Born "Dayton Allen Bolke" in New York City, he grew up in Mount Vernon, New York, where he graduated from A.B. Davis High School in June 1936. One of his school friends was Art Carney. Like Carney, Allen began his career in radio. In 1937?8 WINS (AM) hired him as a disc jockey.
Allen was the voice of various New York-based children's television show characters, appearing on Winky Dink and You as Mr. Bungle for five years and playing "Phineas T. Bluster", "Flub-a-Dub" and various other puppet characters on Howdy Doody for four years. Dayton was also the voice of Deputy Dawg, Heckle and Jeckle, Luno, Fearless Fly and many early Terrytoons cartoon characters. He continued to be a voiceover performer through the 1990s.
He was best known as the "Why Not?" man when he joined the cast of the NBC Sunday night variety show that Allen began hosting to compete against Ed Sullivan on CBS. The catch-phrase began as a stalling ad-lib to an interview question; then it caught on. Allen used it for television commercials and saw novelty toys, a book and a record spin off the "Why not?" phenomenon. In its day, fans were shouting "Why not?" as often as Mad Magazines famous "What? Me Worry?"
His brother, Bradley Bolke, was also a voice actor best known as the voice of Chumley (Tennessee Tuxedo's walrus sidekick) on "Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales" and the sydnicated version of "The Underdog Show".
Allen?s talents as a mimic were showcased in October 1963 when he appeared alongside Groucho Marx on the CBS-TV game show ?I?ve Got A Secret.? The show?s panelists had been blindfolded, and all their questions to Groucho were answered instead by Allen doing an accurate Groucho impersonation. Finally, with panelists Bess Myerson, Betsy Palmer, Henry Morgan, and Bill Cullen all stumped, the secret was revealed.
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