Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen (December 26, 1921 – October 30, 2000) was an American television and radio personality, comedian, musician, composer, writer, and actor. In 1954, he achieved national fame as the co-creator and first host of The Tonight Show, which was the first late-night television talk show.
Steve Allen began hosting "The Tonight Show" in 1954 at the age of 32, making him the youngest host in the show's 70-year history. Jack Paar, the next permanent host, took over in 1957 at 39—the same age Jimmy Fallon was when he assumed the role in 2014. Johnny Carson, the show's longest-serving host, began his tenure in 1962 at 36, later passing the torch to Jay Leno, who was 42. Surprisingly, Conan O'Brien holds the record as the oldest initial host, starting at 46. (Although Jay Leno was older when he resumed hosting duties from Conan.)
Though he got his start in radio, Allen is best known for his extensive network television career. He gained national attention as a guest host on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts. After he hosted The Tonight Show, he went on to host numerous game and variety shows, including his own The Steve Allen Show, I've Got a Secret, and The New Steve Allen Show. He was a regular panel member on CBS's What's My Line? and, from 1977 until 1981,[2] he wrote, produced, and hosted the award-winning public broadcasting show Meeting of Minds, a series of historical dramas presented in a talk format.
Allen was a pianist and a prolific composer. By his own estimate, he wrote more than 8,500 songs, some of which were recorded by numerous leading singers. Allen won the 1964 Grammy Award for Best Original Jazz Composition for "Gravy Waltz," for which he wrote the lyrics. He also wrote more than 50 books, including novels, children's books, and books of opinions, including his final book, Vulgarians at the Gate: Trash TV and Raunch Radio (2001).
In 1996, Allen was presented with the Martin Gardner Lifetime Achievement Award from the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSICOP).[ He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a Hollywood theater named in his honor.
Early life
Allen was born in New York City, son of Billy (Carroll Abler) and Isabelle Allen (née Donohue), a husband-and-wife vaudeville comedy team. His father died when he was an infant. He was raised on the South Side of Chicago largely by his mother's Irish Catholic family. Milton Berle called Allen's mother "the funniest woman in vaudeville."
Allen ran away from home at 16 and described in interviews the ease with which he descended into begging.Allen's first radio job was on station KOY, in Phoenix, Arizona, after he left Arizona State Teachers College (now Arizona State University), in Tempe, while a sophomore. He enlisted in the United States Army during World War II and was trained as an infantryman. He served his enlistment period at Camp Roberts, California. Afterward, he returned to Phoenix, before moving back to California.
The Tonight Show
Bookmark promotion for Allen's late-night showHe then created a late-night New York talk/variety television program that debuted in July 1953 on local station WNBT-TV (now WNBC-TV). The following year, on September 27, 1954, the show went on the full NBC network as The Tonight Show, with fellow radio personality Gene Rayburn (who later went on to host hit game shows such as Match Game, 1962–1982) as the original announcer. The show ran from 11:15 p.m. to 1 a.m. on the East Coast.
While Today developer Sylvester "Pat" Weaver often is credited as the Tonight creator, Allen often pointed out that he had created it earlier as a local New York show. Allen told his nationwide audience that first evening: "This is Tonight, and I can't think of too much to tell you about it except I want to give you the bad news first: This program is going to go on forever ... You think you're tired now. Wait until you see one o'clock roll around!" It was as host of The Tonight Show that Allen pioneered the "man on the street" comedic interviews and audience-participation comedy breaks that went on to become staples of late-night TV.
Personal life
Allen and Dorothy Goodman married in 1943 and had three children: Steve Jr., Brian, and David. That marriage ended in 1952. Allen's second wife was actress Jayne Meadows.
They had one son, Bill Allen, named for Steve's father. They were married in Waterford, Connecticut, on July 31, 1954, and remained married until his death in 2000.
In the late 1950s, author and philosopher Gerald Heard worked with psychiatrist Sidney Cohen to introduce intelligent, adventurous people to LSD, and Steve Allen was one of these.
Death and legacy
On October 30, 2000, Allen was involved in a minor traffic crash while traveling to visit his youngest son at home in Los Angeles. A driver struck the side of Allen's car while backing out of a driveway, causing Allen to suffer a ruptured blood vessel, among other injuries, though he apparently did not realize he was seriously hurt. After Allen arrived at his son's home, he took a nap and died in his sleep. At first, it was believed that he had a heart attack. However, Allen's autopsy revealed that he actually died from hemopericardium, caused by injuries sustained in the crash. Though the condition was partially caused by atherosclerosis, the death was ruled accidental. According to his widow, Jayne Meadows-Allen, "Typical of Steve, [who] was the dearest, sweetest man: He was hit by a man, backing into him, breaking all of his ribs, that pierced his heart ... and when he got out of the car, he said to the man, 'What some people will do to get my autograph.'"
Allen is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles. He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame – a television star at 1720 Vine Street and a radio star at 1537 Vine Street. His widow was buried next to Allen following her death in 2015.
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- YIELDS
- 8 slices
- COOK TIME
- 32 Min
Imagine the look on your family's faces when you serve up slices of this Ramen Noodles Pizza Bake. They'll be so surprised that you were able to make two of their favorites, pizza & noodles, into one dish! This ramen noodle recipe is a real dinner winner.
- 4 (3-ounce) packages ramen noodles, seasoning packet discarded
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup pizza sauce
- 12 -14 slices pepperoni
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms, sauteed
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Preheat oven to 400º. In a large pot of boiling water, add ramen noodles and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until just soft, then drain and toss with oil.
- In a large bowl, combine eggs, Parmesan cheese, and garlic powder; mix well. Add noodles and toss until evenly coated.
- Place noodle mixture onto pizza pan to form a crust. Spread pizza sauce evenly over crust. Top with pepperoni and mushrooms.
- Bake 25 minutes, top with mozzarella cheese, then bake for 5-8 more minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes before slicing into wedges.
***Feel free to mix and match with your favorite pizza toppings!
His middle name is Fauntleroy. The name means “child king” and derived from Old French.
