ALLEN SWIFT
(January 16, 1924-April 18, 2010)
Notable Roles: Howdy Doody, Phineas T. Bluster, Dilly
Tally, Inspector John J. Fadoozle, Fubadub, Mighty Mouse, Odie O. Colognie,
Itchy Brother, Tooter Turtle, Simon Bar-Sinister, Riff Raff, Electric Eel
Born Ira Stadlin, Swift began as a comedy performer in
nightclubs that took the liberty of giving him a new stage name as they didn’t
like the sound of his own. Swift decided to come up with his own and created it
from a combination of his father’s favorite humorist, Jonathan Swift, and
his own, Fred Allen. As his
career took off, his agent, Lew
Grade, got him an audition for The
Howdy Doody Show to replace all of the actors that had walked off over
a salary dispute. The show had given up trying to find suitable sound-alikes
and were settled on just getting all-new voices when Swift surprised them with
his ability of mimicry and impressions (skills he was told would hinder his
career). He became the new voice for most of the puppet characters, including
Howdy himself, as well as one of the show’s writers. He was also one of the actors
to portray Mighty
Mouse and various other characters for Terrytoons. In 1956, he
became a children’s show host himself as “Captain Allen” Swift on The
Popeye Show, which showcased classic Popeye
cartoons. His run on the show ended in 1960 due to creative differences, as
did The Howdy Doody Show due to declining ratings. Swift moved on
to several shows and shorts, including most of Total TeleVision’s
output beginning with King
Leonardo and His Short Subjects and Gene Dietch’s group of Tom and Jerry cartoons,
as well as some Broadway plays. Swift took part in a number of
advertising campaigns including voicing Frito Bandito for Fritos Corn Chips,
a talking drain for Drano, and Captain Cupcake for Hostess. His impersonation skills came
in handy once again as Archie
Bunker and Adolf
Hitler in MAD Magazine’s
vinyl recording of “Gall
in the Family Fare”. Swift’s last
credited work was providing his voice to various episodes of Cartoon Network’s Courage the Cowardly Dog.
Swift died in 2010 after a several year bout with various health issues.
Saturday Credits:
The Howdy Doody Show
Mighty Mouse Playhouse
King Leonardo and His Short Subjects
Tennessee Tuxedo and his Tales
Underdog
The Beagles
The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie
Sesame Street
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