Editing Allen Swift (section)

==Career==
{{More citations needed section|date=March 2024}}

===Children's television===
Allen Swift was an early television star who began his career by replacing Buffalo Bob Smith on ''[[Howdy Doody|The Howdy Doody Show]]'' while Smith was recovering from a heart attack. At various times, he played the characters of [[Clarabell the Clown]], Chief Thunderchicken, and the voice of the Howdy Doody puppet, as well as other characters. From September 10, 1956, to September 23, 1960, Swift was the host of another popular children's show, ''The [[Popeye]] Show'', on [[WPIX]] in New York City, playing a sea captain named "Captain Allen Swift". In the show, he commented on the cartoons, told stories, sang sea shanties and did magic tricks.{{cn|date=December 2023}}

===Cartoon voices===
Swift was best known for providing the fiendish voices for the cartoon villains [[Simon Bar Sinister]] and Riff-Raff on the [[Underdog (TV series)|''Underdog'']] cartoon show, and Popeye in the ''Popeye'' cartoons created in the 1960s. He also voiced the cartoon character, Clint Clobber.{{cn|date=December 2023}}

Swift voiced the cartoon mascot [[Twinkie the Kid]] in animated TV advertisements for [[Hostess Brands|Hostess]]'s cream-filled snack cakes, [[Twinkie]]s, in the 1970s.{{cn|date=December 2023}} He also voiced many of the characters in the 1960s underwater puppet show ''[[Diver Dan]]'', and [[Gene Deitch]]'s 1961–1962 group of ''[[Tom and Jerry]]'' cartoons, as well as ''[[The Bluffers]]''. According to ''Mopar'' magazine, he was also the voice of "Tech" for their series of service training films, providing color commentary and dry humor to help keep things digestible and interesting. He also voiced his talents for ''[[Sesame Street]]''.{{cn|date=December 2023}}

===Rankin/Bass===
Swift provided the majority of the voices in [[Rankin/Bass]]'s ''[[Mad Monster Party?]]'', credited as Alan Swift in the movie's credits.<ref>{{IMDb title|0061931|Mad Monster Party?}}</ref> He was also in other Rankin/Bass productions, including the TV specials, ''[[The Enchanted World of Danny Kaye|The Enchanted World of Danny Kaye: The Emperor's New Clothes]]'', as the voice of Musty,{{cn|date=December 2023}} and as the voice of Gadzooks the Bear in ''[[The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town]]''.{{cn|date=March 2024}}

===Howdy Doody===
Swift supplied most of the character voices for the NBC ''[[Howdy Doody]]'' show. When [[Buffalo Bob Smith]] — who did the voice of the lead puppet character Howdy Doody, and had proclaimed many times that "nobody else could do Howdy" — suffered a heart attack, Swift took home some recordings over the weekend, came back Monday, and supplied Howdy's voice for more than a year.<ref>Tv Bloq section of TV Party.Com</ref>

===Writing===
Swift became the second comedy writer for ''Howdy Doody'' following the abrupt departure of the series' first comedy writer and songwriter, [[Edward Kean]].<ref>"TV Bloq"/Past entry No. 168 at "TV Party.Com"</ref> He also wrote the play ''[[Checking Out (play)|Checking Out]]'', which was the basis of the film of the same name starring Peter Falk, Laura San Giacomo, Judge Reinhold and David Paymer.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0417532/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2|title=Checking Out|date=December 19, 2006|via=IMDb}}</ref>

Toward the end of his life, Swift penned the memoir, ''Chutzpah! Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee, An Actors Life For Me''.{{cn|date=December 2023}}

===Commercials and ''MAD'' Magazine===
Swift provided the original voice of the [[Frito Bandito]] in the animated [[Fritos]] Corn Chips commercials of the 1960s. In the 1970s and 1980s, he was the talking drain in [[Drano]] television commercials, the voice of the Mirinda Craver in [[Jim Henson]]'s [[Mirinda]] commercials, and the voice of The [[Burger King advertising|Burger King]]. Because of his uncanny ability to create so many different sounds, tones and accents, he was able to voice competing products, including Tip-Top, [[Braun (company)|Braun]], [[Bimbo Bakeries USA|Stroehmann]] or Taystee.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,938905-2,00.html |title=Show Business: How To Be Rich Though a Pencil|magazine=Time |accessdate=2023-08-07}}</ref> He impersonated [[Carroll O'Connor]] as [[Archie Bunker]] and [[Adolf Hitler]] as "Dolf" on [[Mad (magazine)|''MAD'' magazine]]'s vinyl insert recording of "Gall in the Family Fare", the ''[[All in the Family]]'' satire that ran in the magazine's Super Special No. 11 in 1973.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhIpR1x1-fI|title=MAD Magazine presents "Gall in the Family Fare"|date=July 10, 2007 |via=www.youtube.com}}</ref> He also played [[Captain Cupcake]] in the Hostess Brands commercials.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/commercials/Hostess/Captain-Cupcake/ |title=CAPTAIN CUPCAKE |website=Behind The Voice Actors |access-date=January 13, 2020}}</ref>