Monday, November 28, 2022

Countdown to Christmas: Christmas with Steve Allen (1961)

 After four years at NBC, during which he founded The Tonight Show, Steve Allen returned to the airwaves, this time on ABC. However, The New Steve Allen Show was put up against Wagon Train on NBC. Ballgame over.

With Don Knotts having moved on to The Andy Griffith Show, Allen's ensemble still had Louis Nye, Bill Dana, Pat Harrington, Gabe Dell, and Tom Poston, now joined by the Smothers Brothers, Buck Henry, and Tim Conway (billed as Tom Conway). I believe that is Dayton Allen (no relation) who serves as the announcer for the Christmas show we're about to present. Steve also brought wife Jayne Meadows on board as a series regular.

So, let's check out Christmas at the Allen house.


After this series ended, Tom Poston moved on to a regular gig on the panel of To Tell The Truth, Bill Dana got his own show, Louis Nye would later recur on The Beverly Hillbillies, Gabe Dell resurfaced in the 70's in The Corner Bar, and after a stint doing cartoons, Pat Harrington landed the role of his career on the original One Day at a Time. Buck Henry's resume (i.e. co-creating Get Smart) speaks for itself.

No rating.

4 comments:

Mike Doran said...

Corrections:
When Steve Allen relocated to the West Coast, Tom Poston and Gabriel Dell stayed in New York, where they had thriving stage careers.
Also, Dayton ("Whoy NOT?") Allen and Pat Harrington had TV-radio careers in New York which kept them there as well.
I don't know for sure, but the announcer on this show sounds a lot like Joey Forman, who was one of the LA recruits when ABC picked up the show.

hobbyfan said...

I wasn't sure, and took a guess on the announcer. As for your notations on the cast, I refer to this item from a Wikipedia entry:

"After being cancelled by NBC in 1960, the show returned in the fall of 1961 on ABC. Nye, Poston, Harrington, Dell, and Dayton Allen returned. New cast members were Joey Forman, Buck Henry, and newcomers Tim Conway (then known as Tom Conway) and The Smothers Brothers. Allen's wife, Jayne Meadows also joined the cast. The new version was cancelled after 14 episodes."

Oh, I know Wikipedia's not always reliable, but this is what I went with.

Mike Doran said...

Instead of Wikipedia, you should have gone with the actual show, as preserved on the tape;
Poston, Harrington, Dell, and Dayton Allen aren't there.
Go back and listen, if you doubt me.

hobbyfan said...

They didn't appear, that's true, since the episode was in California.