Ed Allen (TV host)

Ed Allen (December 14, 1926 – December 29, 2018) was a television host noted for his syndicated exercise programs.

Allen was an actor and singer in the United States during his early career, becoming a television program host in 1948.[1] His program was broadcast on 43 American television stations, resulting in fan mail of 3,000 letters a week.[3] In 1963, television producer Riff Markowitz brought Allen to Canada, recording 65 half-hour episodes of the exercise show in five days. Shortly after his September 2, 1963 debut on CHCH-TV in Hamilton, Ontario,[3] the station received 1,131 letters in a nine-day span, raising expectations of syndication throughout Canada.[4]

195 episodes of The Ed Allen Show were produced by the Canadian production team of Al Guest and Jean Mathieson.

Ed Allen had a following of millions of viewers and fans, from all over the world. His exercise show was still being distributed in the early 1990s. The format was usually set somewhere on a beach; in the late 1960s, the filming location was in Montego Bay, Jamaica at the Half Moon Hotel, specifically the Kennedy Beach House.[5] Barbie, Ed’s second wife (m. 1974, née Barbara A. Schilling) was a regular providing various routines and in 1979 developed a chain of classes under the Barbie Allen Dancercise brand.[6][7] Vinyl LPs and videos were available. Ed wore a distinctive one-piece polyester jumpsuit while he did his calesthenics. In the late 1960s, he earned an estimated annual income of at least USD$100,000.[2]

Allen hosted Stay Tuned, a 1978–79 weekday talk show on Global Television Network.[8]