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Allen Swift

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Allen Swift
Born
Ira Stadlen

(1924-01-16)January 16, 1924
New York City, U.S.
DiedApril 18, 2010(2010-04-18) (aged 86)
New York City
OccupationVoice actor
Years active1946–2010
SpouseLenore Loveman
ChildrenLewis J. Stadlen, Maxime Zahra, and Clare A. Stadlen

Ira J. Stadlen (January 16, 1924 – April 18, 2010[1]), known professionally as Allen Swift, was an American actor, writer and magician, best known as a voiceover artist who voiced cartoon characters Simon Bar Sinister and Riff-Raff on the Underdog cartoon show.[2] He took his professional name from radio comedian Fred Allen and 18th century satirist Jonathan Swift.

Early life and education

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He was born January 16, 1924,[3] in Washington Heights, Manhattan, and raised in Brooklyn. Swift graduated from the High School of Music & Art, after which he enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces, where he served from November 1942 to November 1945.[2][4] While in the Army, he was an entertainer and became a private first class.[5][6]

Career

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Children's television

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Allen Swift was an early television star who began his career by replacing Buffalo Bob Smith on The Howdy Doody Show while Smith was recovering from a heart attack. At various times, he played the characters of Clarabell the Clown, Chief Thunderchicken, and the voice of the Howdy Doody puppet, as well as other characters. From September 10, 1956, to September 23, 1960, Swift was the host of another popular children's show, The Popeye Show, on WPIX in New York City, playing a sea captain named "Captain Allen Swift". In the show, he commented on the cartoons, told stories, sang sea shanties and did magic tricks.[citation needed]

Cartoon voices

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Swift was best known for providing the fiendish voices for the cartoon villains Simon Bar Sinister and Riff-Raff on the Underdog cartoon show, and Popeye in the Popeye cartoons created in the 1960s. He also voiced the cartoon character, Clint Clobber.[citation needed]

Swift voiced the cartoon mascot Twinkie the Kid in animated TV advertisements for Hostess's cream-filled snack cakes, Twinkies, in the 1970s.[citation needed] He also voiced many of the characters in the 1960s underwater puppet show Diver Dan, and Gene Deitch's 1961–1962 group of Tom and Jerry cartoons, as well as The Bluffers. According to Mopar magazine, he was also the voice of "Tech" for their series of service training films, providing color commentary and dry humor to help keep things digestible and interesting. He also voiced his talents for Sesame Street.[citation needed]

Rankin/Bass

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Swift provided the majority of the voices in Rankin/Bass's Mad Monster Party?, credited as Alan Swift in the movie's credits.[7] He was also in other Rankin/Bass productions, including the TV specials, The Enchanted World of Danny Kaye: The Emperor's New Clothes, as the voice of Musty,[citation needed] and as the voice of Gadzooks the Bear in The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town.[citation needed]

Howdy Doody

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Swift supplied most of the character voices for the NBC Howdy Doody show. When Buffalo Bob Smith — who did the voice of the lead puppet character Howdy Doody, and had proclaimed many times that "nobody else could do Howdy" — suffered a heart attack, Swift took home some recordings over the weekend, came back Monday, and supplied Howdy's voice for more than a year.[8]

Writing

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Swift became the second comedy writer for Howdy Doody following the abrupt departure of the series' first comedy writer and songwriter, Edward Kean.[9] He also wrote the play Checking Out, which was the basis of the film of the same name starring Peter Falk, Laura San Giacomo, Judge Reinhold and David Paymer.[10]

Toward the end of his life, Swift penned the memoir, Chutzpah! Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee, An Actors Life For Me.[citation needed]

Commercials and MAD Magazine

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Swift provided the original voice of the Frito Bandito in the animated Fritos Corn Chips commercials of the 1960s. In the 1970s and 1980s, he was the talking drain in Drano television commercials, the voice of the Mirinda Craver in Jim Henson's Mirinda commercials, and the voice of The Burger King. Because of his uncanny ability to create so many different sounds, tones and accents, he was able to voice competing products, including Tip-Top, Braun, Stroehmann or Taystee.[11] He impersonated Carroll O'Connor as Archie Bunker and Adolf Hitler as "Dolf" on MAD magazine's vinyl insert recording of "Gall in the Family Fare", the All in the Family satire that ran in the magazine's Super Special No. 11 in 1973.[12] He also played Captain Cupcake in the Hostess Brands commercials.[13]

Personal life

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Swift was married to actress Lenore Loveman, and is the father of character actor, mimic and singer Lewis J. Stadlen, holistic health practitioner Maxime Zahra, and eating disorder specialist/entrepreneur Clare A. Stadlen. He resided in Manhattan. He was also a figurative painter, creating and exhibiting landscapes and figures reminiscent of those of artists Leland Bell and Fairfield Porter.

Death

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Swift died in his home of at the age of 86 on April 18, 2010.[3][14] He had been "suffering with a series of health calamities for several years, since he fell and broke his hip while walking his dog. From that moment, one thing led to another," said personal friend and director Gene Deitch.

Filmography

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Years Film/Show Roles Notes
1947-60 Howdy Doody Most of the characters' voices
1956-60 The Popeye Show Host
1960-63 King Leonardo and His Short Subjects Odie Cologne, Itchy Brother, Tooter Turtle, narrator in "King and Odie" segments
1961-62 Tom and Jerry Tom/Jerry/The Grumpy Owner/Various Others Gene Deitch era
1964-67 Underdog Simon Bar Sinister/Riff Raff
1960s Fritos Commercials Frito Bandito
1966-67 The Beagles Tubby, Scotty
1967 Mad Monster Party? Count Dracula, Igor, the Monster, Claude the Invisible Man, Ghoul the Invisible Boy, Boobula (Count Dracula's son), Ron Chanley the Werewolf, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Rosebud the vulture, Harold, Harvey, Post Office Boss
1971-72, 1976 Sesame Street Voices in three animated segments
1972 The Enchanted World of Danny Kaye Mufti, Ivan Television special
1974 Where the Wild Things Are Narration (original soundtrack) Film animated by Gene Deitch, Book by Maurice Sendak
Twas the Night Before Christmas Santa Claus, City Clerk, Councilman #1 Television show
1976 Checking Out Wrote and starred on Broadway
1980 Pinocchio's Christmas The Fox, Santa Claus, Mr. Cherry
1986 The Bluffers Many characters
2000 Courage the Cowardly Dog Hunchback Final role

References

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  1. ^ "Allen Swift (1924–2010)". Cartoon Brew. July 24, 2006. Archived from the original on April 21, 2010. Retrieved April 18, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Grimes, William (April 28, 2010). "Allen Swift, Voice Actor for Radio and TV, Dies at 86". The New York Times. p. B18.
  3. ^ a b Grimes, William (April 27, 2010). "Allen Swift, Voice Actor for Radio and TV, Dies at 86". The New York Times. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  4. ^ "Index Record for Ira Stadlen (1924) Veterans Affairs Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem Death File", Fold3 by Ancestry.com website. Retrieved November 22, 2020. Enlistment Date is listed as "1 Nov 1942" and Release Date is listed as "1 Nov 1945".
  5. ^ "PFC. Ira Stadlen Presents Program", Santa Ana Register, Santa Ana, California, 39th year, number 83, March 4, 1944, page 7. (subscription required)
  6. ^ "Army Exhibit Opens Today", Arizona Republic, Phoenix, Arizona, 55th year, number 248, January 21, 1945, page 7. (subscription required)
  7. ^ Mad Monster Party? at IMDb
  8. ^ Tv Bloq section of TV Party.Com
  9. ^ "TV Bloq"/Past entry No. 168 at "TV Party.Com"
  10. ^ "Checking Out". December 19, 2006 – via IMDb.
  11. ^ "Show Business: How To Be Rich Though a Pencil". Time. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  12. ^ "MAD Magazine presents "Gall in the Family Fare"" – via www.youtube.com.
  13. ^ "CAPTAIN CUPCAKE". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  14. ^ "Allen Swift, 86, was voice of Simon Bar-Sinister Archived July 21, 2012, at archive.today". forum.bcdb.com, April 19, 2010
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