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{{short description|American comedian and voice actor}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Dayton Allen
| image = Dayton Allen 1959.JPG
|caption=Allen as some of the characters he performed on ''[[The Steve Allen Show]]'', and also as himself, 1959.
| birth_name = Dayton Allen Bolke
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1919|9|24}}
| birth_place = New York City, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2004|11|11|1919|9|24}}
| death_place = [[Hendersonville, North Carolina]], U.S.
| spouse = {{marriage|Elvi Allen|1958}}
| occupation = Comedian, voice actor
| years_active = 1937–1985
| relatives = [[Bradley Bolke]] (brother)
}}
'''Dayton Allen''' (born '''Dayton Allen Bolke'''; September 24, 1919 – November 11, 2004) was an American [[comedian]] and [[voice actor]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba866d770 |website=[[British Film Institute]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904154042/https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba866d770 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2018-09-04 |title=Dayton Allen}}</ref> He was one of the "men in the street" on ''[[The Steve Allen Show]]''. His [[catchphrase]] was "Why not, Bubbe?" (pronounced "whooooyyy not!")<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nysun.com/obituaries/dayton-allen-85-tv-voice-artist/5108/ |title=Dayton Allen, 85, TV Voice Artist|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904153936/https://www.nysun.com/obituaries/dayton-allen-85-tv-voice-artist/5108/ |newspaper=[[The New York Sun]] |date=2004-11-19 |archive-date=2018-09-04 |access-date=2024-11-26}}</ref>

==Early life==
Allen was born in New York City, the son of Helen and Sol Bolke, a dress manufacturer.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Soler |first=Eileen |date=1997-04-09 |title=HER 'BOYS' KEEP HOLLYWOOD MOTHER LAUGHING AT 100 YEARS OLD |url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1997-04-09-9704080171-story.html |url-status=live |access-date=2021-11-11 |newspaper=[[Sun Sentinel]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190117013405/https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1997-04-09-9704080171-story.html |archive-date=2019-01-17}}</ref> His younger brother, [[Bradley Bolke]], had some limited success as a voice actor, often appearing in supporting roles alongside Allen.<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/bradley-bolke-dead-tennessee-tuxedo-cartoons-star-was-93-1176633/ |title=Bradley Bolke, Chumley the Walrus on 'Tennessee Tuxedo' Cartoons, Dies at 93 |last=Barnes |first=Mike |magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=2019-01-16 |access-date=2024-11-26}}</ref> He grew up in [[Mount Vernon, New York]], where he graduated from A.B. Davis High School in June 1936. One of his school friends was [[Art Carney]].

== Career ==
Allen, like Carney, began his career in radio. In 1937–1938 [[WINS (AM)]] hired him as a [[disc jockey]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=George |first=Stewart |date=1994 |title=An Interview with Dayton Allen |url=http://www.crazycollege.org/allen.htm |url-status=dead |access-date=2021-11-11 |website=crazycollege.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140608093128/http://www.crazycollege.org/allen.htm |archive-date=June 8, 2014 }}</ref>

He was the voice of various New York-based [[children's television]] show characters, appearing on ''[[Winky Dink and You]]'' as Mr. Bungle for five years, and playing Phineas T. Bluster, Flub-a-Dub, and various other puppet characters on ''[[Howdy Doody]]'' (as well as several "live" characters, including Ugly Sam and Pierre the Chef) for four years. Dayton was also the voice of [[Deputy Dawg]], [[Heckle and Jeckle]], [[Luno the White Stallion|Luno]], and many early 1960s [[Terrytoons]] cartoon characters.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/deputy-dawg-welcome-mischa-mouse-v13288/cast-crew |title=Deputy Dawg: Welcome Mischa Mouse (1971) - Cast and Crew |website=[[AllMovie]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904153918/https://www.allmovie.com/movie/deputy-dawg-welcome-mischa-mouse-v13288/cast-crew |archive-date=2018-09-04}}</ref> Allen also provided the voice of the title character on ''[[Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp]]''. He continued to be a voiceover performer through the 1990s.

He was best known as the "Why Not?" man when he joined the cast of the NBC Sunday night variety show that Allen began hosting to compete against [[Ed Sullivan]] on [[CBS]]. The catchphrase began as a stalling [[ad libitium|ad-lib]] to an interview question, then it caught on. Allen used it for television commercials and saw novelty toys, a book, and a record spin-off from the "Why not?" phenomenon. In its day, fans were shouting "Why not?" as often as ''[[Mad Magazine]]'''s famous "What? Me Worry?"{{citation needed|date=November 2024}} A classic example of Allen's humor comes from an August 1968 appearance on ''The Steve Allen Show'', syndicated nationally in the US by Filmways: "Did you know your mind alone can make you smart?"{{citation needed|date=November 2024}} ''Why Not'' was also an album he recorded in 1960, that peaked at No. 35 on the [[Billboard Top LPs|''Billboard'' Top LPs]], in a week stay on the chart.<ref name="Whitburn">{{cite book | last = Whitburn | first = Joel | title = Top LPs, 1955–1996 | year = 1996 | publisher = Record Research | page = 8 | url = https://archive.org/details/joelwhitburnstoplp00whit/page/8/mode/2up | access-date = 2025-07-10}}</ref>

His brother, [[Bradley Bolke]], was also a voice actor, best known as the voice of Chumley (Tennessee Tuxedo's walrus sidekick) on ''[[Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales]]'', and the syndicated version of ''[[Underdog (TV series)|The Underdog Show]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmovie.com/artist/bradley-bolke-an225640 |title=Bradley Bolke - Movies and Filmography - AllMovie |website=[[AllMovie]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DpRQ7CPkvkAC&q=bradley+bolke+underdog&pg=PA219 |title=The Magic Behind the Voices: A Who's Who of Cartoon Voice Actors |first=Lawson |last=Tim |date=2018-09-04 |publisher=[[University Press of Mississippi]] |isbn=9781604736854 |via=Google Books}}</ref>

Allen's talents as a mimic were showcased in October 1963 when he appeared alongside [[Groucho Marx]] on the CBS-TV game show ''[[I've Got a Secret]]''. The show’s panelists had been blindfolded, and all their questions to Groucho were answered instead by Allen doing an accurate Groucho impersonation. Finally, with panelists [[Bess Myerson]], [[Betsy Palmer]], [[Henry Morgan (humorist)|Henry Morgan]], and [[Bill Cullen]] all stumped, the secret was revealed.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ls5ADwAAQBAJ&q=i%27ve+got+a+secret+dayton+allen&pg=PA34 |title=The Animated Marx Brothers |first=Matthew |last=Hahn |date=2017-11-15 |publisher=BearManor Media |via=Google Books}}</ref>

After his show business career ended, Allen was a real estate agent, operating out of an office in [[Dobbs Ferry, New York]].{{citation needed|date=November 2024}}
==Death==
Allen died on November 11, 2004, in [[Hendersonville, North Carolina]], due to complications from a [[stroke]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/18/arts/television/dayton-allen-85-cartoon-voice-actor-dies.html |title=Dayton Allen, 85, Cartoon Voice Actor, Dies |agency=[[The Associated Press]] |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=2004-11-18}}</ref>

==Filmography==
===Film & TV===
{| class="wikitable"
!Year<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dayton Allen Profile |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/dayton_allen |access-date=2024-01-28 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |language=en}}</ref>
!Title
!Character
|-
|1945
|''Bad Bill Bunion''
|TV Announcer (voice)
|-
|1945
|''The Exterminator''
|Radio Announcer, Narrator (voice)
|-
|1946
|''The Tortoise Wins Again''
|Papa Hare, Papa Tortoise, Pig (voice)
|-
|1946
|''The Uninvited Pests''
|Heckle, Jeckle, Dimwit (voice) (uncredited)
|-
|1947
|''[[Howdy Doody]]''
|Phineas T. Bluster (1 episode)
|-
|1948
|''Felix the Fox''
|Dimwit, Felix the Fox (voice)
|-
|1948
|''Magpie Madness''
|Heckle, Jeckle, Dimwit, Doctor (voice)
|-
|1948
|''Goony Golfers''
|Heckle, Jeckle, Bulldog Golfer (voice) (uncredited)
|-
|1948
|''The Racket Buster''
|Narrator, Edward G. Robincat (voice)
|-
|1949
|''Mrs. Jones' Rest Farm''
|Mrs. Jones (voice)
|-
|1951
|''The Helpful Geni''
|Geni (voice) (uncredited)
|-
|1951
|''[[The Cat's Tale (1941 cartoon)|The Cat's Tale]]''
|Cat (voice)
|-
|1956
|''[[The Steve Allen Show]]''
|Self (4 episodes)
|-
|1958
|''Grateful Gus''
|Grateful Gus (uncredited)
|-
|1960
|''[[Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse]]''
|(124 episodes)
|-
|1960
|''[[Top Cat]]''
|
|-
|1960
|''[[Deputy Dawg]]''
|All Voices
|-
|1960
|''Galaxia''
|Matchmaker (uncredited) (voice)
|-
|1961
|''Tree Spree''
|Stanley, Cleo the Giraffe
|-
|1962
|''Funderful Suburbia''
|Hardy, Pay Toll Man (voice)
|-
|1962
|''Send Your Elephant to Camp''
|Sidney the Elephant (voice)
|-
|1962
|''[[The Merv Griffin Show]]''
|Self (2 episodes)
|-
|1962
|''The Old Man and the Flower''
|Narrator
|-
|1963
|''Sidney's White Elephant''
|Sidney (voice)
|-
|1963
|''Obnoxious Obie''
|Deputy Dawg
|-
|1963
|''Split-Level Treehouse''
|Sidney (voice)
|-
|1964
|''Oscar's Moving Day''
|Astronut (voice)
|-
|1964
|''Short Term Sheriff''
|Duckwood
|-
|1964
|''Oil Thru the Day''
|Duckwood
|-
|1964
|''Search for Misery''
|Roland Stone
|-
|1964
|''The Red Tractor''
|Duckwood
|-
|1964
|''[[The Astronut Show]]''
|Luno (16 episodes)
|-
|1964
|''Hokey Home Movies''
|Astronut, Oscar (voice)
|-
|1964
|''[[The Munsters]]''
|(1 episode)
|-
|1965
|''No Space Like Home''
|Astronut (voice)
|-
|1965
|''The Invisibeam''
|Astronut (voice)
|-
|1965
|''Twinkle Twinkle Little Telestar''
|Astronut, Oscar (voice)
|-
|1966
|''The Monster Master''
|James Hound (voice)
|-
|1966
|''Gems from Gemini''
|Astronut (voice)
|-
|1966
|''The Phantom Skyscraper''
|James Hound (voice)
|-
|1966
|''Dr. Ha-Ha''
|James Hound (voice)
|-
|1967
|''A Voodoo Spell''
|James Hound (voice)
|-
|1967
|''The Heat's Off''
|James Hound (voice)
|-
|1967
|''Mr. Winlucky''
|James Hound (voice)
|-
|1967
|''Give Me Liberty''
|James Hound (voice)
|-
|1967
|''Bugged by a Bug''
|James Hound (voice)
|-
|1967
|''Which Is Witch?''
|James Hound (voice)
|-
|1967
|''Dr. Rhinestone's Theory''
|James Hound (voice)
|-
|1967
|''Marvin Digs''
|Marvin, George (voice)
|-
|1967
|''Frozen Sparklers''
|James Hound (voice)
|-
|1967
|''Baron Von Go-Go''
|James Hound (voice)
|-
|1969
|''Space Pet''
|Astronut (voice)
|-
|1971
|''Oscar's Thinking Cap''
|Astronaut, Oscar (voice)
|-
|1984
|''[[The Cotton Club (film)|The Cotton Club]]''
|Solly
|-
|}

==References==
<references />

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|id=0020436|name=Dayton Allen}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070928114741/http://www.recordresearch.com/Album_Photos/pages/Allen_Dayton.htm Dayton Allen profile], archive.org
* [http://www.newsfromme.com/2004/11/14/dayton-allen-r-i-p/ Dayton Allen remembered] m newsfromme.com

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Dayton}}
[[Category:1919 births]]
[[Category:2004 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:American male comedians]]
[[Category:American male voice actors]]
[[Category:American male radio actors]]
[[Category:Male actors from New York City]]
[[Category:Comedians from New York City]]
[[Category:People from Dobbs Ferry, New York]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from New York City]]
[[Category:20th-century American comedians]]
[[Category:Terrytoons people]]
[[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]]

Dayton Allen - Revision history

~2025-31910-69 at 14:09, 13 November 2025