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Frances Helen Allison (November 20, 1907June 13, 1989) was an American television and radio comedienne, personality, and singer. She is best known for her starring role on the weekday NBC-TV
puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. Puppetry is an ancient form of theatre which dates back to the 5th century BC in anci ...
show '' Kukla, Fran and Ollie'', which ran from 1947 to 1957, occasionally returning to the air until the mid-1980s. The trio also hosted ''The CBS 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 in La 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 of Coe College, she was a member of Alpha Gamma Delta. She was a fourth-grade teacher for four years in Schleswig and Pocahontas (both in Iowa), before beginning her broadcasting career at WMT in
Cedar Rapids, Iowa Cedar Rapids is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 137,710 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Iowa, second-most populous city in Iowa. The city lies o ...
. (Another source describes WMT as "''Waterloo'' radio station WMT." It moved to Cedar Rapids in 1935.) In 1934, Allison was among "14 sectional winners in the '' Hollywood Hotel'' radio contest."


Radio

She moved to
Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
in 1937, where she was hired as a staff singer and personality on NBC 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 on '' The Breakfast Club,'' a popular
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
originating 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 on ''Those Websters''.


''Kukla, Fran and Ollie''

In 1947, the director of WBKB-TV in Chicago asked Burr Tillstrom if he could put together a puppet show for children, and he asked Allison, whom he had met during a World War II war bond tour, to join the show. The show was an early American
television show A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming platf ...
using
puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. Puppetry is an ancient form of theatre which dates back to the 5th century BC in anci ...
s. It was created for children, but was soon watched by more adults than children. It did not have a script and was entirely ad-libbed. It was broadcast from Chicago between October 13, 1947, and August 30, 1957. Comedienne Fran Allison starred, interacting with hand puppets Kukla 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 of '' Kukla, Fran and Ollie:'' in the late 1950s, she hosted ''The Fran Allison Show,'' a panel discussion TV program in Chicago; and appeared in television musical specials displaying her singing abilities, including ''Many Moons'' (1954), ''Pinocchio'' with
Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Ninnian Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nearly nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last survivi ...
(1957), '' Damn Yankees'' (1967) with
Phil Silvers Phil Silvers (born Phillip Silver; May 11, 1911 – November 1, 1985) was an American entertainer and comedic actor, known as "The King of Chutzpah". His career as a professional entertainer spanned nearly 60 years. He achieved major popularity w ...
and lastly ''Miss Pickerell'' (1972). She had her own program, ''The Fran Allison Show'' on WGN-TV (1958–1960). In the 1980s, she hosted ''Prime Time'', a show for senior citizens, on KHJ-TV in Los Angeles.


Recordings

Allison made records for the RCA Victor label. She had two minor pop hits. 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 by Jack Fascinato, who was the orchestra leader of Kukla, Fran and Ollie.


Recognition

In 1950, Allison was nominated for an
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
as 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 the
National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), also known as the National Television Academy until 2007, is an American professional service organization founded in 1955 for "the advancement of the arts and sciences of televisio ...
. In 1967, Iowa Wesleyan University awarded 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 the ''Freeport Journal-Standard'', "For mental health, she will travel anywhere, anytime." Allison was on the board of Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters.


Death

In later life, Allison lived in
Van Nuys, California Van Nuys ( ) is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Van Nuys City Hall, Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley ...
. She died on June 13, 1989, aged 81.DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960'', pg. 10, McFarland & Company, Inc.; from myelodysplasia in Sherman Oaks, California, She was buried in Mount Calvary Cemetery in
Cedar Rapids, Iowa Cedar Rapids is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 137,710 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Iowa, second-most populous city in Iowa. The city lies o ...
. 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 the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6763 Hollywood Boulevard. She was inducted into the Chicago Television Academy's Silver Circle in 2002. She appeared with puppets Kukla and Ollie on a 44¢ US commemorative postage stamp in the "Early TV Memories" series, issued on August 11, 2009.


References


External links

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Fran Allison
a
TV.com




kukla.tv. Accessed May 20, 2024. {{DEFAULTSORT:Allison, Fran 1907 births 1989 deaths 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American comedians American radio personalities American television personalities American women television personalities People from La Porte City, Iowa RCA Victor artists Coe College alumni Actresses from Iowa Singers from Iowa Deaths from blood disease Comedians from Iowa