HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (AP) - Dayton Allen, a comedian and actor best known for his work as the voice of the cartoon character Deputy Dawg and the grumpy mayor Phineas T. Bluster on “The Howdy Doody Show,” has died. He was 85. His most notable voice work came from his longtime association with the cartoon studio Terrytoons. He provided most of the voices for “The Deputy Dawg Show,” a syndicated series that debuted in 1960. He was also the voice of the cartoon magpies Heckle and Jeckle, and many other characters. On “The Steve Allen Show,” he often appeared as a bogus expert or in the comic “Man on the Street” interviews. His frequent comment, “Why-y-y-y-y not?”, became a popular catch phrase.
May his spirit rest among the Sheriff’s persimmon trees forever.
File this one in the “I didn’t even know he was still alive” file.
I used to watch “Deputy Dawg” as a kid. I’m still not sure why – I didn’t really like t that much. Thank God they never revived this one.
Same here.
Question: Is anyone associated with “The Howdy Doody Show” still alive?
Besides Howdy, you mean?
Looking at the IMDB listing, and not clicking every link, but Robert Goulet is still alive as is (god God!) William Shatner?!
Princess Summer Spring Winter Fall is still alive. She lives on an indoor ranch in Montana with her companion Kukla and is the author of No Strings Attached, an autobiography detailing her relationships with Martina Navritilova, Marlon Brando, Chief Dan George, Ike Turner, Lady Elaine Fairchild, and Agnes Moorehead, her struggle with nylon addiction and the identity crisis that occurred when she learned she was adopted and had no Native American blood, her real parents being Judy Garland and Charlie McCarthy. She does not paint a very flattering portrait of Howdy Doody, whom she describes as a misogynist and egomaniac and declares “the best part of him sapped down his mother’s bark”.
This is the listing for the Canadian version of the program.
This is the listing for the American version, and, of the listed cast:
6 are certainly dead (Allen, Lee Carney, Robert Keeshan, Bobby Nicholson, “Buffalo Bob” Smith, and Judy Tyler)
2 (Bill LeCornec, and Rufus Rose) are indeterminate, as I can’t seem to find anything stating if they are alive or dead.
Lew Anderson (who later became a big band leader) and Allen Swift (later a voice-over performer, and the father of Broadwat actor Lewis J Stadlin) are definately still alive.
Hmmm, Danny Devito as Dawg and maybe Steve Buscemi as Muskie? Hopefully studio execs aren’t reading this.
N’uh uh. The Princess was played by the beauteous and talented Judy Tyler, who had a great Broadway “belt” voice and was on her way to stardom when she died in a car accident in 1957. Catch her in the flick Bop Girl Goes Calypso, for the title alone.
Check your Whooshmeter, Eve.
I know, I know–but how often do IO get the chance to mention Judy Tyler? Plus, she played the Princess for longer than the marionette did.
Not to mention that we now all know that there was a film entitled Bop Girl Goes Calypso . As was pointed out, that one is worth the price of admission just for the title alone.
How do you know that the marionette wasn’t really playing her? (Gotta go pack another bowl, this one’s all stem.)
I realize this is an old thread.
The only surviving cast member that I know of is Marti Barris, who played “Peppy Mint” towards the end of the show.
Rufus Rose died in 1975. His wife Margo (who was the other half of the puppet/marionette team) died in 1997.
Bill Le-Cornec died in 1997.
Lew Anderson died in 2006.
Writer Edward Kean died in 2010.