Two Mothers Of Invention…Steve Allen And Frank Zappa!

You may have thought the story of Frank Zappa, “playing a bicycle” on Steve Allen’s show was just an old wives tale. Not so! Here it is!

If you remember, Allen had gone with NBC in 1953 to do a local late show on WNBT and in ’54, began the ‘Tonight’ show, but in ’56 also took on the Sunday night ‘Steve Allen Show’. That ran till ’60 and wrapped up, with the last year or so, coming from NBC Burbank.

From 1962-1965, Allen re-created the Tonight Show madness on a new late-night ‘Steve Allen Show’ syndicated by Westinghouse TV. The show, taped in Hollywood at “The Steve Allen Playhouse”, which was just the television show’s name for the venue, which was really the Vine Street Theater. Notice the slate at the front of the show…it was a Glenn – Armistead production done with the truck I’ll post below in the comment section.

The show was marked by the same wild, unpredictable stunts, such as ‘Man In The Street’ and comedy skits that often extended down the street to a supermarket known as the Hollywood Ranch Market. He also presented Southern California eccentrics including health food advocate Gypsy Boots, quirky physics professor Dr. Julius Sumner Miller and comic Prof. Irwin Corey.

During one episode, Allen placed a telephone call to the home of Johnny Carson, posing as a ratings company interviewer, asking Carson if the television was on, and what program he was watching. Carson did not immediately realize the caller was Allen.

One notable program, which Westinghouse refused to distribute, featured Lenny Bruce during the time the comic was repeatedly being arrested on obscenity charges. Enjoy and share.

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Two Mothers Of Invention…Steve Allen And Frank Zappa!