Allan Melvin was an American character actor whose warm voice and affable screen presence made him a familiar face on television from the 1950s through the 1980s. He was born on February 18, 1923, in Kansas City, Missouri, but grew up in New York City. His early interest in the performing arts led him to Columbia University, where he majored in journalism and played on the football team.
After college, Melvin served in the United States Navy during World War II. His military service delayed the start of his entertainment career, but it helped shape his authoritative yet approachable persona that would later make him popular in roles ranging from drill sergeants to dads. Melvin began his entertainment career in radio and theater.
Drooper is a member of The Banana Splits who appeared in The Banana Splits Adventure Hour. He was portrayed by Dan Winkless and voiced by Allan Melvin.
Filmography
- 1955-59 The Phil Silvers Show (143 episodes)
- 1961-66 The Dick Van Dyke Show (8 episodes)
- 1962-64 Make Room for Daddy (3 episodes)
- 1962-67 The Andy Griffith Show (8 episodes)
- 1963 Perry Mason
- 1963 Beetle Bailey (Voice – He wrote two episodes of the show)
- 1963-66 The Flintstones (Voice – 13 episodes)
- 1964-66 The Magilla Gorilla Show (Voice)
- 1964 Hey There, It’s Yogi Bear! ((Voice)
- 1964 My Favorite Martian
- 1964-65 The Joey Bishop Show (8 Episodes)
- 1965 Sinbad Jr. and his Magic Belt (Voice)
- 1965-69 Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (16 episodes)
- 1966 Lost in Space (2 episodes)
- 1966 Alice in Wonderland or What’s a Nice Kid Like You Doing in a Place Like This? (TV special)
- 1968 The Adventures of Gulliver (Voice)
- 1968 With Six You Get Eggroll
- 1968-70 The Banana Splits Adventure Hour (Voice)
- 1969 Cattanooga Cats (Voice)
- 1969 Mod Squad
- 1969-71 Love, American Style (Unknown # Episodes)
- 1969-74 The Brady Bunch (8 episodes)
- 1970 Pufnstuf (Voice)
- 1972-79 All in the Family (25 episodes)
- 1972 The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie (Voice – 2 episodes)
- 1972-73 Wait Till Your Father Gets Home (Voices – Unknown # Episodes)
- 1973-75 Yogi’s Gang (Voices – Unknown # Episodes)
- 1974 These Are the Days (Voices)
- 1974 Hong Kong Phooey (Voices)
- 1976 Dynomutt, Dog Wonder (Voices)
- 1977 CB Bears (Voices)
- 1977-78 Fred Flintstone and Friends (Voices – Unknown # Episodes)
- 1977-80 Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels (Voices – Unknown # Episodes)
- 1978 Hanna-Barbera’s All-Star Comedy Ice Revue (TV special – Voice)
- 1978 The Scooby-Doo Show (Voices)
- 1978 Fangface (Voices)
- 1978-83 The All New Popeye Hour (Voices – Unknown # Episodes)
- 1979 The Popeye Valentine Special: Sweethearts at Sea (TV special – Voice)
- 1979 The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show (Voices)
- 1979-82 The New Adventures of Flash Gordon (24 episodes)
- 1979-83 Archie Bunker’s Place (94 episodes)
- 1981 Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (Voices)
- 1981-82 The Kwicky Koala Show (Voices 16 episodes)
- 1982 Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour (Voices)
- 1982 Yogi Bear’s All Star Comedy Christmas Caper (TV special – Voice)
- 1984 Challenge of the GoBots (Voices)
- 1984-87 The Smurfs (Voices – Unknown # Episodes)
- 1985 Galtar and the Golden Lance (Voices)
- 1985 Yogi’s Treasure Hunt (Voices)
- 1985-87 The Jetsons (Voices – Unknown # Episodes)
- 1986-87 Foofur (Voices – Unknown # Episodes)
- 1987 Popeye and Son (Voices)
- 1987 Yogi’s Great Escape (Voices – TV movie)
- 1988 The Good, the Bad, and Huckleberry Hound (Voices)
- 1988 The New Yogi Bear Show (Voices)
- 1988 Adventures of the Gummi Bears (Voices)
- 1990 TaleSpin (Voices)
- 1990 The Adventures of Don Coyote and Sancho Panda (Voices)
- 1990-91 Wake, Rattle, and Roll (Voices)
- 1991 Yo Yogi! (Voices)
- 1994 Scooby-Doo! in Arabian Nights (Voices – TV movie – final role)
He gained national attention in the early 1950s when he won the Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts radio competition1, which launched his acting career in earnest. His breakthrough came when he was cast as Corporal Henshaw, the wisecracking sidekick on The Phil Silvers Show
(originally titled You’ll Never Get Rich), a role he played from 1955 to 1959. The part showcased his comedic timing and ability to play lovable schemers. Over the next decades, Melvin became a fixture on television, appearing in guest roles on nearly every major sitcom of the era. He played Barney Hefner, the best friend of Archie Bunker, on All in the Family and Archie Bunker’s Place,
and portrayed Sam Franklin, Alice’s boyfriend, on The Brady Bunch. He also had a recurring role as Sergeant Hacker on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. and appeared on The Andy Griffith Show and My Favorite Martian. In addition to his live-action work, Melvin found success as a voice actor. He voiced Magilla Gorilla in the Hanna-Barbera cartoon of the same name,
and provided numerous voices for The Flintstones, The Banana Splits, and Scooby-Doo, among others. His deep, cheerful voice made him a natural fit for animated characters, commercials, and narration. Melvin never received major acting awards, but his consistent work and memorable characters
earned him a lasting place in television history. He was widely respected in the industry for his professionalism and versatility, and he was particularly admired for his ability to bring humanity to even the most comedic or exaggerated roles. Allan Melvin married Amalia Faustina Sestero in 1944,
and the couple remained together until his death. They had two children. He largely stayed out of the limelight in his personal life, focusing on his family and his steady stream of acting work. Later in life, Melvin retired to Brentwood, California, and appeared less frequently in the public eye, though his characters lived on in reruns and nostalgic tributes.
Melvin died from cancer on Thursday, January 17, 2008, at his home in Los Angeles. He was 84 years old. He was survived by his wife Amalia, his daughter, and several grandchildren. Though never a household name, his roles—particularly in classic sitcoms and cartoons—ensured his voice and face would remain instantly recognizable to generations of TV viewers.
Footnotes
- The Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts radio competition was a popular talent show that aired on CBS Radio from 1946 to 1956 before transitioning to television. Hosted by Arthur Godfrey, a well-known radio and TV personality, the show provided a national platform for discovering new performers, many of whom would go on to successful careers. Contestants were introduced by “talent scouts”—usually friends or relatives—who believed in their abilities, and the studio audience voted for the winner using an applause meter. The show launched the careers of numerous entertainers, including Pat Boone, Tony Bennett, and Lenny Bruce. Its format combined wholesome entertainment with an engaging, personable host, reflecting post-war America’s appetite for homegrown talent and television stardom. ↩︎
Further Reading
Sources
- Wikipedia “Allan Melvin” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allan_Melvin
- IMDB “Allan Melvin(1923-2008)” https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0578510/
- TV Insider “Allan Melvin” https://www.tvinsider.com/people/allan-melvin/
- MeTV “Is Allan Melvin TV’s most familiar face?” https://metv.com/stories/is-allan-melvin-tvs-most-familiar-face
