 Allen's programs also featured a good deal of music.He helped the careers of singers Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé, who were regulars on his early "Tonight Show", and Sammy Davis, Jr.

Allen's show also had one of the longest unscripted "crack-ups" on live television when Allen began laughing hysterically during "Big Bill Allen's Sports Roundup".Allen, known for his infectious high-pitched cackling laugh, laughed uncontrollably for over a minute with the audience laughing along, because, as he later explained, he caught sight of his unkempt hair on an off-camera monitor.