartland of America.

The other city that still gets mentioned like this even today is
PEORIA, Illinois.  Maybe you've heard the classic line, "But will it
play in Peoria?"   Meaning -- will it work in Peoria?  Will people
understand it?  Buy it?  Accept it?"