Category Archives: Just Allen

Allen’s Rising Star

30 Monday May 2022

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TV Star Parade, April 1967

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The only really glaring error in the article is the mention of Allen being born in Mineral Springs, Wisconsin. There is no such place. Allen was born on October 5, 1917 in Mineral Point, Wisconsin.

Though interesting, the article is so short that it barely glosses over Allen’s interesting life. Many important factors are omitted, such as:

  • The death of his father Elmer Ellsworth when he was not yet two years old and the later remarriage of his mother to Homer Ludden.
  • His college era theatrical work.
  • The success of Mind Your Manners.
  • The success of Password.
  • The death of his first wife, Margaret McGloin Ludden.

Allen & Betty in the 1950 Census

30 Monday May 2022

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Allen & Betty were more than a decade away from meeting in 1950, living on opposite coasts. Betty was with her parents. Allen was with his growing young family.

The 1950 Census is interesting because it includes more people we know. Unfortunately, it doesn’t include as much information as you’ve seen in previous decades’ counts.

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Allen lived in West Hartford, Connecticut with Margaret and his two older children. Because the address is not clear, I can’t show you the location yet, but I’ll work on it. Allen is listed as a radio writer, who worked at a radio station. Makes sense!

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Betty lived in Los Angeles with her parents at 11444 Ayrshire Road, seen below. At first, I thought the house was newer. But info from the assessor’s office shows that it was built in 1939. I wonder if the owners know or care?

Allen Charges Dinner at Chasen’s

25 Tuesday Oct 2011

Posted by in Ephemera, Just Allen

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Here’s Allen’s card from the rolodex at Chasen’s Restaurant in West Hollywood. If the staff needed to verify that a diner had a charge account at the restaurant, this is what they checked.

Please observe:

  • The account was opened in May 1962. Allen took Betty to dinner and a performance of “Critic’s Choice,” the play they were to co-star in during the summer of 1962. Did Allen open the account specifically for the very first date/”business meeting”?
  • On the reverse of the the card, you’ll also note that Allen charged a meal on September 23rd of 1962; likely this was one of his many courting trips to the West Coast prior to their April 1963 engagement.
  • Betty’s 51st, 54th, 56th and 57th birthdays appear to have been celebrated at Chasen’s; as there are stamps for January 17th in those years.

“You’re Great, Dad, But You’re No Bud Collyer!”

20 Thursday Oct 2011

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mailboxFrom TV Radio Mirror, June 1962:

Click on the image to download a PDF of the article!

What strikes me most about this article (written before his marriage to Betty) is that it provides an inside look at Allen’s family life without mentioning that his beloved first wife, Margaret, had died less than a year before. Margaret is mentioned multiple times, but there’s no indication that she wasn’t alive and well at the time. Strange.

Favorite line in the article?  “Admittedly an egghead, Allen is also an egghead who swings.” He manages to criticize beatniks, though. Poor Allen — wait until you get a load of the hippies in a few years!