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Wikipedia / Allen Jenkins

Allen Curtis Jenkins (April 9, 1900 – July 20, 1974) was an American character actor, voice actor and singer who worked on stage, film, and television. He may be best known to some audiences as the voice of Officer Charlie Dibble in the Hanna-Barbera TV cartoon series Top Cat (1961–62).

Life and career

Jenkins was born on Staten Island, New York, on April 9, 1900. He is sometimes reported as having been born with the name Alfred McGonegal, but his birth, census and draft card records, as well as his New York Times obituary indicate he was born Allen Curtis Jenkins, the son of actor Robert Oliver Jenkins (1860–1909) and musical performer and teacher Leona Jenkins (born Leonora Cooley), (1864–1935).

Jenkins's father, born in Baltimore, was descended from a colonial Catholic family who settled Maryland in the early 1600s. His mother's family were mainly New England Yankees from Massachusetts and Vermont. In fact, Jenkins's maternal grandfather and great-grandfather were both named Ebenezer Cooley.

Jenkins had been a stage actor since 1922. He signed a seven-year contract with Warner Bros. in 1932 and established himself quickly as a gloom-faced, wisecracking character player, useful in comedies, dramas, and musicals (he was an accomplished dancer). Though mainly of English and Welsh descent, he was considered a member of Hollywood's so-called "Irish Mafia", a group of Irish-American actors and friends which included Spencer Tracy, James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, and Frank McHugh. His Warner agreement was non-exclusive so he could appear in films for other studios, such as Whirlpool (as Jack Holt's sidekick) and Dead End (as Humphrey Bogart's sidekick).

After his Warner agreement lapsed, Jenkins freelanced for the rest of his career. After World War II, when Hollywood studios made fewer feature films, Jenkins found work at lesser studios, including those of Robert L. Lippert, Monogram Pictures, and Republic Pictures. He also began appearing in the new field of television.

In 1959, Jenkins played the role of elevator operator Harry in the comedy Pillow Talk. He was a regular on the television sitcom Hey, Jeannie! (1956–57), starring Jeannie Carson and often portrayed Muggsy on the 1950s–1970s CBS series The Red Skelton Show. He was also a guest star on many other television programs, such as The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Mr. and Mrs. North, I Love Lucy, Playhouse 90, The Tab Hunter Show, The Ernie Kovacs Show, Zane Grey Theater, and Your Show of Shows. He had a cameo appearance in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963). Eleven days before his death, he made his final appearance, at the end of Billy Wilder's remake of The Front Page (1974); it was released posthumously.

Death

Jenkins died of lung cancer on July 20, 1974, at age 74. His body was cremated, and the ashes were scattered at sea.

Complete filmography

Film

Partial television credits

References