![]() ![]() Legacy įor his contribution to the motion picture industry, Allen was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6821 Hollywood Boulevard. Cremated, his ashes were scattered at Railroad Park in Willcox. ![]() He had collapsed in his driveway after suffering a heart attack and was then accidentally run over by his caregiver. He wrote and sang the theme song for the early 1980s sitcom Best of the West.Īllen died on December 17, 1999, in Tucson, Arizona. In his later years he also performed frequently with actor Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzalez. After moving to Sonoita, Arizona, in the early 1990s, he was a viable voice talent almost until his death, recording hundreds of national advertising voice tracks at his favorite Tucson studio, Porter Sound. He was also the voice behind Purina Dog Chow commercials for many years. A 1993 renovation replaced Allen with Jean Shepherd as the voice of the father, but Allen was given a cameo as the grandfather in the final scene.Īllen provided the narration for the 1973 Hanna-Barbera animated film Charlotte's Web. He also was the voice of the father on Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress, first presented at the 1964 World's Fair and now at Walt Disney World. The work earned him the nickname, "The Voice of the West." He narrated The Legend of Lobo, The Incredible Journey, Yellowstone Cubs, Run, Appaloosa, Run, and Charlie, the Lonesome Cougar. In 1961, he was one of five rotating hosts for NBC-TV's Five Star Jubilee.Īllen had a rich, pleasant voice, ideally suited for narration, and was able to find considerable work as a narrator in a variety of films, especially for Walt Disney Pictures wildlife films and television shows. Bill Baxter for the half-hour weekly syndicated series Frontier Doctor. ![]() Īs other cowboy stars made the transition to television, Allen tried too, cast as Dr. But he starred in a number of B-Westerns during the 1950s. Late in coming to the industry, his film career was relatively short as the popularity of series westerns faded by the mid 1950s. Later career Īllen wrote and recorded many songs, a number of which were featured in his own films. His five children included Rex Allen Jr., who became a singer like his father. ![]() His third and final marriage was to Virginia Hudson, on November 25, 1992. 1946–1973), with whom he had four children. His second marriage was to Bonnie Linder (m. In 1940, Allen married Doris Windsor, with whom he had one child (Rexine Allen). Allen's comic-relief sidekick in his first few pictures was Buddy Ebsen and then character actor Slim Pickens. One of the top-ten box office draws of the day, whose character was soon depicted in comic books, on screen Allen personified the clean cut, God-fearing American hero of the Wild West, who wore a white Stetson hat, loved his faithful horse Koko, and had a loyal buddy who shared his adventures. Beginning in 1950, Allen starred as himself in 19 of Hollywood's Western movies. When singing cowboys such as Roy Rogers and Gene Autry were very much in vogue in American film, in 1949 Republic Pictures in Hollywood gave him a screen test and put him under contract. Allen began his singing career on radio station KOY in Phoenix, Arizona, after which he became better known as a performer on the National Barn Dance on WLS in Chicago. ![]()
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