Allan John Melvin (February 18, 1923 – January 17, 2008) was an American actor and impressionist, who was cast in hundreds of television episodes from the 1950s to the early 1990s, often appearing in recurring roles on various series. Some of those roles and series include portraying various characters on: ''

The Andy Griffith Show ''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American sitcom television series that was aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in color. The series ...

'', as real estate salesman Pete Dudley in ''

My Favorite Martian ''My Favorite Martian'' is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from September 29, 1963, to May 1, 1966, for 107 episodes. The show stars Ray Walston as "Uncle Martin" (the Martian) and Bill Bixby as Tim O'Hara. ''My Favorite Martian'' was th ...

'', as Corporal Henshaw on ''

The Phil Silvers Show ''The Phil Silvers Show'', originally titled ''You'll Never Get Rich'', is a sitcom which ran on the CBS Television Network from 1955 to 1959. A pilot titled "Audition Show" was made in 1955, but it was never broadcast. 143 other episodes wer ...

'', Sergeant Hacker on ''

Gomer Pyle, USMC Gomer ( ''Gōmer''; ) was the eldest son of Japheth (and of the Japhetic line), and father of Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah, according to the "Table of Nations" in the Hebrew Bible (Genesis 10). The eponymous Gomer, "standing for the whole fa ...

'', Alice's boyfriend Sam the Butcher on ''

The Brady Bunch ''The Brady Bunch'' is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz that aired five seasons from September 26, 1969, to March 8, 1974, on ABC. The series revolves around a large blended family of six children, with three boys and three gir ...

'', and as

Archie Bunker Archibald "Archie" Bunker is a fictional character from the 1970s American television sitcom ''All in the Family'' and its spin-off '' Archie Bunker's Place'', played by Carroll O'Connor. Bunker, a main character of the series, is a World War II ...

's friend Barney Hefner on both ''

All in the Family ''All in the Family'' is an American sitcoms in the United States, sitcom television series that aired on CBS for nine seasons from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979, with a total of 205 episodes. It was later produced as ''Archie Bunker's Pla ...

'' and ''

Archie Bunker's Place ''Archie Bunker's Place'' is an American television sitcom produced as a continuation of ''All in the Family''. It aired on CBS from September 23, 1979 to April 4, 1983. After the final first-run telecast on CBS in April 1983, the series went i ...

''. He has also voiced Tyrone the Bulldog, an archvillain (with his aliases The Jester, The Puzzler, Poochquin, Sheriff of Sherwood, and many others) in the live-action/animated series ''

The Secret Lives of Waldo Kitty ''The Secret Lives of Waldo Kitty'' (later called ''The New Adventures of Waldo Kitty'') is an American animated and partially live-action television series, produced by Filmation, which originally aired for one season on Saturday mornings on N ...

'' and was

Magilla Gorilla Magilla Gorilla is a fictional gorilla and the star of '' The Magilla Gorilla Show'' by Hanna-Barbera that aired from 1964 to 1967. Character description Magilla Gorilla (voiced by Allan Melvin) is a fun-loving yet trouble-prone anthropomorph ...

on ''

The Magilla Gorilla Show ''The Magilla Gorilla Show'' is an American animated television series starring Magilla Gorilla. The series was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions for Screen Gems, and was originally sponsored in syndication by Ideal Toys from 1964 through ...

'', as well as Drooper on ''

The Banana Splits ''The Banana Splits'' is an American children's television variety show produced by Hanna-Barbera, Hanna-Barbera Productions and featuring the Banana Splits, a fictional rock band composed of four costumed animal characters in red helmets with ...

''.

Life and career

Melvin served in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific during WWII. While working at a job in the sound effects department of NBC Radio, he did a nightclub act and appeared and won on the ''

Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts ''Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts'' (also known as ''Talent Scouts'') is an American radio and television variety show that ran on CBS from 1946 until 1958. Sponsored by Lipton Tea, it starred Arthur Godfrey, who was also hosting '' Arthur God ...

'' radio show. While appearing on Broadway in ''

Stalag 17 ''Stalag 17'' is a 1953 American war film directed by Billy Wilder. It tells the story of a group of American airmen confined with 40,000 prisoners in a World War II German prisoner-of-war camp "somewhere on the Danube". Their compound holds ...

'', he got his break into television by getting the role of Corporal Steve Henshaw on the popular ''

'' program. 'Brady Bunch' actor dies at 84
an

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

article via

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

"I think the camaraderie of all those guys made it such a pleasant way to work. They were so relaxed." During this period, in addition to his role on ''The Phil Silvers Show'', Melvin was often cast in slightly loud, occasionally abrasive, but generally friendly second banana roles. Melvin was also adept at "tough guy" roles; in an example of his range as an actor, one episode of ''The Phil Silvers Show'' featured Melvin doing an impersonation of

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart ( ; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American actor. His performances in classic Hollywood cinema made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film Institute selected Bogart ...

In the 1960s, Melvin worked extensively at CBS for

Sheldon Leonard Sheldon Leonard Bershad (February 22, 1907 – January 11, 1997) was an American film and television actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. Early life Sheldon Leonard Bershad was born in Manhattan, New York City, the son of middle-class ...

and

Aaron Ruben Aaron Ruben (March 1, 1914 – January 30, 2010) was an American television director and producer known for ''The Andy Griffith Show'' (1960), '' Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.'' (1964), and '' Sanford and Son'' (1972). Early life Ruben was born in Chic ...

. He made eight guest appearances on ''

'' in eight different roles, usually as heavies, and a further appearance as yet another character on its successor show, ''

Mayberry, R.F.D. ''Mayberry R.F.D.'' (abbreviation for Rural Free Delivery) is an American television series produced as a spin-off continuation of ''The Andy Griffith Show''. When star Andy Griffith decided to leave his series, most of the supporting characte ...

''. He played Staff Sgt. Charlie Hacker, who was Sgt. Vince Carter's rival, for four seasons on the ''Andy Griffith Show'' spin-off ''

''. He also made eight appearances on ''

The Dick Van Dyke Show ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' is an American sitcom created by Carl Reiner that initially aired on CBS from October 3, 1961, to June 1, 1966, with a total of 158 half-hour episodes spanning five seasons. It was produced by Calvada Productions"Calv ...

''. He provided the voices of cartoon characters

and Punkin' Puss on

Punkin' Puss & Mushmouse ''Punkin' Puss & Mushmouse'' is a cartoon produced by Hanna-Barbera and, originally, aired as a segment on the 1964–66 cartoon ''The Magilla Gorilla Show''. Plot The show features a hillbilly cat called Punkin' Puss (voiced by Allan Melvin), ...

, the lion Drooper on ''

'', archvillain Tyrone in ''

'' and

Bluto Bluto, at times known as Brutus, is a cartoon and comics character created in 1932 by Elzie Crisler Segar as a one-time character, named "Bluto the Terrible", in his ''Thimble Theatre'' comic strip (later renamed ''Popeye''). Bluto made his fi ...

on ''

The All New Popeye Hour ''The All New Popeye Hour'' is an American children’s animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and King Features Entertainment. Starring the comic strip character Popeye, the series aired from 1978 to 1983 Saturday morn ...

''. He also made three guest appearances on ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and four short stories, all of which involve a ...

'' in various roles, including reporter Bert Kannon in the 1966 episode "The Case of the Sausalito Sunrise." In the same year, Allan played the space enforcer on the series ''

Lost in Space ''Lost in Space'' is an American science fiction television series created and produced by Irwin Allen, which originally aired between 1965 and 1968 on CBS. Lightly dramatic, sometimes comedic in tone, the series was inspired by the 1812 J ...

'', in the episode "West of Mars". Melvin is remembered for supporting roles on two popular 1970s sitcoms. He played Sam Franklin, the owner of a local butcher shop and boyfriend of the Brady's housekeeper Alice (played by

Ann B. Davis Ann Bradford Davis (May 3, 1926 – June 1, 2014) was an American actress. She achieved prominence for her role in the NBC situation comedy ''The Bob Cummings Show'' (1955–1959), for which she twice won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outs ...

) on ''

'', and Barney Hefner, Archie Bunker's neighbor and friend on ''

''. In other contributions to 1970s pop culture, he worked as a voice artist (under the name "Al Melvin"). He provided several characters' voices for the TV show '' H.R. Pufnstuf'' and the voice of Prince Thun of the Lion Men on ''

The New Adventures of Flash Gordon ''The New Adventures of Flash Gordon'', also known as ''The Adventures of Flash Gordon'' or simply ''Flash Gordon'', is a 1979–1982 animated television series. The series is actually called ''Flash Gordon'' but the expanded title is used in o ...

''. He also provided the voice of Rocky Maninoff for ''

Tennessee Tuxedo Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina to the east, Georgia, Alabama, and Missi ...

'' in the episode "Mixed-up Mechanics" in 1963. He also worked extensively in television commercials, including fifteen years as Al the Plumber on

Liquid-Plumr Liquid-Plumr is a chemical drain opener made of 0.5–2% sodium hydroxide and 5–10% sodium hypochlorite, and a surfactant, produced by Clorox. The product is safe for septic systems, PVC, plastic, and copper pipes, although is not recommended ...

drain opener commercials.McLellan, Dennis. "Allan Melvin 1923–2008: Character actor on 'All in the Family,' 'Phil Silvers Show,'" ''Los Angeles Times'', Saturday, January 19, 2008.
/ref> In the early 1980s, Melvin appeared as a regular in ''

'', in which he reprised the now more important role of Barney Hefner. After the series ended in 1983, Melvin's work was exclusively devoted to cartoon voice-overs. His voice acting career continued until 1994, with ''

Scooby-Doo! in Arabian Nights ''Scooby-Doo in Arabian Nights'' (also known as ''Arabian Nights'') is a 1994 made-for-television film produced by Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, and aired on syndication on September 3, 1994. It is an adaptation of ''The Book of One Thousand and O ...

'' being his final voice work (again as Magilla Gorilla) before retiring.

Death

Allan Melvin died of cancer on January 17, 2008, aged 84,Reuters
/ref> and was buried at

Westwood Memorial Cemetery Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary is a cemetery and mortuary located in the Westwood area of Los Angeles. It includes a crematory for cremation services. Its location is at 1218 Glendon Avenue in Westwood, with an entr ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

.''The AV Club''
/ref>

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Melvin, Allan 1923 births 2008 deaths 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American male actors American impressionists (entertainers) American male television actors American male voice actors Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery Columbia University alumni Comedians from California Comedians from Kansas City, Missouri Comedians from New York City Deaths from cancer in California Hanna-Barbera people Male actors from Greater Los Angeles Male actors from Kansas City, Missouri Male actors from New York City Military personnel from Missouri United States Navy personnel of World War II