Fran Allison

Fran Allison
Allison in 1953
Born	Frances Helen Allison (1907-11-20)November 20, 1907 La Porte City, Iowa,U.S.
Died	June 13, 1989(1989-06-13)(aged 81) Sherman Oaks, California,U.S.
Years active	1937–1980s
Spouse	Archie Levington (June 8, 1940 – April 25, 1978; his death)

Frances Helen Allison(November 20, 1907 – June 13, 1989) was an American television and radio comedienne, personality, and singer.

She is best known for her starring role on the weekdayNBC-TVpuppetshowKukla, Fran and Ollie,which ran from 1947 to 1957, occasionally returning to the air until the mid-1980s. The trio also hostedTheCBS Children's Film Festival,introducing international children's films, from 1967 to 1977.

Biography

Early years

Frances Helen Allison was born to Jesse Louis Allison and Anna M. "Nan" (née Halpin) Allison inLa Porte City, Iowa,where her father worked as a clerk in a grocery store until his stroke in 1913. They then moved in with her paternal grandparents, David Allison, a Civil War veteran, and Susan (née Booth) Allison. Their house still stands on Sycamore Street in LaPorte City.

A 1927 graduate ofCoe College,she was a member ofAlpha Gamma Delta.She was a fourth-grade teacher for four years inSchleswigandPocahontas(both in Iowa),before beginning her broadcasting career atWMTinCedar Rapids, Iowa.(Another source describes WMT as "Waterlooradio station WMT. "It moved to Cedar Rapids in 1935.)In 1934, Allison was among "14 sectional winners in theHollywood Hotelradio contest. "

Radio

Allison as Aunt Fanny

She moved toChicago, Illinoisin 1937, where she was hired as a staff singer and personality onNBC Radio.A July 26, 1937, newspaper item reported, "Fran Allison, singer of WMT, Waterloo, Ia., makes her network debut in the WJZ-NBC club matinee at 3."

Beginning in 1937, she was a regular performer onThe Breakfast Club,a popularChicagooriginating national radio show, and was a fixture for 25 years as "Aunt Fanny", a gossipy small-town spinster.Her Aunt Fanny character also appeared on the ABC-TV series,Ozark Jubilee,during the late 1950s. While in Chicago, she was also heard onThose Websters.

Kukla, Fran and Ollie

Main article:Kukla, Fran and Ollie

In 1947, the director ofWBKB-TVin Chicago askedBurr Tillstromif he could put together a puppet show for children, and he asked Allison,whom he had met during a World War IIwar bondtour, to join the show.

The show was an early Americantelevision showusingpuppets.It was created for children, but was soon watched by more adults than children. It did not have a script and was entirelyad-libbed.It was broadcast from Chicago between October 13, 1947, and August 30, 1957.ComedienneFran Allisonstarred, interacting withhand puppetsKukla and Ollie (and sometimes other puppets) whose puppeteer was the show's creator,Burr Tillstrom.

Other television work

Her television career continued after the initial run ofKukla, Fran and Ollie:in the late 1950s, she hostedThe Fran Allison Show,a panel discussion TV program in Chicago; and appeared in television musical specials displaying her singing abilities, includingMany Moons(1954),PinocchiowithMickey Rooney(1957),Damn Yankees(1967) withPhil Silversand lastlyMiss Pickerell(1972).

She had her own program,The Fran Allison ShowonWGN-TV(1958–1960).In the 1980s, she hostedPrime Time,a show for senior citizens, onKHJ-TVin Los Angeles.

Recordings

Allison made records for theRCA Victorlabel. She had two minor pop hits. In 1950 her recording of "Peter Cottontail"charted at #26 around Easter of 1950. The next year her recording of"Too Young"achieved position #20. In both recordings she is backed byJack Fascinato,who was the orchestra leader of Kukla, Fran and Ollie.

Recognition

In 1950, Allison was nominated for anEmmy Awardas Most Outstanding Kinescoped Personality.In 1959, she won two Chicago Emmy awards.In 2002, she was a Silver Circle honoree of the Chicago/Midwest Chapter of theNational Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

In 1967,Iowa Wesleyan Universityawarded her an honorary doctorate of letters.

Personal life

Fran Allison was married to music publisher Archie Levington from 1940 until his death in 1978.

In her free time, she devoted her efforts to promoting mental health. From a profile in theFreeport Journal-Standard,"For mental health, she will travel anywhere, anytime."

Allison was on the board ofPacific Pioneer Broadcasters.

Death

In later life, Allison lived inVan Nuys, California.She died on June 13, 1989, aged 81.frommyelodysplasiainSherman Oaks, California,She was buried in Mount Calvary Cemetery inCedar Rapids, Iowa.She was survived by her brother, James "Lynn" Allison, a saxophonist.

Legacy

For contributions to the television industry, Allison was honored with a star on theHollywood Walk of Fameat 6763Hollywood Boulevard.She was inducted into the Chicago Television Academy's Silver Circle in 2002.

She appeared with puppets Kukla and Ollie on a 44¢ UScommemorative postage stampin the "Early TV Memories" series, issued on August 11, 2009.

External links

• Fran AllisonatIMDb
• Fran AllisonatTV Guide
• Fran AllisonArchivedApril 21, 2019, at theWayback MachineatTVArchivedApril 12, 2019, at theWayback Machine
• Allison at the Museum of TVArchivedJanuary 25, 2009, at theWayback Machine
• Tribute website,kukla.tv. Accessed May 20, 2024.