Local Actor Reflects On Entertaining Life

From Eddie Fisher to Eddie Murphy, Massapequa resident has shared the stage and screen with some big stars. Now Allan is becoming a star of his own, stretching his talents as a independent filmmaker and screenplay writer.

Patch sat down for an interview with the entertainer, who shared stories about his movie and commercial career and advice to aspiring entertainers.

Allan said he knew what he wanted to do at a very young age, when his family used to vacation in the Catskill Mountains in the 1950s. Allan recalled being very impressed with the singers and performers who would entertain at the famous hotels including Grossingers.

"Lots of people got their start in the business there," Allan said. "That's when I said 'Wow, I'd love to do this. To entertain like that.'"

A famous singer named Eddie Fisher was discovered at Grossingers, and that became Allan's goal.

Allan started his singing career in 1955 at the Rosmond Hotel. He worked on the staff and sang and entertained when he could. Eventually he was hired onto the staff of Grossingers Hotel and landed his goal job as singer with Eddie Ashman's Orchestra (Eddie Fisher's old job). Allan recalled one highlight of his singing career, when Eddie Fisher did a duet with him.

In the late 1950s Allan would enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps. "We had to be in the service, we could be drafted,'' Allan said. "So I enlisted in the marine corps... and they found out I could sing so they used me every now and then."

At the same time he went to college and graduated from Hunter College. While in College, Allan said he was a good baseball player and even tried out for the New York Yankees. Eventually Allan made his way back towards the city. He got a job singing at the Copacabana at night and at the same time worked a gym teacher during the day.

After an accident, which fractured his skull, singing was just too painful. The vibration of singing caused him great pain, so he segued into commercial acting and "print work" magazine ads.

Allan is a self-described "character actor." "I'm not your leading man type, I never got the girl in anything I've ever done." joked Allan. "I said OK, I'm going to be very versatile."

He went to Circle in the Square Acting School. "The print work and the commercials didn't fly in, you needed to audition for everything you went up for," he said. As an unknown, Allan says persistence was his key. He would look for work constantly and eventually landed his big break as a cabbie in a network commercial.

As for advice to aspiring actors, Allan said it's got to be a career you enjoy. "You've got to be in it... you want to be an actor you've got to act. Forget the money, you've got to do it for love...if you're a dancer you've got to dance every day, if you want to be a ballplayer, hit every day, before every game... acting is no different. Forget the money. very few get rich... thank God I was able to make a living. I had to do other things to support myself while staying in acting... it wasn't easy."

Allan would eventually follow his acting dreams into TV shows and movies, frequently traveling back and forth between his family in New York out to California for various roles. One of those roles was as the Supply Sergeant on China Beach. Unfortunately the show got canceled right after he was signed on so he was only in two shows. "That happened to me three times out in California… that's how close you get." Also while he was in California, Allan picked up an interest in writing scripts. He would later write an off Broadway play and scripts for his own short features.

Allan is a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) actor. He's shared the screen as various characters with famous stars in numerous films including Meet Dave and played the Jury Chairman in Murder in the First. He's also appeared on the small screen in commercials and TV shows including "Law and Order," Growing Pains," "LA Law," and "Melrose Place." 

Allan recalled his recent experience in 2008 with Eddie Murphy on the set of "Meet Dave." Allan played a homeless guy who interacts with Murphy's character. Allan says Murphy doesn't rehearse his scenes so it startled him when the Director yelled action and he hadn't even rehashed the scene. "One take and they kept it." He also played the Jury Foreman in "Murder in the First" with Christian Slater and Kevin Bacon. "As soon as I started my big speech, they cut right to Slater and the other guy.."

Allan would eventually become the star and writer of his very first short film "Knucks," which made its Long Island premiere at the in July. "Knucks" is about a popular New York City card game Allan used to play as a boy in the Bronx. He updated the story. "I thought what if four old guys played Knucks and what reason would they have to play it?" the film won a few awards at various film festivals including Best Audience Choice Short Feature Award at the Cinema City International Film Festival in California.

As for the future, Allan is trying to make a full feature out of" Knucks" and has plans for several other scripts he's written. The show goes on.

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