11/12/00
Farewell, Steverino
This week’s Observations column is
by staff writer Dolores Madlener.
In his lengthy obituaries, comedian, composer and moral conscience
Steve Allen was honored for his varied talents and achievements.
Being gracious, it seems, was high among them.
Just a week before he went to his gentle demise (Oct. 30), Allen
wrote this personal e-mail to me at The Catholic New World: “Dear
Dolores, thanks for sending me the results of our recent interview.
And thanks, too, for allotting it so much space in The Catholic
New World. It’s a fine paper and I’m grateful to you for bringing
it to my attention. Cordially, Steve Allen.”
Less than two months before his death, Allen found time to sit
still for a telephone interview on his crusade for more moral
television programming. A genius who juggled many talents, he
was also faithful in the little things—such as writing a thank-you
note in timely fashion.
At the end of our 45-minute Q&A session (Sept. 3-11 issue), I
had an opportunity to slip in that his mother had been a neighbor
in Our Lady of Solace Parish when I was a kid. “We lived at 6059
S. Green St.,” interjected Allen immediately.
I told him our family lived down the street at 6036. By the time
I met his mother, the retired, plucky Belle Montrose (her stage
name), Steve was off to Arizona seeking his fortune.
He mentioned his bumpy childhood. It was a staple of his obituaries:
his parents were a vaudeville comedy team. His dad, straight man
Billy Allen, died when Steve was only 18 months old and his mom
went on as a single to pay the bills.
Steve was “on the road” with her until age 5. Then he stayed sporadically
with family or friends in Chicago, drifting in and out of various
schools, Catholic and public. He said one lovely Irish Catholic
woman in the Beverly neighborhood who cared for him had been widowed
by Capone for her husband’s bookie business.
Steve was married to Jayne Meadows for 46 years. With his background,
he could have easily grown up as another of life’s failures. What
stopped him? Maybe it was the prayers and encouragement of the
mother he adored.
Renaissance Man? I’ll remember him as a Beatitudes Man.
Interview with Steve Allen
Top
