Biography
Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen was an American television personality, radio personality, musician, composer, actor, comedian, writer, and advocate of scientific skepticism. In 1954, he achieved national fame as the co-creator and first host of The Tonight Show, which was the first late night television talk show. Though he got his start in radio, Allen is best known for his extensive network television career. He gained national attention as a guest host on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Sco...
Known For
Complete Filmography
Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues
2022
as Self (voice) (archive sound)
An intimate and revealing look at the world-changing musician, presented through a lens of archival footage and never-before-heard home recordings and...
Boulevard! A Hollywood Story
2021
as Self (archive footage)
Dickson Hughes and Richard Stapley, two young composers and romantic partners, are caught in the web of silent film star Gloria Swanson when she hires...
Jay Sebring… Cutting to the Truth
2020
as Self (archive footage)
An illuminating portrait of Jay Sebring — the long-forgotten artist, designer, and entrepreneur who created a billion-dollar hair & beauty industry an...
Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind
2018
as Self (archive footage)
A funny, intimate and heartbreaking portrait of one of the world’s most beloved and inventive comedians, Robin Williams, told largely through his own ...
Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words
2016
as Self (archive footage)
Utilizing potent TV interviews and many forgotten performances from his 30-year career, we are immersed into Frank Zappa’s world while experiencing tw...
Erroll Garner: No One Can Hear You Read
2013
as Self (archive footage)
In a triumphant career that lasted forty years Erroll Garner pushed the playability of the piano to its limits, developed an international reputation,...
2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift
2010
as Self (archive footage)
The team of smart-talkin' toddlers known as Everything Is Terrible! have once again emerged from their VHS cocoons to conjure a jam on culture so cult...
Elvis: #1 Hit Performances
2007
as Self (archive footage)
Elvis fans, thank your lucky stars. This jam-packed collection of pulse-raising performances from TV, movies, concerts and special events showcases th...
Elvis: The King of Rock 'n' Roll
2007
as Self (archive footage)
Elvis fans, thank your lucky stars. This jam-packed collection of pulse-raising performances from TV, movies, concerts and special events showcases th...
Tasmanian Devil: The Fast and Furious Life of Errol Flynn
2007
as Self (archive footage)
The story of Tasmanian-born actor Errol Flynn whose short & flamboyant life, full of scandals, adventures, loves and excess was largely played out in ...
The Adventures of Errol Flynn
2005
as Self (archive footage)
A documentary about the life of Errol Flynn, with recollections from friends and family.
Elvis: Rare Moments with the King
2003
as Self (archive footage)
Featuring a host of archival appearances, interviews and performances, this comprehensive documentary celebrates the never-ending love affair America ...
The Definitive Elvis: The Television Years
2002
as Self (archive footage)
"The Television Years" examines the events that took place in the years between 1956 and 1960, in which Elvis Presley excited a whole nation as the "K...
Nobody's Perfect - The Making of Some Like It Hot
2001
as Self (archive footage)
Documentary discussing the casting and making of "Some Like It Hot", the film voted as the Best Comedy ever made by the American Film Institute.
On and Off the Res' with Charlie Hill
2000
as Himself
Documents the art of stand-up comedy and Indian humor through the experiences of comedian, Charlie Hill. Will Rogers, Steve Allen, Dick Gregory, Floyd...
Let Me In, I Hear Laughter: A Salute to the Friars Club
1999
as Self
Nostalgic history of the Friars Club. Aired on Cinemax Reel Life
Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth
1998
as Self
In 1948, Lenny Bruce was just another comic who couldn't get arrested. By 1961, all that would change.
No More to Say & Nothing to Weep For: An Elegy for Allen Ginsberg
1997
as Self (archive footage)
Witness the last days of the Beat poet whose works would capture the very essence of the 1960 counter-cultural movement in an informative documentary ...
On the Road to Desolation
1997
as Self
Andrew O'Hagan looks at a critical point in the life of Beat Generation writer Jack Kerouac. In 1956 he spent spent 63 soul-searching days as a fire-w...
Rodney Dangerfield's 75th Birthday Toast
1997
as Self
Roast of Rodney Dangerfield recorded in Aspen on his 75th birthday.
Nichols and May: Take Two
1996
as Self
A documentary made for the PBS program American Masters about the comedy team Nichols and May.
Abbott & Costello Meet Biography
1996
as Self
A biography of comedian double act Bud Abbott & Lou Costello
Casino
1995
as Himself
In early-1970s Las Vegas, Sam "Ace" Rothstein gets tapped by his bosses to head the Tangiers Casino. At first, he's a great success in the job, but ov...
James Dean: A Portrait
1995
as Self
A look at the legacy of icon actor James Dean on the 40th anniversary of his tragic death. The special follows his life and career, with obvious atten...
James Dean and Me
1995
as Self (uncredited)
A documentary about James Dean. People who knew him or had worked with him reminisce.
The Player
1992
as Steve Allen
A Hollywood studio executive is being sent death threats by a writer whose script he rejected - but which one?
Laurel and Hardy: A Tribute to the Boys
1992
as Self
Modern comedians share their thoughts about Laurel and Hardy. Also includes archival footage of contemporary comedians. Hosted by Dom DeLuise.
Rodney Dangerfield's The Really Big Show
1991
as Self
Rodney Dangerfield wants the hottest up-and-coming comedians for his new HBO special, but as always, he gets no respect.
WWE WrestleMania VI
1990
as Self
More than 65,000 fans pack the Toronto SkyDome to witness The Ultimate Challenge as The Ultimate Warrior faces Hulk Hogan with both the WWE Championsh...
The Power of the Market
1990
Dr. Friedman states, "There is not a single person in the world who can make this pencil." He explains that the creation of even a simple object - lik...
Great Balls of Fire!
1989
as himself
The story of Jerry Lee Lewis, arguably the greatest and certainly one of the wildest musicians of the 1950s. His arrogance, remarkable talent, and unc...
Richard Lewis: I'm Exhausted
1988
as Self
The sun's too bright, the traffic's going to be bad, there's too many people out there... It's just easier to sit back on the couch and laugh with Ric...
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC
1988
as Self
Stars celebrate Bob Hope's 50 years with NBC.
Amazon Women on the Moon
1987
as Steve Allen (segment "Roast Your Loved One")
Centered around a television station which features a 1950s-style sci-fi movie interspersed with a series of wild commercials, wacky shorts and weird ...
TV's Funniest Comedians - 14 Stars Do Classic Routines
1986
as Self
A compilation film of stand up performances and comedy routines featuring some of the biggest stars in the early years of television. This film was di...
The Ratings Game
1984
as Steve Allen
A New Jersey trucker creates a hit TV show with help from his girlfriend in the ratings business.
Computability: How to Make the Most of Your Home Computer
1984
Steve Allen and Jayne Meadows teach viewers computer terminology, basic functionality and the many common uses of home computers.
The Making of the Stooges
1984
as Self - Host
A documentary recounting the personal and professional lives of the Three Stooges, including rare footage and interviews with family members.
Don't Ask Me, Ask God
1984
as [Self]
Don't Ask Me, Ask God is a TV Special starring Michael J. Fox.
The Funny Farm
1983
as Self
The laughs are nonstop as a gang of ambitious young comics strives to make it in the exciting world of stand-up comedy at the famous comedy club in L....
Night of 100 Stars
1982
as Self
The most glittering, expensive, and exhausting videotaping session in television history took place Friday February 19, 1982 at New York's Radio City ...
Heart Beat
1980
as Himself
An exploration of the relationship between Beat Generation writers Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady, and Cassady's wife, Carolyn.
The Gossip Columnist
1980
as Steve Allen
New Tinseltown gossip columnist Dina Moran helps faded movie star Georgia O'Hanlon dig up dirt on amoral characters.
Stone
1979
as Steve Allen
Dennis Weaver is a Joseph Wambaugh-type novelist cop and Pat Hingle is his hard-nosed superior who wants him to stick to police work or get off the fo...
The Muppets Go Hollywood
1979
as Self
Kermit the Frog throws a glamorous party at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub to celebrate the premiere of the Muppets' first feature film, The Muppet Movi...
Have I Got a Christmas for You
1977
as Martin Kaplan
Members of a town's Jewish community decide to substitute for their Christian friends and neighbors so they can enjoy Christmas. The good folk humorou...
Lucy Calls the President
1977
as Steve Allen
Homemaker Lucy Whittaker calls up President Carter to complain about a local political issue—and to her astonishment, he agrees to come dine at her ho...
On Location: Myron Cohen
1976
as Self - Host
With an uncanny ability to mimic just about any dialect he heard and accompany it with a hilariously appropriate facial expression, classic nightclub ...
Joys
1976
as Self
Over fifty of the greatest living comedians are called to a party at Bob Hope's house, where each of them is systematically killed (and their bodies t...
The Sunshine Boys
1975
as Self
Lewis and Clark, aka The Sunshine Boys, were famous comedians during the vaudeville era, but off-stage they couldn't stand each other and haven't spok...
The Sunshine Boys
1975
as Narrator of Fictional TV Program (uncredited)
Lewis and Clark, aka The Sunshine Boys, were famous comedians during the vaudeville era, but off-stage they couldn't stand each other and haven't spok...
Mitzi & 100 Guys
1975
as Self
Mitzi Gaynor in a song and dance hour with an all-male, star-studded ensemble featuring her main guests Michael Landon (Little House on the Prairie) a...
James Dean Remembered
1974
as Self
Peter Lawford hosts this documentary taking a look at the life and films of James Dean.
Lenny Bruce: Without Tears
1972
as Self / DJ (archive footage)
The outrageous, groundbreaking comic Lenny Bruce, whose iconoclastic material in a conservative era got him into tragic trouble, is profiled by a clos...
The Comic
1969
as Steve Allen
An account of the rise and fall of a silent film comic, Billy Bright. The movie begins with his funeral, as he speaks from beyond the grave in a bitte...
Now You See It, Now You Don't
1968
as Herschel Lucas
A bumbling art expert, hired by an insurance company to protect a Rembrandt on loan from the Louvre, schemes to steal it.
Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?
1968
as Radio Announcer
When the Great Northeast Blackout of 1965 hit, millions of people were left in the dark, including Waldo Zane, a New York executive in the process of ...
The Movie Orgy
1968
as Self (archive footage)
Clips from assorted television programs, B-movies, commercials, music performances, newsreels, bloopers, satirical short films and promotional and gov...
Warning Shot
1967
as Steve Allen
Hounded by the press for shooting a doctor, an ousted Los Angeles policeman works his own case.
Don't Worry, We'll Think of a Title
1966
as Bookstore Customer with Little Boy (uncredited)
A man is mistaken by foreign agents for a defecting cosmonaut and must prove his identity while evading capture.
The Universal Mind of Bill Evans
1966
Jazz Pianist on the Creative Process & Self-Teaching. Here is the late, brilliantly original jazz pianist in intense conversation with his compose...
Something's Got to Give
1962
as Psychiatrist
Remake of "My Favorite Wife," unfinished because of star Marilyn Monroe's firing, rehiring, and sudden August 1962 death.
College Confidential
1960
as Steve MacInter
Sociology professor Steve MacInter is conducting a survey at Collins College about the mores and lifestyles of the young people. Some of the good citi...
College Confidential
1960
Songs
Sociology professor Steve MacInter is conducting a survey at Collins College about the mores and lifestyles of the young people. Some of the good citi...
The Big Circus
1959
as Self
A circus owner tries to keep his financially troubled circus on the road, despite the efforts of a murderous saboteur who has decided that the show mu...
The Benny Goodman Story
1956
as Benny Goodman
Young Benny Goodman is taught clarinet by a music professor. He is advised to play whichever kind of music he likes best, but to make a living, Benny ...
Allen in Movieland
1955
as Self
TV goes Hollywood when Steve Allen visits Universal-International to prepare for his upcoming title role in "The Benny Goodman Story."
I'll Get By
1950
as Peter Pepper
I'll Get By is an updated remake of the 1940 20th Century-Fox musical Tin Pan Alley. William Lundigan and Dennis Day play William Spencer and Freddie ...
Down Memory Lane
1949
as Self
This film is a compilation, with narration by Steve Allen, of comedies from the old Mack Sennett silent studio. Sennett, himself, appears in a cameo a...
Down Memory Lane
1949
Writer
This film is a compilation, with narration by Steve Allen, of comedies from the old Mack Sennett silent studio. Sennett, himself, appears in a cameo a...