Sheldon Allman (June 8, 1924 – January 22, 2002) was an American-Canadian actor, singer, and songwriter.
Sheldon Allman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | June 8, 1924 |
| Died | January 22, 2002 (aged 77) Culver City, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery |
| Alma mater | Los Angeles Conservatory of Music |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1958–1995 |
| Spouse | Lorraine Allman |
Early life and career
editAllman was born in Chicago, Illinois.[1] He began his singing career with the Royal National Guard[2] during his World War II service with the Royal Canadian Air Force.[3] He moved to Los Angeles in 1949, in order to attend the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music.[3] After it, he appeared in 12 films, including such notable films as Nevada Smith, The Sons of Katie Elder, Hud and In Cold Blood. His co-stars included, respectively, Steve McQueen, John Wayne and Paul Newman. He also made appearances in numerous TV series during the 1960s and 1970s.[4]
On television, Allman provided the voice of Big H in CB Bears on CBS[5] and played Norm Miller in Harris Against the World on NBC.[5]: 436 He provided music on the game show Three for the Money on NBC,[5]: 1077 and he was the singing voice for TV's Mister Ed, for which he also wrote and recorded "The Pretty Little Filly with the Ponytail" and "The Empty Feedbag Blues".[2] Mr. Allman wrote longer versions of these songs, but never recorded the longer versions.[citation needed] He was the lyricist for the theme song to George of the Jungle.[2] Additionally, Allman worked with Stan Worth, co-writer of the "George of the Jungle" theme, to create music for a number of game shows by Stefan Hatos-Monty Hall Productions, including the 1970s versions of Let's Make a Deal,[2] Masquerade Party and It Pays to be Ignorant.
In 1960, Allman released Folk Songs for the 21st Century,[2] an album of novelty songs all revolving around science-fiction themes. The tongue-in-cheek material, which Allman wrote and arranged himself, included titles such as "Crawl Out Through The Fallout" and "Radioactive Mama."[6] "Crawl Out Through The Fallout" is used in the video game Fallout 4 and the 2024 TV adaptation Fallout during the closing credits of season 1 episode one.
In addition, Allman co-wrote two comedy horror-themed stage musicals with Bobby Pickett, composer of the hit novelty song, "Monster Mash." The musicals were I'm Sorry the Bridge Is Out, You'll Have to Spend the Night[1] and its sequel, Frankenstein Unbound, the former of which was made into the 1995 film, Monster Mash.[2]
Death
editOn January 22, 2002, Allman died of heart failure[2] at his home in Culver City, California, at age 77.[3] His interment is in Culver City's Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery.[citation needed]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Inside the Mafia | Dyer | Uncredited |
| 1959 | Gunsmoke | Bill | ”The Coward” (S4E26) |
| 1960 | The Twilight Zone | First Alien | [1] |
| 1963 | Hud | Mr. Thompson | |
| 1964 | Good Neighbor Sam | Hotel Desk Clerk | Uncredited |
| 1965 | The Sons of Katie Elder | Harry Evers | |
| 1966 | Nevada Smith | Sheriff | |
| 1967 | In Cold Blood | Rev. Jim Post | |
| 1969 | Joniko and the Kush Ta Ka | Narrator | |
| 1970 | I Dream of Jeannie | Uncredited[1] | |
| 1971 | Dirty Harry | Uncredited[1] | |
| 1974 | Little House on the Prairie | Uncredited[1] | |
| 1976 | All the President's Men | Uncredited[1] |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "Sheldon Allman, 77, the Voice Of a Singing Mr. Ed on Television". The New York Times. February 3, 2002. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g Oliver, Myrna (February 8, 2002). "Sheldon Allman, 77; Actor, Songwriter, Cartoon Voice". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. p. B 12 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Lentz III, Harris M. (2003). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2002: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. McFarland & Company. p. 10. ISBN 9780786452071.
- ^ "Sheldon Allman - Biography & History - AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ^ a b c Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company. p. 170. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
- ^ "CONELRAD: Atomic Platters - Sheldon Allman: Folk Songs for the 21st Century [1960]". conelrad.com. Archived from the original on 2009-01-20. Retrieved 2012-06-01.
