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.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 was also in another Rankin/Bass TV special "The Emperor's New Clothes", as the voice of Musty, and also as the original voice of the Frito Bandito.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.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. He also wrote the play Checking Out.He 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. His resided 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.Swift was also a gifted figurative painter, doing landscapes and figures reminiscent of Leland Bell and Fairfield Porter, which he showed professionally.After a full and well-lived life, he died at his home on April 18, 2010, surrounded by his family.
Allen's body was cremated. His ashes were given to his family.
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Voice Over Actor in New York City [July 1999]
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Swift was married to actress Lenore Loveman, and was the father of character actor, mimic and singer Lewis J. Stadlen.
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Supplied the voices for many of the characters in the 1970s Hostess dessert cake commercials. Voices included Twinkie The Kid, Captain Cupcake and Chief Big Wheel.
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Son is comic, character actor, mimic and singer, Lewis J. Stadlen.
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Took his professional name from the last names of two of his favorite satirists, Fred Allen and Jonathan Swift.
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Swift was the first host/performer of WPIX TV Ch. ll NYC's "Popeye Show" weekday evenings from Monday, September 10, 1956, to Friday, September 23, 1960. He hosted the show as "Captain Allen".
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Courage the Cowardly Dog
1999-2002
TV Series
Safe Men
1998
Sol
Law & Order
1995-1998
TV Series
Jacob Rosen / Abe Pomerance
A Price Above Rubies
1998
Mr. Fishbein
On Seventh Avenue
1996
TV Movie
Manny / R&J
Barpappa
1990
TV Series
Narrator (voice)
The Bluffers
1986
TV Series
Crime Story
1986
TV Series
Hartman
Seize the Day
1986
Maurice Venice
Kate & Allie
1986
TV Series
Sam Finster
The Equalizer
1985
TV Series
Monty
Pinocchio's Christmas
1980
TV Movie
Fox (voice)
A Family Circus Christmas
1979
TV Movie
Santa Claus (voice)
The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town
1977
TV Movie
Gadzooks / Newsreel Announcer, blue engine / Red Engine / ... (voice)
Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure
1977
Maxi-Fixit (voice)
The Little Drummer Boy Book II
1976
TV Short
Simeon / Soldiers (voice)
'Twas the Night Before Christmas
1974
TV Short voice, as Alan Swift
The Mad Magazine TV Special
1974
TV Movie voice
Les barbapapa
1973
TV Series short
Narrator - USA (1981) (voice)
Where the Wild Things Are
1973
Short
Narrator (original version) (voice)
The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie
1972
TV Series
The Monster
The Creature from the Black Lagoon
The Invisible Man
...
The Enchanted World of Danny Kaye: The Emperor's New Clothes
1972
TV Movie
Musty (voice)
Obri
1969
Short
Frank / George (English version, voice)
The Beagles
1966-1967
TV Series
Tubby / Scotty
Keep the Cool, Baby
1967
Short
Bee / Moth (voice, uncredited)
Mad Monster Party?
1967
Felix Flankin / Yetch / Dracula / ... (voice)
Underdog
1964-1967
TV Series
Simon Bar-Sinister
Riff Raff
Electric Eel
...
Terr'ble Tessie
1966
Christopher Columbus (voice)
A Wedding Knight
1966
Short
Sir Blur / King Arthur (voice, uncredited)
Alice of Wonderland in Paris
1966
François / Narrator / King (segment "Many Moons") / ... (voice)