Allen Swift

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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 encyclopedia

Filmography

Movies and shows, newest first

2015
3-D Rarities
Movie Lookout (archive footage)
2006
Checking Out
Movie Theatre Play
1998
Safe Men
Movie Sol
1990
Law & Order
TV show Abe Pomerance
1986
Crime Story
TV show Hartman
1986
Seize the Day
Movie Maurice Venice
1985
The Equalizer
TV show Monty
1985
The Bluffers
TV show
1984
Kate & Allie
TV show
1980
Pinocchio's Christmas
Movie Fox (voice)
1979
A Family Circus Christmas
Movie Santa Claus
1977
The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town
Movie Gadzooks / Newsreel Announcer / Blue Engine / Town Guard (voice)
1977
Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure
Movie Maxi-Fixit (voice)
1976
The Little Drummer Boy: Book II
Movie Simeon / Soldiers (voice)
1975
Where the Wild Things Are
Movie Narrator (voice)
1974
'Twas the Night Before Christmas
Movie Santa Claus (voice)

More credits

1974
The Mad Magazine TV Special
Movie
1972
The Red Baron
Movie Voice
1972
The Mad, Mad, Mad Monsters
Movie Dracula / The Monster / Dr. Jekyll / The Invisible Man (voice)
1972
The Emperor's New Clothes
Movie Mufty (voice)
1967
Keep the Cool, Baby
Movie Bee / Moth (voice) (uncredited)
1967
Robin Hoodwinked
Movie Sir Blur / Robin Hood
1967
Mad Monster Party?
Movie Felix Flankin / Yetch / Dracula / Invisible Man / Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde / Additional Voices
1967
The Blacksheep Blacksmith
Movie Voice
1966
Geronimo and Son
Movie Wickhead/Geronimo/Say-Ah (voice)
1966
A Wedding Knight
Movie Sir Blur/King Arthur (voice)
1966
Alice of Wonderland in Paris
Movie François / Narrator / King (segment "Many Moons") / Lord High Chamberlain (voice)
1965
It Happened in Hualfin
Movie English Narrator (voice)
1964
Underdog
TV show
1964
Underdog
TV show Riff Raff (Voice)
1964
Slave Trade in the World Today
Movie Narrator
1964
How to Avoid Friendship
Movie
1963
Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales
TV show
1962
Sorry Safari
Movie Tom / Jerry (voice)
1962
Tall in the Trap
Movie (voice)
1962
Anatole
Movie Francios (voice)
1962
The Tom and Jerry Cartoon Kit
Movie Narrator (voice)
1962
Dicky Moe
Movie (voice)
1962
High Steaks
Movie (voice)
1962
Samson Scrap and Delilah
Movie Writer