Allen Swift

Known for ActingBorn 1924-01-16Died 2010-04-18New York City, New York, USA

Ira Stadlen (January 16, 1924 – April 18, 2010 ), known professionally as Allen Swift, was an American voice actor, known for playing characters including Simon Bar Sinister and Riff-Raff on the Underdog cartoon show. He provided the voices of many of the characters in The Bluffers, most of the voices for the 1960s underwater puppet show Diver Dan, and the voices in Gene Deitch's 1960–1962 group of Tom and Jerry cartoons. Swift was a children's television show host on WPIX in New York City as "Captain Allen". He took his professional name from radio comedian Fred Allen and 18th century satirist Jonathan Swift. Swift was an early television star who hosted The Popeye Show from September 10, 1956 to September 23, 1960, until he was forced to leave the program. The reason for his dismissal from "The Popeye Show" was creative differences with station management.(Info can be found in"The Popeye Show"aticle in The NYC Kids Shows Round Up"section of"TV Party.Com") Swift did the majority of the voices in Rankin/Bass's Mad Monster Party?, credited as Alan (sic) Swift in the movie's credits. He supplied most of the character voices for the NBC Howdy Doody Show, and when Buffalo Bob Smith, who himself did the voice of the lead puppet character Howdy Doody and had many times proclaimed that "nobody else could do Howdy" suffered a heart attack, Swift took home some recordings over the weekend, came back on Monday and did Howdy's voice for more than a year.(Info can be found in Tv Bloq section of TV Party.Com) Swift also served as the second comedy writer for "Howdy Doody." He took on the job, following the abrupt departure of the series' first comedy writer and songwriter, Edward Kean.(info at "TV Bloq"/Past entry #168 at "TV Party.Com") He also wrote the play Checking Out. Swift was married to actress Lenore Loveman, and is the father of character actor, mimic and singer Lewis J. Stadlen, holistic health practitioner, Maxime Stadlen and psychotherapist, Clare A. Stadlen. He lived in Manhattan. Allen 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. "Even though [I've been] here for 50 years, hardly a year went by without a visit to his 57th Street apartment, nor a day go by without e-mail and most recently Skype visits," added Deitch, an American expatriate living in the Czech Republic. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaRead more

Movies & web series

Anatole

The Tale of a Dog

Old Mother Clobber

The Mad, Mad, Mad Monsters

Gaston’s Mama Lisa

Gaston, Go Home

The Bluffers

Crime Story

The Red Baron

Howdy Doody

Robin Hoodwinked

Keep the Cool, Baby

Underdog

Gaston's Easel Life

Gaston Is Here

It's a Living

Law & Order

Tonight Starring Jack Paar

It Happened in Hualfin

Crazytown

The Equalizer

Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure

Checking Out

The Blacksheep Blacksmith

A Wedding Knight

Geronimo and Son

How to Avoid Friendship

Samson Scrap and Delilah

Camp Clobber

The Seapreme Court

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

Pinocchio's Christmas

Mad Monster Party?

King Leonardo and His Short Subjects

The Emperor's New Clothes

3-D Rarities

The Mad Magazine TV Special

It's Greek to Me-ow!

Popeye's 20th Anniversary

Underdog

The Little Drummer Boy: Book II

Kate & Allie

Where the Wild Things Are

The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town

Boo Moon

Safe Men

The Mike Douglas Show

Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales