Before there was Jack, Johnny, Jay, or Jimmy, there was Allen, Steve Allen, who was the original host of The Tonight Show (from 1954 to 1957). Allen was also an actor, comedian, composer (he wrote more than 10,000 songs), an author, and a well-loved game show host.
He left “Tonight” to devote his efforts to a primetime sketch comedy program. “The Steve Allen Show” that ran from 1956 to 1961.
In 1974 Allen appeared at the Historic Elitch Theatre with his wife, Jayne Meadows, in the play Tonight at 8:30.
“Director/actor/playwright Harold Kennedy recalled that during the 1974 production of Tonight at 8:30 with Steve Allen and Jayne Meadows, Allen would unwind each night by playing with the local musicians at the Denver Continental Hotel. One night a gentleman recognized Allen at the piano and groaned ‘My God, what a shame to have him wind up in a dump like this.'”
[Lewis, Rosemary Elaine, “The Elitch Gardens Theatre, 1891-2008: America’s High Plains Summer Playhouse.” (Master of Arts in History, University of Colorado, Denver, 2009.)]
Seasons at the Theatre
- 1974
Elitch Theatre Productions/Roles:
- 1974 – Tonight at 8:30
Notable Roles, Awards, and Other Work:
- Original host of The Tonight Show
Wikipedia Link:
