Allen Town: Veteran comic brings variety shows to Rose Cottage residents

Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2003 | 8:57 a.m.

The entertainment calendar at Rose Cottage assisted living center has gone up a notch since the September arrival of its newest resident: 87-year-old comedian Bernie Allen.

Now, along with bingo, arts and crafts and shopping trips to Wal-Mart, residents of the facility at 3985 S. Pearl St. are treated to occasional free performances by headliners, former headliners and other show business notables who know or at one time worked with Allen.

Magician Lance Burton, headliner at the Monte Carlo, will perform for the elderly residents Jan. 4.

"Lance is a dear friend," said Allen. "We go back to the old Hacienda days (1980s) when I was with Redd Foxx for three years it was me, Redd Foxx and Prince Spencer, a great tap dancer.

"We packed the house every night. It was a great run there."

Acerbic standup comic Cork Proctor (a popular emcee and roast master) appeared Dec. 21 along with the 76 Trombone Band, which actually numbers only four.

"Bernie worked for me in the '80s when I was entertainment director at the Gold Coast," Proctor said. "The first time I met him was when he was performing with Steve Rossi at the Silver Slipper.

"It was their halcyon days."

Rossi is most closely associated with wire-haired comedian Marty Allen. Allen & Rossi were one of the hottest comedy teams in the world in the '60s. When they broke up, Rossi joined forces with comedian Slappy White and then, in 1974, with Bernie Allen. They were partners for almost six years.

"Bernie was one of the funniest guys I ever met in my life," said Rossi, who will be among those performing at Rose Cottage in the weeks and months ahead.

Currently appearing in "Motown & Oldies Forever" at Castaways, Rossi says he's looking forward to the gig at the assisted living venue.

"If I do real good, maybe they will hold me over," he said.

Allen also performs at the center, warming up the fans with a few one-liners and then introducing the entertainers, who do a show that lasts about an hour.

"I've got some clean material for the ladies," said Allen, who also has ample blue material. "They will love it. I've met all the nice ladies here. They hear about all the shows coming in and they're tickled."

Rose Cottage Entertainment Director Vicki Palmer says the residents are excited, especially about the upcoming appearance of Burton.

"They've been talking about it," she said.

Resident Betty Lynch has seen Burton perform before.

"I saw him when he was at the Hacienda," she said. "I lived across the street."

But she doesn't think she has ever seen Allen perform.

"I don't have much of a memory anymore," she said.

Palmer says there are different activities at the center every day.

"Sometimes we take groups to a casino, or shopping at Wal-Mart," she said. "All of it is fairly simple. A lot of our folks may not hear or see well. They may have arthritis, so they may not have a lot of dexterity."

In addition to Allen's friends, Palmer said the facility tries to have some kind of entertainment on Friday afternoons.

"Usually it's some kind of musical thing, the type of music that seniors enjoy," she said.

Residents have a lot of entertainment to look forward to.

"I've got so many friends," said Allen, whose ankles are so badly deteriorated from wounds suffered in France during World War II that he spends much of his time in an electric wheelchair.

He says he is going to bring in the Checkmates, featuring Sweet Louie and Sonny Charles, who have been mainstays on the local lounge scene for almost 40 years, as long as Allen.

Also scheduled is Nelson Sardelli, the gun-twirling, singing, dancing comedian noted for his charity work.

Allen says he used to march in fund-raising parades with Sardelli in Puerto Rico, where Allen performed from 1969 to 1974.

"We'd be marching down the street and people would throw money at us," he said. "Nelson will perform here. I know him."

Allen says he's asking his friends to perform at the facility to help brighten the lives of the residents.

"One lady just lost her husband," he said. "You don't know how important it is to have a show to entertain the people. It can be so lonely here."

Allen may have a lot of friends, but he is learning about loneliness.

Norma, his wife of 62 years, died from complications brought about by Alzheimer's disease.

"She died Aug. 29, our anniversary," Allen said. "Norma was a lovely, beautiful girl who wanted to help everybody."

Allen is equally altruistic.

He has championed the cause of the homeless since 1959. In recent years his birthday party in February has turned into a clothing drive, with guests required to donate an article of clothing as the price of admission to the affair.

"Wouldn't it be great if President Bush came up with $100 billion to put an end to the homeless epidemic in this country?"

Allen says he was almost homeless when he was a young man in New York City. After the war he owned a luncheonette for about 10 years, but gambled it away and was forced to drive a cab to feed his family.

One night in 1957 he picked up Rocky Graziano and took him to the Sugar Ray Robinson-Carmen Basilio bout. En route Allen, a natural comedian, kept Graziano laughing.

Graziano introduced him to Martha Raye, who helped him get his start in show business.

Allen spent almost 10 years working security for Raye and performing in nightclubs in and around New York. In 1966 Frank Sinatra caught his act and arranged for him to sign a contract with the Sands in Las Vegas.

Allen says he never looked back.

"Just think," he said. "If I had gone one second faster in that cab and missed picking up Rocky Graziano, I don't have a story to tell. It was all in God's split-second timing."

Since that fateful ride, Allen has rubbed shoulders with some of the greatest entertainers in history.

He has performed in venues all over the world for audiences of all sizes.

Allen says he's looking forward to his final gig, bringing some joy into the lives of the residents of Rose Cottage.

"Entertaining is all I know," he said. "I think I can perform here the rest of my life."com

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