Multitalented TV pioneer Steve Allen is dead at 78

LOS ANGELES - Steve Allen, the zany comedian and witty social commentator whose career zipped at warp speed from hosting the original "Tonight Show" to lecturing about morality to composing thousands of songs - has died at age 78.

Mr. Allen was in the Los Angeles community of Encino at his youngest son's home Monday night. He had been playing with his grandchildren when he decided to rest, then lost consciousness and later died of an apparent heart attack, said his son Bill Allen.

Although the veteran entertainer had occasionally been in ill health over the past decade, including a bout with colon cancer, he still prided himself on working seven days a week, eight hours a day, saying not long ago: "In some ways, I feel more active now than I did many years ago. I feel like I always have. Energetic."

Mr. Allen, the son of vaudeville actors, charmed radio and television audiences for decades with his inspired schtick, most of it ad-libbed. As original host of "The Tonight Show" in the mid-1950s, Mr. Allen invented the genre of late-night TV and redefined the art of comedy, serving up screwball skits such as the Question Man and the emotional reading aloud of letters to the editor.

"My comedy has always appealed to the hip and to the silly, whether it's the 9-year-olds who dig the silliness, or the high-school and college kids who dig the hipness," he once said.

But Mr. Allen was equally comfortable with more serious material. In 1977, he created "Meeting of the Minds" for PBS, which won an Emmy in 1981 for best informational series, to present imaginary debates among historical figures such as Charles Darwin, Attila the Hun and Marie Antoinette. Mr. Allen also made a determined effort to introduce his viewers to jazz greats, showcasing soloists with "The Tonight Show" band and interviewing legendary musicians for the TV program "Jazz Scene U.S.A."

In perhaps his most memorable acting role, Mr. Allen starred in the 1955 film "The Benny Goodman Story," with Goodman himself dubbing Mr. Allen's clarinet sounds.

Mr. Allen's versatility astounded his many admirers. He dived into nine feet of Jell-O on "The Tonight Show," and also penned a weighty book on religious cults. He composed the song "This Could Be the Start of Something Big," and also published a murder mystery, a musical and books of poetry. He pioneered the concept of taking a hand-held microphone into the audience, and also analyzed migrant farm workers in the 1966 book "The Ground Is Our Table."

He was born in New York City the day after Christmas in 1921. His father died when he was a toddler, and his mother took to the road with a comedy routine, often leaving young Steve in the care of her family.

Mr. Allen launched his career in 1942, when he dropped out after desultory studies at Drake University in Iowa and the Arizona State Teachers College. He picked up a job at radio station KOY in Phoenix, producing his own show and launching his first comedy act.

Drafted during World War II, Mr. Allen was released from the Army after just a few months because of disabling bouts with asthma.

Mr. Allen moved west for a job with Hollywood radio station KNX in 1948 and developed his now-famous routine of dabbling with the piano keys, chatting with his audience, commenting on his mail and improvising hijinks. After just two years, Mr. Allen transferred his radio act to television with "The Steve Allen Show," which debuted on Christmas Day 1950.

But Mr. Allen's greatest success came three years later, when he signed up to host a late-night show live from New York City.

"I want to give you the bad news first, folks," he told the national audience. "This show is going to go on forever." He had no idea.

With his madcap antics and experimentation, Mr. Allen turned "The Tonight Show" into a riotous and wholly unpredictable program. Comedian George Carlin described Mr. Allen's verbal fireworks as "crashing, cascading brilliance (with) an instinct for the jugular." Mr. Allen remembered the "Tonight" years more modestly: "It was tremendous fun."

Mr. Allen had wed his first wife, Dorothy Goodman, during his stint in Arizona, and divorced her after meeting Jayne Meadows, whom he married in 1954. He had three sons - Steve Jr., David and Brian - with Goodman and one, Bill, with Meadows.

Brian Allen came to Seattle in the early 1970s to join the Church of Armageddon, a cult founded by his friend Paul Erdman, who was then calling himself Love Israel. Brian Allen was given the name Logic Israel.

He and his family left the cult in the early '80s. His father wrote a book about the experience, "Beloved Son: A Story of the Jesus Cults," published by Bobbs-Merrill in 1982. Brian Allen is now remarried and heading a real-estate office in Portland.

Mr. Allen is survived by Meadows, his four sons, 11 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Information from Seattle Times staff writer Patrick MacDonald is included in this report.

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Highlights in Steve Allen's career

Some career highlights of comedian Steve Allen, who died Monday of an apparent heart attack.

Created "The Tonight Show" and was its first host, 1953-57.

Recorded 49 albums and wrote pop songs, including "This Could Be the Start of Something Big."

Wrote 53 books, including two still to be released, and published two books of poetry.

Starred on Broadway in "The Pink Elephant," 1953.

Starred as Benny Goodman in the 1956 movie "The Benny Goodman Story."

Starred in NBC's "The Steve Allen Show," 1956-60.

Composer and lyricist of the stage musical "Sophie," about Sophie Tucker, 1963.

Was host of the CBS game show "I've Got a Secret," 1965-67.

Created the PBS series "Meeting of the Minds," 1977-81.

Appeared on "The Big Show" and "The Steve Allen Comedy Hour" on NBC in the 1980s.

Critic of increased sexual content on television, accusing tabloid talk shows of "taking television to the garbage dump."

On the Net:

Steve Allen site: www.steveallenonline.com/