Allen introduced many new celebrities and performers on his shows , including Jerry Lee Lewis and Jack Kerouac . He also recorded an album with Kerouac , with Kerouac reading poetry and Allen playing piano with a jazz combo . The 1985 documentary film Kerouac , the Movie starts and ends with footage of Jack Kerouac reading from On the Road as Allen accompanies on soft jazz piano from The Steve Allen Plymouth Show in 1959 .