Sensitive and Quirky

Sian Barbara Allen (1946-) is a former American actress whose television work was her claim to fame. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award as New Star of the Year for her performance in the film, You'll Like My Mother. Still, it was in television where she was a readily available guest star throughout the 1970s, including roles in made-for-television movies, including Scream, and Pretty Peggy, opposite Bette Davis. She was perhaps best known for her sometimes quirky or emotionally sensitive roles with sad, downturned eyebrows.

Allen appeared in two episodes of the popular TV series The Waltons, 1973 as Jenny Pendleton, an early love interest of John-Boy Walton. A short list of her television appearances was The Incredible Hulk, Ironside, a particularly humorous role on The Rockford Files (above), Alias Smith and Jones, Bonanza, Kojak, Columbo: Lovely but Lethal, Adam-12, and Hawaii Five-O. After her appearance on L.A. Law in 1990, she retired from acting.

Entertaining Renaissance Man

 

Robert Q. Lewis (Robert Goldberg 1921-1991) was an American entertainer of radio and television, a game show host, commercial pitchman, and part-time actor in film. If that were not enough, Lewis had a very popular nightclub act as singer and comedian. Aside from his wit, he is famously recognized by his bold-rimmed glasses, which became his trademark. In fact, for his second Robert Q. Lewis Show, they became a logo for the show's title card. 

Already a fixture during television's early years, Lewis is perhaps best known today for his game show participation, regularly appearing as a panelist on Goodson-Todman-produced shows. He first settled into his enduring game show role as host of ABC's The Name's the Same (1952-54). Lewis was often recruited to fill in for performers who were ill or otherwise unable to perform. He frequently sat in for Arthur Godfrey, whom Lewis credited for giving him his first big breaks in show business. He hosted and appeared on a multitude of television shows and sitcoms through the 1970s. By far, he was most visible as a panelist on What's My Line? with forty appearances. Lewis had a sketched pair of glasses amusingly applied on his blindfold that was used during the final celebrity guest segment. 

The "Q" was simply part of his professional name. Lewis added the middle initial accidentally on the air in 1942 when referencing another radio comedian's character, Colonel Lemuel Q. Stoopnagle, saying, "and this is Robert Q. Lewis." He retained the unique moniker by telling interviewers that it stood for "Quizzical."

Note: Lewis scored his biggest hit song in 1951 with the Italian dialect humorous novelty song, Where's-a Your House?, (a parody of the Rosemary Clooney hit, Come On-a My House) about a guy who cannot locate Rosie's house. You can hear it here.