Dayton Allen, 85; Actor Did Voices for Cartoons, ‘Howdy Doody Show’

Dayton Allen, 85, a comedian and actor who lent his voice to a variety of characters on the original “Howdy Doody Show” and was the voice of the cartoon character Deputy Dawg, died Thursday of complications from a stroke in Hendersonville, N.C.

Born in New York City, Allen worked as a radio disc jockey and comedian, and as a writer of comedy bits for vaudeville. In the 1950s, he spent four years on television with Buffalo Bob Smith, the host of the original “Howdy Doody Show.” Allen provided the voices for such puppet characters as Phineas T. Bluster and Flub-a-Dub and on-camera characters such as Pierre the Chef.

Perhaps his most notable voice work, however, came during his long association with the cartoon studio Terrytoons. He provided most of the voices for “The Deputy Dawg Show,” a syndicated series that debuted in 1960. He was also the voice of the cartoon magpies Heckle and Jeckle, and many other characters.

He was also a regular on “The Steve Allen Show,” where he often played a bogus expert or had roles in comic “Man on the Street” interviews.