Lester Allen
Lester Allen | |
---|---|
Hollywood, California , U.S. | |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1929–1949 |
Lester M. Allen (November 17, 1891 – November 6, 1949) was an American actor, dancer, singer, comedian, and circus performer. After beginning his career as a child
Life and career
Lester Allen was born on November 17, 1891, in
Allen made his Broadway debut as the bridegroom in the 1907 musical Miss Pocahontas at the Lyric Theatre.[6] In 1908 he toured with the vaudeville act Lawrence & Healey, performing the role of 'Jake, the Jew Kid' in their musical sketch "Stage Struck Kid".[7] He returned to Broadway in 1909, portraying Oliver Hartford in Roy McCardell's play The Gay Life at Daly's Theatre.[8] That same year he toured in the vaudeville sketch series Napanese with a cast led by Harry W. Fields.[9][10] In 1911 he toured in a vaudeville act in which he did a variety of celebrity impersonations.[11] In 1913 he toured the vaudeville circuits as a member of Joe Oppenheimer's Fay Foster Company, appearing in the burlettas "Yankees in Japan" and "Abe".[12] In 1915 he toured with the burlesque organization Million Dollar Dolls.[13]
Allen achieved success on the Broadway stage as a dancer and acrobat in
As he aged, Allen's Broadway career shifted emphasis from dancing and acrobatics towards comedic acting. He starred in several musical comedies on Broadway, including the roles of Sandy in Florida Girl (1925), both Señor Tostado and Mr. Brown in Rufus LeMaire's Affairs (1927), Planchet in The Three Musketeers (1928),[4] Elmer Peters in Top Speed (1929),[19] and Al Darcy in Shady Lady (1933).[20] In Top Speed he sang the show's hit song, "Keep Your Undershirt On", with Ginger Rogers who was making her Broadway debut in this show.[19] On the vaudeville stage during the 1920s and 1930s, he appeared in a double act with Nellie Breen and also emceed at the Palace Theatre.[21] In 1926 he toured in the musical revue Hello Paris with Sophie Tucker as his co-star.[22]
In 1929 Allen starred in his first screen role, portraying the title part in the 1929
Allen was killed after being struck by a motor vehicle in
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1930 | Leave It to Lester | Lester Aloysius Sebastian Brown | |
1941 | The Devil Commands | Dr. Van Den | Uncredited |
1941 | Underground | Herr Krantz | Uncredited |
1943 | The Heat's On | Mouse Beller | |
1943 | Klondike Kate | Duster Dan | |
1944 | Irish Eyes Are Smiling | Heming | Uncredited |
1945 | The Great Flamarion | Tony | |
1945 | The Dolly Sisters | Morrie Keno | Uncredited |
1946 | The Dark Mirror | George Benson | |
1947 | Fun on a Weekend | Hot Dog Vendor | |
1948 | The Pirate | Uncle Capucho | |
1948 | That Lady in Ermine | Jester | Uncredited |
1948 | Crime on Their Hands | Runty | Short |
1949 | Ma and Pa Kettle | Geoduck | |
1950 | Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town | Geoduck | Uncredited |
1950 | Johnny One-Eye | Designer-Choreographer | |
1950 | Love That Brute | Al Allen, Theatrical Producer | Uncredited (final film role) |
References
Citations
- ^ a b c Hess & Dabholkar, p. 206
- ^ Lester Allen in the U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007; SSN 549186139
- B'nai B'rith Magazine. XLII (10): 349.
- ^ Cincinnati Times Star. p. 20.
- ^ a b c "Obituaries: Lester Allen". Variety. November 9, 1949.
- ^ Bloom, p. 740
- ^ "Musical Treat Next Week". Moline Mail And Journal. October 31, 1908. p. 3.
- ^ ""THE GAY LIFE" IS VERY SAD; A Nondescript Piece at Daly's Which Has Nothing to Recommend It. COLLECTION OF SKETCHES Occasional Bright Line Does Not Redeem the General Vulgarity -- Most of Acting Poor". The New York Times. April 20, 1909. p. 9.
- ^ "At the Bijou". Dubuque Telegraph Herald. March 15, 1909. p. 3.
- ^ "The Columbia Program". Cincinnati Commercial Tribune. May 3, 1909. p. 4.
- ^ "At the Lyric". Muskogee Times Democrat. May 22, 1911. p. 7.
- ^ "Detroit Times". October 27, 1913. p. 3.
- ^ "Notes on the Stage". The Washington Post. November 28, 1915.
- ^ The San Francisco Examiner. November 8, 1949. p. 6.
- ^ Suriano, p. 9
- Boston Sunday Post. December 2, 1919. p. 36.
- ^ Pollack, pp. 270–271
- ^ Fields, p. 174
- ^ a b Dietz, p. 557
- ^ Taylor, p. 55
- ^ Laurie, Joe, Jr. Vaudeville: From the Honky-tonks to the Palace. New York: Henry Holt, 1953. p. 230, 489.
- ^ Harvey, Walter (June 4, 1926). "News from Chiacago". The Vaudeville News and New York Star. p. 15.
- ^ Newton, p. 166
- ^ Hilger, p. 79
Bibliography
- Bloom, Ken (1996). American Song: A-S. ISBN 9780028645735.
- Dietz, Dan (2019). The Complete Book of 1920s Broadway Musicals. ISBN 9781442245280.
- Fields, Armond (2006). "Lightner, Winnie". Women Vaudeville Stars: Eighty Biographical Profiles. McFarland & Company. p. 174.
- Hess, Earl J.; Dabholkar, Pratibha A. (2014). The Cinematic Voyage of THE PIRATE: Kelly, Garland, and Minnelli at Work. ISBN 9780826273185.
- Hilger, Michael (1986). The American Indian in film. ISBN 9780810819054.
- Newton, Michael (2009). The Encyclopedia of Unsolved Crimes. ISBN 9781438119144.
- Pollack, Howard (2007). George Gershwin: His Life and Work. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520933149.
- Suriano, Gregory R. (1998). Gershwin in His Time: A Biographical Scrapbook, 1919-1937. ISBN 9780517201985.
- Taylor, James D. (2017). Helen Kane and Betty Boop: On Stage and on Trial. Algora Publishing. p. 55. ISBN 9781628942996.
External links
- Lester Allen at IMDb
- Lester Allen at the Internet Broadway Database
- Lester Allen at AllMovie
- Lester Allen at Find a Grave