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Charme Allen (born Charme Willa Wright, November 19, 1890 – October 4, 1980) was an actress in old-time radio, on television, and on the stage, as well as a pianist, best known for her long tenure as Aunt Polly on the radio serial David Harum. She was also the voice of Borden's Elsie the Cow at the 1939 World's Fair and the original narrator for the American Ballet Theatre's debut production of Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf.  

Early life and career

Born in Dayton, Ohio, Allen was the only child of Theresa Wolf and Charles A. Wright. She was performing in public as early as June 1902, when, at age 11, she was one of several piano students giving a recital at the studio of Lottie Schaeffer. By age of 16, she was listed in the Dayton business directory as a music instructor. Her interest in acting begin to develop shortly thereafter, as she attended the O'Brien School of Elocution and Dramatic Art. However, in deference to the steadfast opposition of her mother (who envisioned her daughter as a concert pianist), she continued her musical studies at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music while restricting her dramatic endeavors to local summer stock, initially with the Wright Huntington Players and later the Manhattan Stock Company. As she later recalled, "I took the roles the others didn't want. They were servant and other character parts. I suspect they gave me more valuable training than the heroine got."

Following the premature death of her mother in 1912, and a catastrophic flood which destroyed her place of employment and nearly proved fatal, Wright abruptly wed her colleague and fellow Conservatory alumnus, Joseph B. Allen, and the couple soon relocated to Buffalo, New York, where they would reside for more than 20 years.

In Buffalo, Allen joined the musician's union and quickly found work with local pit orchestras. Shortly thereafter, she connected with drama instructor Jane M. Keeler at the Twentieth Century Club, where she studied for approximately five years before becoming a member of Keeler's Studio Theater Players.

In the table below is a chronological listing of some of Allen's more notable radio roles.

Radio

Television

Theatre

Although Allen never did get to realize her "fondest wish" (that being to "play on Broadway show New York what I really can do"), she did manage to give New York—or at least its Off-Broadway contingent–at least one reasonably representative sample when she appeared in a 1948 revival of Lennox Robinson's Church Street, a one-act play presented by New Stages Inc. as the opening act of a double bill with Jean-Paul Sartre's The Respectful Prostitute. And while the critical consensus regarding the two pieces presented that night strongly favored the latter, that imbalance did not carry over into their assessment of performances, least of all as regards Allen. J.T.S. of The New Leader wrote, "This work is given a somewhat less smooth performance, but the women especially are good, from Florida Friebus as the fluttery and starving Miss Pettigrew to the soberly sharp work of Charme Allen as Aunt Moll." The Hollywood Reporter's Lee Rogow devoted so much space to Sartre's play that he had scarcely a paragraph left for Church Street, which he judged, in closing, "an overlong but interesting curtain-raiser was illuminated by beautiful performances by Florida Friebus, Charme Allen, and Gertrude Corey." Similarly, Women's Wear Daily critic Thomas R. Dash, leaving himself little space to discuss Church Street, made sure to acknowledge the "superb portrayal by Charme Allen of the cantankerous yet highly intelligent Aunt Moll." Even the Times' Brooks Atkinson, who, alone among these critics, judged Church Street's presentation as harshly as he did the work being presented, exempted exactly one participant from this critique.

"'Church Street' turns out to be more charade than drama, and with the exception of Charme Allen's acting, the performance is typical of most non-commercial productions; the characters are always just sliding out of the actors' grasp."

Personal life and death

In Dayton, Ohio, on April 7, 1913, prompted by their harrowing experience in that season's well-publicized flood, Charme Wright and her then employer, saxophonist/clarinetist and bandleader Joseph Brown Allen, were married. Their union produced one child, radio actress Willa Gene Allen, and lasted until her husband's death on June 9, 1962.

On October 4, 1980, Allen died following a long illness at age 89, at the Actor's Fund Home in Englewood, New Jersey, where she had moved ten years prior. Allen's remains are interred at the Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum, in Dayton, Ohio.   

References

1. ^ Knox, Charles Victor (April 20, 1935). "Charme Allen a Dependable Studio Theater Performer". The Buffalo News. p. 19.
2. ^ Wilson, Scott (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 15. ISBN 978-0-7864-5098-5./
3. "Society: Sweet Sixteen". The Dayton Herald. November 20, 1906. p. 3.
4. "Obituaries: Charme Allen". Variety. August 29, 1973. p. 45. ProQuest 286057640. Charme Allen, 89, widow of musician Joseph B. Allen, died Oct. 4 in Englewood, N.J. She was born in Dayton, Ohio. and made her professional debut with Thomas Meighan in 1908. The bulk of her career was spent performing on radio. Allen had over 40 radio credits. Among these were 'Able's Irish Rose,' 'Pretty Kitty Kelly,' 'The Goldbergs,' 'The Man,' 'Henry Aldrich,' Mr. District Attorney,' 'Perry Mason,' and 'Inner Sanctum.' She was also Aunt Polly on 'David Harum' for 15 years. During the 60's she appeared on several TV commercials. She retired to The Actor's Fund Home in 1970. She is survived by a daughter.
5. "KSTP, Northwest's Leading Radio Station: Charme Allen portrays 'Aunt Polly'". Minneapolis Star Tribune. June 17, 1946. p. 10.
6. "David Harum in Living Portraits: Aunt Polly". Radio and Television Mirror. January 1942. p. 17.
7. Young, Roz (November 1, 1980). "Who Was That Man With All the Initials?". The Dayton Journal Herald. p. 44.
8. ^ "Charme Allen Dies at 89; Pioneer Radio Actress". The Buffalo News. October 10, 1980. p. 4.
9. "Short Illness Followed by Death". Dayton Daily News. September 12, 1912. p. 5.
10. "United States Census, 1900", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MM6W-Z8K : Thu Apr 11 17:38:14 UTC 2024), Entry for Charles A Wright and Therasa Wright, 1900.
11. "United States Census, 1910", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MLFX-KDN : Sun Mar 10 23:11:28 UTC 2024), Entry for Charles A Wright and Theresa Wright, 1910.
12. "Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X8HQ-7S6 : Fri Mar 08 10:53:53 UTC 2024), Entry for Chas. A. Wright and Theresa Walf, 1889.
13. "Musical People; Musical Clubs". Musical Courier. July 7, 1902. p. 8.
14. "United States City and Business Directories, ca. 1749 - ca. 1990", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6ZCC-NSXY : Sun Mar 10 04:33:28 UTC 2024), Entry for Charme W Wright, from 1907 to 1908.
15. "Talk on Known and Unknown". Dayton Herald. December 18, 1909. p. 12.
16. ^ Gooding, E. H. (May 9, 1934). "Interfering Parent Rapped by Actress; Charme Allen Thinks Efforts to Remake Careers of Children Wicked". The Buffalo News. p. 11.
17. "Death Closes Kind Woman's Life; Mrs. C. A. Wright Passes Away Tuesday at Family Home; Summons Was Sudden". The Dayton Herald. Sep 3, 1912. p. 3.
18. ^ "Ex-Local Actress Stars Over NBC; Charme Debut in 'March of Time'". The Buffalo News Magazine. April 5, 1941. p. 5.
19. "Sunday: Dr. Scherer—New Dramatic Series—Price and Rubinoff—Russian Gaieties". The Buffalo News. September 10, 1932. p. 23.
20. ^ Haeffner, Joe (October 30, 1935). "Charme Allen Established as Big-Time Radio Actress". The Buffalo News. p. 29.
21. ^ Buxton, Frank; Owen, Bill (1972). The Big Broadcast. New York: The Viking Press. pp. 4, 23, 56, 63, 67, 163, 180, 190, 228, and 249, 253. ISBN 067016240X.
22. ^ Terrace, Vincent (1981). Radio's Golden Years : The Encyclopedia of Radio Programs, 1930-1960. New York: A. S. Barnes & Company. pp. 2-3, 19, 22, 59, 63, 71, 281. ISBN 0-498-02393-1.
23. "WHAM: Serving America 24 Hours a Day: David Harum Heard Daily 3:00 P.M.". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. June 1, 1942. p. 6.
24. "Great Dramatic Serials Monday Through Friday". The Baltimore Sun Magazine. November 30, 1947. p. 39.
25. "Aunt Polly and David". The Charlotte Observer. April 21, 1949. p. 40.
26. "David Harum". The Daily Sentinel-Tribune April 22, 1950. p .10.
27. "From the Production Centres: In New York City". Variety. October 18, 1950. p. 24. ProQuest 1286080247.
28. "Notes for Coming Week". The Montreal Gazette. June 30, 1938. p. 19.
29. Tranter, Don (August 6, 1939). "Announcing". Buffalo Courier Express. p. 27.
30. Ibee (July 26, 1939). "Radio Reviews: 'John Brown's Body'". Variety. p. 36. ProQuest 1475960578. With Ray Collins, Everett Sloan, Florence Robinson, Luis Van Rooten, Ruth Yorke, David Gothard, John Carroll, Santos Ortega, Arnold Moss, Charme Allen, Canada Lee, Ed Latimer, Neil O'Malley, Laura Bauman, John James, John Mitchell, Joseph Julian, John Griggs.
31. Hobe (January 1, 1941). "Radio Reviews: 'The Citadel'". Variety. p. 29. ProQuest 1505747235. With Ralph Forbes, Jill Esmond, Neil O'Malley, Charme Allen, Burford Hampden, Nelson Case, John GriggsBill Meeder.
32. Cox, Jim (1998). The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 347 ISBN 0-19-507678-8.
33. "Charme Allen Cast". Radio Daily. August 25, 1942. p. 2.
34. Bird, Bill (August 31, 1945). "Radio on Review: For Saturday". Pasadena Independent. September 1, 1945. p. 12.
35. "Television—WTVR—Channel 6". Richmond Times-Dispatch. June 10, 1950. p. 16.
36. Atcheson, Marion (March 17, 1951). "Running of Banker's Mile to Be Carried by ABC-WQAM". The Miami Herald. p. 29.
37. "Cast Headed by Boy Actor and Broadway Veteran". Pasadena Independent. March 16, 1952. p. 58.
38. "Radio Highlights". Tampa Bay Times. February 28, 1953. p. 6.
39. "Radio Reviews: 'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'". Variety. January 1, 1941. p. 29. ProQuest 1285860666. Other performances of Will Geer, Charme Allen and Bess McCammon, as the father and relatives, respectively, were commendably done.
40. "Perry Mason Solves the Case of the Bartered Bride". Radio Mirror. June 1947. p. 21.
41. "KFAM Program Hilights". St. Cloud Times. June 26, 1948. p. 8.
42. "Radio Dialing". Dayton Daily News. April , 2. p. 55.
43. "From the Production Centres: In New York City". Variety. September 13, 1950. p. 26. ProQuest 1286004685.
44. "From the Production Centres: In New York City". Variety. January 9, 1952. p. 42. ProQuest 962802882. Charme Allen and Cathleen Cordell have joined the cast of 'Lorenzo Jones.'
45. "From the Production Centres: In New York City". Variety. April 22, 1953. p. 26. ProQuest 963058326.
46. "From the Production Centres: In New York City". Variety. July 18, 1956. p. 28. ProQuest 963291600.
47. "Dorothy Gish Featured in Comedy Play". The Portsmouth Star. November 30, 1952. p. 3.
48. "Talent Show Sheet, December 9 – December 18, 1955". Ross Reports on Television. December 12–18, 1955. p. 3.
49. J. T. S. (February 28, 1948). "New Stage's Second". The New Leader. p. 13. ProQuest 1308957789.
50. Rogow, Lee (February 10, 1948). "The New York Play". The Hollywood Reporter. p. 3. ProQuest 2320665928.
51. Dash, Thomas R. (February 10, 1948). "New Stages Twin Bill". Women's Wear Daily. p. 77. ProQuest 1565144685.
52. Atkinson, Brooks (February 15, 1948). "Off Broadway: New Stages Produces Brief Melodrama by Sartre in Bleecker Street". The New York Times. p. B1. ProQuest 108342301.
53. "Wedding Is One Result of Flood". Dayton Daily News. April 12, 1913. p. 12.
54. "United States World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKVQ-8YL8 : Sat Feb 24 03:13:43 UTC 2024), Entry for Joseph Brown Allen and Charme W Allen, 26 Apr 1942.
55. "Studio Audiences Are Wise to Average Program Queries; News Nuggets". The Buffalo News. August 16, 1939. p. 19.
56. "Obituary: Joseph B. Allen". The Buffalo News. June 12, 1962. p. 34.

External links

• Charme Allen at IMDb
• Charme Allen at Old Time Radio Researchers.

• 20th-century American actresses
• 1890 births
• 1980 deaths
• Actresses from Dayton, Ohio
• Actresses from Buffalo, New York
• American radio actresses