Marty Allen

Marty Allen (born Morton David Alpern; March 23, 1922 – February 12, 2018) was an American comedian, actor, and veteran of World War II.

He worked as a comedy headliner in nightclubs, as a dramatic actor in TV roles, and was once called "The Darling of Daytime TV." He also appeared in films.

Spouses

Lorraine 'Frenchy' Allen (1960–1976; her death)
Karon Kate Blackwell (1984)

Career

Allen was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to parents Louis and Elsie Alpern. He graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School in 1940 and was inducted into their alumni Hall Of Fame in 2009.

World War II

He then joined the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was stationed in Italy where he attained the rank of sergeant and earned a Soldier's Medal for his bravery during a fire which happened while a plane was being refueled. His heroism also earned him a full-dress parade.

After the war

During the early to the mid-1950s, Allen and his first comedy partner, Mitch DeWood, worked as an opening act for such stars as Sarah Vaughan, Eydie Gorme, and Nat King Cole. Allen and DeWood also worked many clubs, including the Copacabana until they broke up and went their separate ways.

He then became part of the comedy team of Allen & Rossi with Steve Rossi, which resulted in a string of hit comedy albums, 44 appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show(including the famous Beatles appearance in February 1964, during which Allen won over the Beatles fans in the audience by announcing "I'm Ringo's mother!"),[3] and the film The Last of the Secret Agents? (1966). They worked together from 1957 to 1968, parted ways amicably, and reunited for shows from the 1970s through the 1990s.

In 1961 and 1962, Allen appeared on Broadway in Let It Ride! at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre and then went on to perform in the pre-Broadway tour and Broadway performances of I Had a Ball in 1964.

He eventually began performing dramatic roles. His debut as a serious actor came on The Big Valley TV series as the hapless Waldo Diefendorfer. Throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s, he made hundreds of television appearances, becoming a regular on Hollywood Squares. He appeared on Circus of the Stars, in a cameo on The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, on game shows such as Password, and in ten made-for-television movies. He also appeared in theatrical films such as The Great Waltz (1972), Harrad Summer(1974) and A Whale of a Tale (1976).

From the 1980s he and his wife, singer-songwriter Karon Kate Blackwell, teamed up to perform their musical comedy act to audiences around the country. In 2007, the duo began performing at the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and went on to perform at the Southpoint Casino, at Palace Station, and on cruise ships. In 2015, the couple continued to perform in venues around the country to overflow crowds, at the Rampart Casino  and the Downtown Grand in Las Vegas. In 2016 they performed at the Metropolitan Room in New York City.

Charitable work

In 1968 he made a "Hello Dere" tour of military hospitals in the United States (a tour named after a catch phrase he popularized). He repeated the tour annually until 1972. During the tours, he talked with and entertain wounded soldiers who had just returned from Vietnam. He is also involved in a number of charitable causes including the American Cancer Society, The Heart Fund, The March of Dimes, Fight for Sight, Cerebral Palsy, and is on the board of the Epilepsy Foundation.

Death

According to his spokeswoman Candi Cazau, Allen died of complications from pneumonia. His wife and performing partner Karon Kate Blackwell was by his side.