Dan Rowan was the straight man on the famous Rowan and Martin comedy team. He performed in carnival acts with his parents until he was orphaned at the age of eleven. After high school, he moved to Hollywood where he became a writer. After the Pearl Harbor attack he became a fighter pilot with the 5th Air Force in New Guinea. He was injured in a crash, so he was sent back to the states, where he resumed working for Paramount. Rowan met Dick Martin, and they went from writing to becoming a popular night club act. In 1953, they booked with Nat King Cole in Las Vegas. They made guest appearances with Bob Hope, Dinah Shore, Steve Allen, and Perry Como. After they became guest hosts for Dean Martin, they put together a full mid-season replacement show which stayed on television from 1968 to 1973. They received numerous comedy awards and three Emmys. Two movies were unsuccessul however. Rowan had an interesting friendship with John D. MacDonald (the suspense writer), and he wrote about their friendship in a best-selling book entitled, "A Friendship". He retired to the charity circuit and died of cancer at the age of 65 in 1987.
From the description of Dan Rowan papers, 1941-1987. (University of Wyoming, American Heritage Center). WorldCat record id: 62295734
