Charme Allen (born Charme Willa Wright,Knox, Charles Victor (April 20, 1935). "Charme Allen a Dependable Studio Theater Performer". The Buffalo News. p. 19. November 19, 1890 – October 4, 1980)Wilson, Scott (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 15. ./"Society: Sweet Sixteen". The Dayton Herald. November 20, 1906. p. 3. 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."KSTP, Northwest's Leading Radio Station: Charme Allen portrays 'Aunt Polly'". Minneapolis Star Tribune. June 17, 1946. p. 10."David Harum in Living Portraits: Aunt Polly". Radio and Television Mirror. January 1942. p. 17. 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.Young, Roz (November 1, 1980). "Who Was That Man With All the Initials?". The Dayton Journal Herald. p. 44."Charme Allen Dies at 89; Pioneer Radio Actress". The Buffalo News. October 10, 1980. p. 4.
Early life and career Born in Dayton, Ohio, Allen was the only child of Theresa Wolf and Charles A. Wright."Short Illness Followed by Death". Dayton Daily News. September 12, 1912. p. 5."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."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."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. 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."Musical People; Musical Clubs". Musical Courier. July 7, 1902. p. 8. By age of 16, she was listed in the Dayton business directory as a music instructor."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. Her interest in acting begin to develop shortly thereafter, as she attended the O'Brien School of Elocution and Dramatic Art."Talk on Known and Unknown". Dayton Herald. December 18, 1909. p. 12. 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."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.
Following the premature death of her mother in 1912,"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. 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 + Year Title Role Notes 1930–? Nine O'Clock Show various, inc. May Robson and Marie Dressler "Ex-Local Actress Stars Over NBC; Charme Debut in 'March of Time'". The Buffalo News Magazine. April 5, 1941. p. 5. 1932–? King's Castle Mrs. Perkins (the caretaker's wife) "Sunday: Dr. Scherer—New Dramatic Series—Price and Rubinoff—Russian Gaieties". The Buffalo News. September 10, 1932. p. 23. 1935 Melody Master Mother Clemens Haeffner, Joe (October 30, 1935). "Charme Allen Established as Big-Time Radio Actress". The Buffalo News. p. 29. 1935 The March of Time "frequent parts" 1935–? The Story of Mary Marlin Sarah Jane Kane 1935 Backstage Wife Mercy 1937–1951 David Harum Aunt Polly Benson 1941: "She has been Polly in the David Harum series four years." 1942: "Charme Allen is known as 'Radio's Aunt Polly.' She has won the hearts of thousands of radio listeners as the genial sister of David Harum.""WHAM: Serving America 24 Hours a Day: David Harum Heard Daily 3:00 P.M.". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. June 1, 1942. p. 6. 1947: "Prud'homme, who portrays 'David Harum' and Charme Allen, who is known to millions as 'Aunt Polly,' are eagerly awaited visitors every morning.""Great Dramatic Serials Monday Through Friday". The Baltimore Sun Magazine. November 30, 1947. p. 39. 1949: "Prud'homme [as] the kindly but shrewd small-town banker and Charme Allen as the lovable Aunt Polly...""Aunt Polly and David". The Charlotte Observer. April 21, 1949. p. 40.1950: "Charme Allen portrays Aunt Polly Benson, and Cameron Prud'homme portrays David Harum...""David Harum". The Daily Sentinel-Tribune April 22, 1950. p .10. "Charme Allen returns to 'David Harum.'" 1937–? Pretty Kitty Kelly Mrs. Murger 1938–? Valiant Lady Mrs. Scott 1938–? County Seat Sarah Whipple With Ray Collins as Doc Hackett and Cliff Carpenter as Jerry Whipple. June 30, 1938 Pulitzer Prize Plays Ep. "Why Marry?" NA "Notes for Coming Week". The Montreal Gazette. June 30, 1938. p. 19. 1939 Meet the Dixons Tranter, Don (August 6, 1939). "Announcing". Buffalo Courier Express. p. 27. July 20, 1939 John Brown's Body NA Radio adaptation of Benet's poem by Norman Corwin. December 1940–January 1941 The Citadel NA Serialized adaptation of A.J. Cronin novel. 1941–? As the Twig Is Bent Mrs. Carlton The show that would later become We Love and Learn. 1941–1942 Into the Light Ma Owen Cox, Jim (1998). The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 347 . 1942 Mother and Dad Mother Succeeds the late Effie Palmer."Charme Allen Cast". Radio Daily. August 25, 1942. p. 2. 1942–1944 Abie's Irish Rose Mrs. Mueller 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. . 1943–? Cohen and the Detective NA 1944 Columbia Presents CorwinEp. Untitled Mrs. Peters Written, produced and directed by Norman Corwin; with Fredric March as Hans Peters, Hester Sondergaard as the Music teacher, Kermit Murdock as the Editor, and Michael Ingram as the Nazi.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. . September 1, 1945 Grand Central Station Ep. NA NA Co-starring Berry Kroeger and Doro MerandeBird, Bill (August 31, 1945). "Radio on Review: For Saturday". Pasadena Independent. September 1, 1945. p. 12. June 10, 1950 Grand Central StationEp. "Marked Money" NA Co-starring Parker Fennelly, Mason Adams, Thomas Hoier and Robert Emhardt"Television—WTVR—Channel 6". Richmond Times-Dispatch. June 10, 1950. p. 16. March 17, 1951 Grand Central StationEp. "Missing Persons Miss Money" NA Co-starring Edgar StehliAtcheson, Marion (March 17, 1951). "Running of Banker's Mile to Be Carried by ABC-WQAM". The Miami Herald. p. 29. March 22, 1952 Grand Central StationEp. "No Prize for Elmer" NA Co-starring Parker Fennelly, Bobby Nick, Joseph Sweeney and Vaughn Taylor"Cast Headed by Boy Actor and Broadway Veteran". Pasadena Independent. March 16, 1952. p. 58. February 28, 1953 Grand Central StationEp. "Return Ticket" NA Co-starring Darren McGavin, Jean Gillespie, and Chester Stratton"Radio Highlights". Tampa Bay Times. February 28, 1953. p. 6. October 1945–November 1945 The World's Great Novels Ep. "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" NA Serialized adaptation. Circa May 1947 Perry MasonEp. "The Case of the Bartered Bride" Agnes "Perry Mason Solves the Case of the Bartered Bride". Radio Mirror. June 1947. p. 21. June 28, 1948 We Love and Learn Mrs. Carlton "KFAM Program Hilights". St. Cloud Times. June 26, 1948. p. 8. 1949 The Second Mrs. Burton Mother Burton Replacing Hollywood-bound Evelyn Varden"Radio Dialing". Dayton Daily News. April, 2. p. 55. 1950–? Just Plain Bill NA "John McGovern, Charme Allen, and Richard Janaver added to 'Just Plain Bill.'" 1952 Lorenzo Jones NA April 1953 Front Page FarrellEp. ? NA "Helen Shields, Charme Allen, Sydney Smith, Cathleen Cordell, Florence Robinson in the new 'Front Page Farrell' sequence." 1956–? The Right to Happiness NA "Charme Allen, Sydney Smith, Cameron Andrews and Lawrence Zerbe into the cast of 'Right to Happiness."
Television + Year Title Role Notes December 1, 1952 Robert Montgomery PresentsEp. "Post Road" NA "Dorothy Gish Featured in Comedy Play". The Portsmouth Star. November 30, 1952. p. 3. December 11, 1955 American InventoryEp. "In These Hands" NA Written by Edgar Marvin, starring House Jameson"Talent Show Sheet, December 9 – December 18, 1955". Ross Reports on Television. December 12–18, 1955. p. 3.
Theatre Although Allen never did get to realize her "fondest wish" (that being to "play on Broadway [and] 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 [that] 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