Both of Allen Jenkins' parents were musical comedy performers, and he entered the theater as a stage mechanic after World War I, after having spent time working in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Although his screen persona was that of a not-too-bright Brooklyn tough guy, Jenkins attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and appeared in many Broadway plays before making his film debut in 1931. He found his niche at Warner Brothers, where he perfected his slow-witted but good-natured gangster/taxi driver/cop/etc. character. In the latter part of his career he appeared frequently on TV, and was a regular on the TV series _"Hey, Jeannie!" . He died in Santa Monica, CA, in 1974 after undergoing surgery.
He provided the voice for the Hanna-Barbera cartoon Officer Dibble on "Top Cat" .
In the episode of "M
A
S
H" titled Rainbow Bridge, Hawkeye is upset with Franks choices of sending the wounded off a bus into OR. When Hawkeye overrides his orders, Frank screams, "This is mutiny! Im the commander on this bus!" To which Hawkeye says to Father Mulcahy, "Mutiny on the Bus - It was a B picture. Allen Jenkins played the bus driver."
Played the same role---garbage man--in Ball of Fire and the remake A Song Is Born .
