Fran Allison
Born	Fran Allison 20 November 1907(1907-11-20) La Porte City, Iowa
Died	13 June 1989 (aged 81) Sherman Oaks, California

Fran Allison (November 20, 1907 – June 13, 1989) was an American television and radio comedian and singer. She is best known for her starring role on the NBC puppet show Kukla, Fran and Ollie, which ran from 1947 to 1957, returning to the air regularly until the mid 1980s. The trio also hosted The CBS Children's Film Festival, introducing international children's films in the late 1960s and 70s.

[edit] Biography

Allison was born in La Porte City, Iowa. She was a 1927 graduate of Coe College and began her broadcasting career at WMT-AM in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She was a regular performer on The Breakfast Club, a popular old-time radio program which ran from 1933 to 1968. On The Breakfast Club she portrayed "Aunt Fanny," a gossipy small-town spinster, until the show ended in 1968. Aunt Fanny also appeared on the ABC-TV series, Ozark Jubilee, during the late 1950s.

l to r: Kukla, Ollie and Fran

She was the only human to appear on Kukla, Fran and Ollie, filling the role of big sister and cheery voice of reason as the puppets engaged each other.

In later life, Allison lived in Van Nuys, California. She died from myelodysplasia at the age of 81 in Sherman Oaks, California.^[1]

For contributions to the television industry, Fran Allison was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6763 Hollywood Boulevard.^[2]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Allison at the Museum of TV
• Tribute Web site
• Fran Allison at the Internet Movie Database
• Allison grave site and photos