Lane Allan

Lane Allan, born Harry Leonard Albershardt on September 22, 1909, in Mishawaka, Indiana, was an American actor whose career spanned stage, film, and television. He grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and by the age of 20 had worked as a photographer, model, and stage actor. He attended the University of Notre Dame, where he played varsity baseball, football, and basketball, but left before completing his degree to pursue acting.

Allan made his Broadway debut in 1937, appearing in Money Mad. That same year, he took the lead role in the Republic Pictures short feature The Duke Comes Back, marking a turning point toward screen stardom after years of supporting and bit parts.

His film career began in 1929 with a romantic lead opposite June Collyer in the Fox release Not Quite Decent. After moving to Warner Bros., his career stalled, and he stepped away from films in the early 1930s. He returned to 20th Century Fox by 1936, taking supporting roles in Laughing at Trouble and the Shirley Temple vehicle Stowaway. Between 1929 and 1936, he accumulated twenty-four film appearances in total.

Allan gained significant recognition beginning in 1940 through his portrayal of RCMP Sergeant Dave King in King of the Royal Mounted, a twelve-part serial based on Zane Grey's work. He continued in that vein with additional Mountie serials, including The Yukon Patrol and King of the Mounties. From 1946 to 1947, he portrayed Red Ryder in seven films, succeeding Wild Bill Elliott in the role. The following year he adopted the screen name Rocky Lane and went on to make more than thirty westerns between 1947 and 1953, frequently appearing alongside his horse Black Jack.

Between 1940 and 1966, Allan compiled eighty-two film and television appearances, the majority in westerns. His television work included guest roles on Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Wagon Train, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and numerous other series of the era. He also starred in the Red Ryder television series from 1956 to 1957. His final and perhaps most widely recognized contribution came through his uncredited voice work as the talking horse on the CBS television series Mister Ed, a role he performed from 1961 to 1966.

At the height of the Western comics boom in the 1940s and 1950s, Allan was featured in the comic book Rocky Lane Western, first published by Fawcett Comics in 1949. Charlton Comics continued the series beginning in 1954 following Fawcett's exit from the market, running through issue 87 in 1959. A companion series featuring his horse Black Jack, titled Rocky Lane's Black Jack, was also published. In Brazil, his stories appeared through Rio Gráfica Editora during the 1960s. Allan was additionally named in the lyrics of The Statler Brothers' 1974 hit single Whatever Happened To Randolph Scott.

Allan died of cancer on October 27, 1973, in Woodland Hills, California, at the age of 64. He was interred at Inglewood Park Cemetery.