Dayton Allen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dayton Allen
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Allen as some of the characters he performed on The Steve Allen Show, and also as himself, 1959.
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| Born |
Dayton Allen Bolke
September 24, 1919 New York City, U.S.
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| Died | November 11, 2004 (aged 85) |
| Occupation | Comedian, voice actor |
| Years active | 1937–1985 |
| Spouse(s) |
Elvi Allen
(m. 1958) |
| Relatives | Bradley Bolke (brother) |
Dayton Allen (born Dayton Allen Bolke) was an American comedian and voice actor. He was born on September 24, 1919, and passed away on November 11, 2004. Many people knew him from The Steve Allen Show, where he played funny "men in the street" characters. His most famous saying was "Why not, Bubbe?" which he said in a very funny way!
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Early Life and School
Dayton Allen was born in New York City. His parents were Helen and Sol Bolke. His dad made dresses for a living. Dayton had a younger brother named Bradley Bolke, who also became a voice actor, often working on shows with Dayton.
Dayton grew up in a place called Mount Vernon, New York. He finished high school at A.B. Davis High School in June 1936. A famous actor named Art Carney was one of his friends from school.
Dayton Allen's Career
Just like his friend Art Carney, Dayton Allen started his career in radio. In 1937 and 1938, a radio station called WINS (AM) hired him to be a disc jockey.
Voice Acting for Kids' Shows
Dayton Allen became the voice for many characters on popular children's television shows in New York. He was on Winky Dink and You for five years, playing a character named Mr. Bungle. He also worked on Howdy Doody for four years. On Howdy Doody, he voiced puppet characters like "Phineas T. Bluster" and "Flub-a-Dub". He even played some "live" characters, such as Ugly Sam and Pierre the Chef.
Dayton was also the voice behind many cartoon characters! He voiced Deputy Dawg, the funny birds Heckle and Jeckle, and Luno. He also brought many other characters to life in Terrytoons cartoons from the early 1960s. Later, he was the voice of Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp. He continued to do voiceover work even into the 1990s.
The "Why Not?" Man
Dayton Allen became very well-known as the "Why Not?" man. This happened when he joined the cast of a Sunday night variety show hosted by Steve Allen on NBC. The show was trying to compete with another popular show hosted by Ed Sullivan.
The famous saying "Why not?" started by accident. Dayton just said it to fill time during an interview question. But people loved it! It became so popular that Dayton used it in TV commercials. There were even toys, a book, and a record made because of the "Why not?" craze. Back then, fans would shout "Why not?" just as often as people said "What? Me Worry?" from Mad Magazine.
Family and Other Talents
Dayton's brother, Bradley Bolke, was also a voice actor. Bradley was best known for voicing Chumley, the walrus sidekick to Tennessee Tuxedo, on Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales. He also voiced characters on The Underdog Show.
Dayton Allen was also very good at copying other people's voices. In October 1963, he showed off this talent on a TV game show called I've Got A Secret. He appeared with the famous comedian Groucho Marx. The people on the show's panel were blindfolded. When they asked Groucho questions, Dayton Allen answered them instead, sounding exactly like Groucho! The panelists, including Bess Myerson and Bill Cullen, were completely fooled until the secret was finally revealed.
Dayton's humor was always clever. For example, in August 1968, he said on The Steve Allen Show: "Did you know your mind alone can make you smart?"
After his career in show business, Dayton Allen became a real estate agent. He worked from an office in Dobbs Ferry, New York. He passed away due to problems from a stroke.
