Dec. 01--Working at WLS-AM 890 in the 1960s, Bernie Allen spun the hits during the golden era of the then-powerhouse rock-and-pop music station known as "The Bright Sound of Chicago Radio."
Allen was part of the WLS crew at Comiskey Park in August 1965 as The Beatles performed before thousands of screaming fans.
"Bernie and I were just a few feet from the band and it was like standing behind a jet engine," said former Chicago disc jockey Clark Weber, who worked the morning shift at WLS and had introduced The Beatles to the crowd. "One of us, I can't remember who, put our hand up and we actually saw sound vibrations rippling through the fingers. It was incredible!"
Over the course of the next few decades, Allen could be heard on numerous other Chicago radio stations, including WJJD-AM, WCLR-FM, WLAK-FM and WCFL-AM.
"Bernie was old-school radio -- kinder and more soft-spoken," Weber said. "Coming up in the era of Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra, he was much more polished. Those who followed after him were louder, much more brash and rock 'n' roll."
Allen, 86, who also worked for a short time as a child actor in Hollywood, died of complications related to pulmonary fibrosis on Nov. 16 at Church Creek, a senior living facility in Arlington Heights. He was formerly of Wilmette.
Throughout his decadeslong career, Allen hosted dozens of station-sponsored sock hops and did on-air interviews with many of the top rock 'n' roll and pop bands of the time, including The Buckinghams, Herman's Hermits and Paul Revere and the Raiders.
"He loved working in radio," said his daughter, Ann Hallenberg. "He loved the music, the people and the fast pace. He had been doing it for so long."
Allen was born Bernard Hallenberg in Chicago and his parents divorced when he was young. He spent half his childhood with his mother, who owned a dance studio in southern California, and the other half with his father on Chicago's North Side. Prior to turning 10, he performed with his mother's dance troupe and worked as a child actor.
Upon returning to Chicago, he got his start in radio while attending Loyola Academy and working part-time on-air for a station operated by the Chicago Board of Education. He then joined the Army, and served as a disc jockey for a radio station based at Fort McPherson in Georgia during the Korean War.
In the mid-1950s, Allen adopted his radio name Bernie Allen and landed a job with WIND-AM 560, and later with WJJD, before joining WLS as its midday host in 1963. During that time, WLS led the ratings for young adults in Chicago and was the No. 1 station in the midday, afternoon and evening time slots.
His wife, Tommasa, was a professional singer who performed under the stage name Tommie Cane. The two met when he attended one of her shows at the now-shuttered Mister Kelly's, a popular nightclub on Rush Street. She died in 1999.
By the late 1960s, Allen had been moved to weekends. He stayed with WLS through 1971 before moving on to on-air jobs at WCLR, WLAK and WCFL. In 1983, he rejoined WJJD, where he worked for six more years, before retiring in 1990.
"As a kid, I remember visiting him at radio stations and having so much fun," said his son, Chris Hallenberg. "He'd let me sit in his chair and spin around. He'd put his earphones around my head, and I'd pretend I was a DJ."
Other survivors include a half-sister, Mary Jo Veverka; and two half-brothers, Arthur Hallenberg Jr. and Mark Hallenberg; and two grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Olson Burke-Sullivan Funeral and Cremation Center, 6471 N. Northwest Highway, Chicago.
Giangrasse Kates is a freelance reporter.
