Allen Swift

Allen Swift was an early television star who began his career by replacing Buffalo Bob Smith on "The Howdy Doody Show" while Smith was recovering from a heart attack. At various times he played the characters of Clarabell the Clown, Chief Thunderchicken, and the voice of the puppet Howdy Doody, as well as other characters. From September 10, 1956, to September 23, 1960, Swift became the host of another popular children's show called The Popeye Show playing a sea captain named "Captain Allen Swift" on WPIX in New York City. In the show he commented on the cartoons, told stories, sang sea shanties, and did magic tricks.

Swift is best known for providing the fiendish voices for the cartoon villains Simon Bar Sinister and Riff-Raff on the Underdog cartoon show, and Popeye in the Popeye cartoons created at that time. He voiced the cartoon character, Clint Clobber. He also voiced many of the characters in the 1960s underwater puppet show Diver Dan, and Gene Deitch's 1961–1962 group of Tom and Jerry cartoons, as well as The Bluffers. According to Mopar Magazine, he was also the voice of "Tech" for their series of service training films providing color commentary and dry humor to help keep things digestible and interesting. He also voiced his talents for Sesame Street.

In addition, Swift provided the majority of the voices in Rankin/Bass's Mad Monster Party?, credited as Alan (sic) Swift in the movie's credits.[3] He was also in other Rankin/Bass productions including the TV special The Enchanted World of Danny Kaye: The Emperor's New Clothes as the voice of Musty.

Swift supplied most of the character voices for the NBC Howdy Doody Show. 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 supplied Howdy's voice for more than a year.[4]

Swift became the second comedy writer for Howdy Doody following the abrupt departure of the series' first comedy writer and songwriter, Edward Kean.[5] He also wrote the play Checking Out, which was the basis of the film of the same name starring Peter Falk, Laura San Giacomo, Judge Reinhold and David Paymer.[6]

Swift, known provided the original voice of the Frito Bandito in the animated Fritos Corn Chips commercials of the 1960s. In the 1970s and 1980s, he was the talking drain on Drano television commercials, and the voice of The Burger King. Because of his uncanny ability to create so many different sounds, tones, and accents, he was able to voice competing products, including Tip-Top, Braun, Stroehmann or Taystee.[7] He impersonated Carroll O'Connor as Archie Bunker and Adolf Hitler as "Dolf" on MAD Magazine's vinyl insert recording of "Gall in the Family Fare," the All in the Family satire that ran in the magazine's Super Special No. 11 in 1973.[8] He also played Captain Cupcake in the Hostess Brands commercials.[9]

Swift died in his home of 46 years, lovingly surrounded by his family, on April 18, 2010. He 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.

Allen Swift died at his home on April 18, 2010.[10]