Alan Carney

Who was Alan Carney?

Alan Carney was an American actor and comedian.

Alan Carney was born David Boughal in Brooklyn, New York. He had performed in vaudeville for years as a comic dialectican. After making his first film, 1941's Convoy, Carney signed a contract at RKO Pictures, in choice supporting roles in such films as Mr. Lucky.

In 1943, Carney teamed up with Wally Brown as RKO's answer to Abbott and Costello. In addition to their inexpensive starring vehicles, Brown and Carney co-starred in Step Lively, a musical remake of the Marx Brothers film Room Service. Wally played Chico's part, while Alan Carney filled in for Harpo; the "Groucho" role was essayed by George Murphy. The comedy team was also featured on a live USO tour arranged by the studio.

After 1946's Genius at Work, RKO terminated the team's contracts. Alan Carney continued in films and TV as a supporting player, working prolifically as Disney Studios in the 1960s and 1970s. One of Carney's best latter-day roles was as Mayor Dawgmeat in the 1959 musical film Li'l Abner.

Carney appeared with Wally Brown in Who Was That Lady? Walt Disney's "Absent Minded Professor" in 1961, but they never appeared in the same scenes together. The duo was slated to be reunited for "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World", but Brown died not long before filming began.