1950
Biography
If her stays in character, a busy summer faces Steve Allen,
the guiding comedy light of the “STEVE ALLEN SHOW”, summer replacement for “OUR MISS BROOKS”, heard over CKTS on Sundays at 6:30 p.m. ERT.
Allen, already an established comedian on the west Coast,
will continue his midnight Columbia Pacific Network show each night as well as
assuming the key spot in his new entertaining audience participation program.
Steve’s Rangy 6’3’’ frame will come in handy to shoulder the
added workload for a quick loot at his background reveals a host of theatrical
and non-theatrical accomplishments and interests.
For
example, don’t be surprised to credit for a song include: “Written by Steve
Allen”, I he personable young comedian already can point to his
recently-published song. “Let’s Go to Church Next Sunday”. Other tunes he has
penned include “Little Man”, and “An Old Piano Plays the Blues”.
No wonder musical-minded Allen likes to vary his comedy
ad-libbing long enough to play one his favorite songs on the piano—and effectively
sing the lyrics too.
Between broadcasts Allen can be found writing a column for
Song Hits Magazine on a subject of his own choosing.
It is not surprising that such a versatile chap should be
the son of parents who were active in the theatrical world. His mother, Belle
Montrose, was a well-known comedian of her day and Steve’s father, Billy Allen,
was a singer and straightman.
An early travelling
trouper with his folks, Allen has to list 16 schools when asked where he got
his education. His college years were spent at Drake University, des Moines,
and Arizona State Teachers College, Phoenix.
Soon he made the hop to Hollywood where he first was a gag
writer. Then it wasn’t long before Steve Allen himself became a West Coast radio
personality in his own right.
Yet the story of the many-sided Mr. Allen wouldn’t be
complete without mentioning that he is the author of “Windfall” a little book
of poems.
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