Ira J. Stadlen (January 16, 1924 – April 18, 2010
Early life and education
He was born January 16, 1924,
in Washington Heights, Manhattan, and raised in
Brooklyn. Swift graduated from the High School of Music & Art, after which he enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces, where he served from November 1942 to November 1945.
["Index Record for Ira Stadlen (1924) Veterans Affairs Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem Death File", Fold3 by Ancestry.com website. Retrieved November 22, 2020. Enlistment Date is listed as "1 Nov 1942" and Release Date is listed as "1 Nov 1945".] While in the Army, he was an entertainer and became a private first class.[ "PFC. Ira Stadlen Presents Program", Santa Ana Register, Santa Ana, California, 39th year, number 83, March 4, 1944, page 7. ][ "Army Exhibit Opens Today", Arizona Republic, Phoenix, Arizona, 55th year, number 248, January 21, 1945, page 7. ]
Career
Children's television
Allen Swift was an early television star who began his career by replacing Buffalo Bob Smith on Howdy Doody 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 Howdy Doody puppet, as well as other characters. From September 10, 1956, to September 23, 1960, Swift was the host of another popular children's show, The Popeye Show, on WPIX in New York City, playing a sea captain named "Captain Allen Swift". In the show, he commented on the cartoons, told stories, sang sea shanties and did magic tricks.
Cartoon voices
Swift was 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 in the 1960s. He also voiced the cartoon character, Clint Clobber.
Swift voiced the cartoon mascot Twinkie the Kid in animated TV advertisements for Hostess Brands's cream-filled snack cakes, , in the 1970s. 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.
Rankin/Bass
Swift provided the majority of the voices in Rankin/Bass's Mad Monster Party?, credited as Alan Swift in the movie's credits.
Howdy Doody
Swift supplied most of the character voices for the NBC Howdy Doody show. When Buffalo Bob Smith — who did the voice of the lead puppet character Howdy Doody, and had proclaimed many times that "nobody else could do Howdy" — suffered a heart attack, Swift took home some recordings over the weekend, came back Monday, and supplied Howdy's voice for more than a year.[Tv Bloq section of TV Party.Com]
Writing
Swift became the second comedy writer for Howdy Doody following the abrupt departure of the series' first comedy writer and songwriter, Edward Kean.["TV Bloq"/Past entry No. 168 at "TV Party.Com"] 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.
Toward the end of his life, Swift penned the memoir, Chutzpah! Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee, An Actors Life for Me.
Commercials and MAD magazine
Swift 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 in Drano television commercials, the voice of the Mirinda Craver in Jim Henson's Mirinda 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.
Personal life
Swift was married to actress Lenore Loveman, and is the father of character actor, mimic and singer Lewis J. Stadlen, holistic health practitioner Maxime Zahra, and eating disorder specialist/entrepreneur Clare A. Stadlen. He resided in Manhattan. He was also a figurative painter, creating and exhibiting landscapes and figures reminiscent of those of artists Leland Bell and Fairfield Porter.
Death
Swift died in his home of at the age of 86 on April 18, 2010.[" Allen Swift, 86, was voice of Simon Bar-Sinister ". forum.bcdb.com, April 19, 2010] He had 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.
Filmography
| +
!Years
!Film/Show
!Roles
!Notes |
| 1947-60 | Howdy Doody | Most of the characters' voices | |
| 1956-60 | The Popeye Show | Host | |
| 1960-63 | King Leonardo and His Short Subjects | Odie Cologne, Itchy Brother, Tooter Turtle, narrator in "King and Odie" segments | |
| 1961-62 | Tom and Jerry | Tom Cat/Jerry Mouse/The Grumpy Owner/Various Others | Gene Deitch era |
| 1964-67 | Underdog | Simon Bar Sinister/Riff Raff | |
| 1960s | Fritos Commercials | Frito Bandito | |
| 1966-67 | The Beagles | Tubby, Scotty | |
| 1967 | Mad Monster Party? | Count Dracula, Igor, the Monster, Claude the Invisible Man, Ghoul the Invisible Boy, Boobula (Count Dracula's son), Ron Chanley the Werewolf, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Rosebud the vulture, Harold, Harvey, Post Office Boss | |
| 1971-72, 1976 | Sesame Street | Voices in three animated segments | |
| 1972 | The Enchanted World of Danny Kaye | Mufti, Ivan | TV special |
| 1974 | Where the Wild Things Are | Narration (original soundtrack) | Film animated by Gene Deitch, Book by Maurice Sendak |
| Twas the Night Before Christmas | Santa Claus, City Clerk, Councilman #1 | TV show |
| 1976 | Checking Out | Wrote and starred on Broadway | |
| 1980 | Pinocchio's Christmas | The Fox, Santa Claus, Mr. Cherry | |
| 1985 | The Equalizer | Monty Wynn | Episode: "Back Home" |
| 1986 | The Bluffers | Many characters | |
| 2000 | Courage the Cowardly Dog | Hunchback | Final role |
External links
