Born 100 years ago today, the multi-talented voice-over actor, children’s entertainer and three or four other things, Allen Swift (Ira Stadlen, 1924-2010).
The name may not ring an immediate bell, but if you string along with me, I think you’ll recognize one of two of his credits. A native New Yorker, Stadlen studied at Manhattan’s (now defunct) High School of Music and Art. Older New Yorkers may recognize him as Captain Allen Swift, the sailor host of The Popeye Show on WPIX back in the 1950s, where he showed cartoons, sang songs, spun yarns, and did magic tricks. He cobbled together his professional name from two personal comedy heroes Fred Allen and Jonathan Swift. Around the same time, he also worked on The Howdy Doody Show, on which he subbed for Buffalo Bob Smith when he was out sick, as well as providing the voice of Howdy and other characters on this occasions. He also went on as Clarabel the Clown, when Bob Keeshan was unavailable, and wrote material for the show.
Providing the voice of Howdy Doody on occasion was an excellent background for obtaining work in cartoon voiceovers. Swift’s credits in this field include characters on King Leonardo and His Short Subjects (1960-61), Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales (1963-64), and Underdog (1964-67, notably the voices of the villains Simon Bar Sinister and Riff-Raff). He provided most the of the celebrity impression voice-overs on Rankin-Bass’s Mad Monster Party (1967) and later went on to work in many subsequent Rankin-Bass specials, including The Enchanted World of Danny Kaye: The Emperor’s New Clothes (1972), ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (1974), The Little Drummer Boy Book II (1976), The Easter Bunny is Coming to Town (1976), and Pinocchio’s Christmas (1980). He was also the narrator in the 1974 version of Where the Wild Things Are, and was in such things as Raggedy Ann and Andy: A Musical Adventure (1976), A Family Circus Christmas (1979), and dozens of other animated programs.
Swift made occasional appearances as an on-camera actor, as well, on shows like Sesame Street, Kate and Allie, and Law and Order, and in films like Seize the Day (1986) and A Price Above Rubies (1998). His 1976 play Checking Out was produced on Broadway, and later made into a 2005 motion picture starring Peter Falk, Laura San Giacomo, David Paymer, and Judge Reinhold. He also acted on Broadway a few times, notably the 1985 revival of The Iceman Cometh.
Allen Swift left another show biz legacy: his son, character actor Lewis J. Stadlen. Stadlen’s stage and screen resume are pretty much to die for. On Broadway, he played Groucho in the original production of Minnie’s Boys (1970), Ben in the original production of The Sunshine Boys (1972-74), various characters in the 1974 revival of Candide, and a character in the 1986 gender-reversed revival of The Odd Couple (with Tony Shaloub he was a “Pigeon Sister” equivalent in the date scene with leads Rita Moreno and Sally Struthers). He was also in the original production of Simon’s Laughter on the 23rd Floor (1993), the 1996 revival of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, the 2000 revival of The Man Who Came to Dinner (as Banjo), the original production of 45 Seconds from Broadway (2001), The Producers (subbing for Nathan Lane in 2003), and The Nance (2013). He played S.J. Perelman in S.J. Perleman in Person (1989) at the Cherry Lane, and regionally he has appeared in revivals of more classic musicals than you can name.
Stadlen’s films include Portnoy’s Complaint (1972, with Richard Benjamin, who went on to replace him in his role in the screen version of The Sunshine Boys), Serpico (1973), Joan Micklin Silver’s Between the Lines (1977), The Verdict (1973), Mel Brooks’ remake of To Be or Not to Be (1983), In and Out (1997), and Stanley Tucci’s The Imposters (1998). On television his most notable role was as a regular on the first season of Benson (1979-80, his character was replaced by the one played by Rene Auberjonois), and he recurring role as Ira Fried in five episodes of The Sopranos. In 2009 my publisher BearManor Media published his memoir Acting Foolish!
His most recent credit? Willy Loman in a 2022 production of Death of a Salesman in Flint, Michigan! Who said theatre is dead?
For more on show business history, including kids shows like Howdy Doody, please check out my book No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous.