Steve Allen Musician Comedian Writer Talk Show Host

Steve Allen was a musician, comedian and writer who is also known as the father of television talk show, due to his contribution to the innovation of the concept of television talk shows. The Steve Allen Show, The Tonight Show are some of his renowned shows.

Steve Allen started his career as an announcer at KFAC, based in Los Angeles, from where he moved to Mutual Broadcasting System. There he along with Wendell Noble, started a comedy show called Smile Time. CBS Radios KNX and television station WCBS are the other places where he later worked and became popular among the national audience.

Due to the absence of the host Godfrey, Steve Allen hosted Arthur Godfreys Talent Scouts and his presentation was so entertaining that he gained recognition as a comedian. In 1953, he created a talk show for WNBC-TV and the following year it became a full NBC network show as The Tonight Show hosted by Allen and Gene Rayburn. He introduced audience participation comedy breaks and man-on-the-street interviews for the first time in talk shows.

A theatre in Hollywood was called Steve Allen Playhouse where he featured in a number of jazz performances along with the members of the band, Donn Trener Orchestra. He also produced a second half-hour show called Jazz Scene, featuring West Coast Jazz musicians like Rosolino, Stan Kenton and Teddy Edwards. Until the 1980s, he continued hosting numerous shows including the game show Ive Got a Secret, other shows like Whats My Line? The Steve Allen Comedy Hour, Meeting of Minds, Match Game etc.

Steve Allen was also an accomplished songwriter, having written over 10,000 songs. Some of his famous songs include This Could be the Start of Something Big , The Gravy Waltz which also won the Grammy Award in 1963. Down Memory Lane was his first film and he wrote and starred in the film. The Benny Goodman Story was one of his famous films. A award winning talk show named Meeting of Minds was produced by him. Apart from this he has written some comedy books like Dumbth and other books include Bop Fables, The Funny Men, The Wake etc.

Born on December 26, 1921, in New York city, Steve Allens parents were performers. He was a secular humanist and member of CSICOP and the Council for Secular Humanism. He also served on the World Federalist Association Board of Advisers and made his last appearance on The Tonight Show in 1994. He died on October 30, 2000, at the age of 78 due to an accident induced heart attack. Steve Allen