Irreverent comedian David Allen was born David O’Mahoney in Ireland in 1936. Most Americans remember him from late night reruns on Public Television during British comedy nights. Allen started out in the late 1950s on BBC’s New Faces and early 1960s warming up for The Beatles. By the mid-1960s he landed his own TV gig, The David Allen Show, and from 1971 to 1979, the iconic David Allen At Large.
Besides his observational humor, mostly about religion (he was a “recovering Catholic”), he is probably best remembered for his relaxed, loungy-styled monologues, seated on a high stool and holding the ubiquitous cigarette and low-ball glass. Allen was a graduate of the Dean Martin School of Let-Them-Think-It’s-Liquor, as his glass was usually filled with either tea or ginger-ale. At the end of each show, Allen delivered his trademark closing line, “Good night, thank you, and may your God go with you.”
David Allen passed away in 2005 at the age of 68.
Sadly I was not aware that Dave Allen had passed away. Of course it's true that I haven't seen him in anything for the past twenty years. My Monty Python-loving friends never had the patience for him, but I could soak up his rambling seated monologues for hours. Along with a long list of American actors and comedians, Brits like Dave Allen, Pauline Collins, The Two Ronnies and of course the Python crew had an undeniable impact on my writing and sense of humor. Thanks for shining the spotlight on Dave Allen one more time.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Fred, and I agree with you about David Allen. Even as a Python lover, I adored David Allen's laid back humor. Loved Brit Comedy night on PBS, David Allen, the Two Ronnies were awesome.
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