Chet Allen
Encyclopedia
Chet Allen was an American child actor
of the 1950s known for his role as Amahl in Gian Carlo Menotti
's Amahl and the Night Visitors
, the first opera
written for television
, which he made with the NBC Opera Theatre
.
At the time he was selected as Amahl, Allen was a soprano
member of Columbus Boychoir, founded in Columbus, Ohio
. The music boarding school relocated in 1950 to Princeton, New Jersey
, and in 1980 was renamed the American Boychoir School
. Allen also reprised his role as Amahl in theatre
in April 1952 with the New York City Opera
, conducted by young Thomas Schippers
.
In 1953, Allen starred with Dan Dailey
in the film
Meet Me at the Fair in the role of 14-year-old Tad Bayliss. That same year, he played the young teenager Jerry Bonino in the short-lived NBC series Bonino
, a mostly forgotten situation comedy
starring Ezio Pinza
as a recently widowed Italian-American opera singer, Babbo Bonino, undertaking the rearing of his six children. Mary Wickes
costarred as Martha the housekeeper.
One of Allen's young Bonino costars was Van Dyke Parks
, a future composer and musician with whom he had roomed at Columbus Boyschoir.
Allen failed to make the transition into adult acting and was frequently admitted to psychiatric hospital
s because of recurring depression
. He procured his Social Security number
in New Jersey, presumably when he joined the Columbus Boychoir. Allen spent his last years in Columbus, Ohio. When Menotti visited him there, in either 1982 or 1983, he found a bitterly unhappy young man for whom life had been a series of repeated disappointments. "No one could have helped him enough," Menotti later maintained. In 1984, at the age of forty-five, Allen committed suicide
by taking five times the fatal dosage of a prescription
anti-depressant.
Child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
of the 1950s known for his role as Amahl in Gian Carlo Menotti
Gian Carlo Menotti
Gian Carlo Menotti was an Italian-American composer and librettist. Although he often referred to himself as an American composer, he kept his Italian citizenship. He wrote the classic Christmas opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors, among about two dozen other operas intended to appeal to popular...
's Amahl and the Night Visitors
Amahl and the Night Visitors
Amahl and the Night Visitors is an opera in one act by Gian Carlo Menotti with an original English libretto by the composer. It was commissioned by NBC and first performed by the NBC Opera Theatre on December 24, 1951, in New York City at NBC studio 8H in Rockefeller Center, where it was broadcast...
, the first opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
written for television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, which he made with the NBC Opera Theatre
NBC Opera Theatre
The NBC Opera Theatre was an American opera company operated by the National Broadcasting Company from 1949 to 1964. The company was established specifically for the purpose of filming both established and new operas for television...
.
At the time he was selected as Amahl, Allen was a soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
member of Columbus Boychoir, founded in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
. The music boarding school relocated in 1950 to Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
, and in 1980 was renamed the American Boychoir School
American Boychoir School
The American Boychoir School is a music boarding school located in Princeton, New Jersey. It is one of only two boychoir boarding schools in the United States, the other being Saint Thomas Choir School in New York City...
. Allen also reprised his role as Amahl in theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
in April 1952 with the New York City Opera
New York City Opera
The New York City Opera is an American opera company located in New York City.The company, called "the people's opera" by New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, was founded in 1943 with the aim of making opera financially accessible to a wide audience, producing an innovative choice of repertory, and...
, conducted by young Thomas Schippers
Thomas Schippers
Thomas Schippers was an American conductor. He was highly-regarded for his work in opera.-Biography:...
.
In 1953, Allen starred with Dan Dailey
Dan Dailey
Daniel James Dailey Jr. was an American dancer and actor.-Early life and career:Born in New York City on December 14, 1915, to James J. and Helen Dailey, both born in New York City. He appeared in a minstrel show when very young, and appeared in vaudeville before his Broadway debut in 1937 in...
in the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
Meet Me at the Fair in the role of 14-year-old Tad Bayliss. That same year, he played the young teenager Jerry Bonino in the short-lived NBC series Bonino
Bonino (TV series)
Bonino is an ethnic situation comedy television series starring Ezio Pinza as an Italian-American opera singer trying to rear his six children after the death of their mother. The program aired on NBC from September 12 to December 26, 1953....
, a mostly forgotten situation comedy
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
starring Ezio Pinza
Ezio Pinza
Ezio Pinza was an Italian basso opera singer with a rich, smooth and sonorous voice. He spent 22 seasons at New York's Metropolitan Opera, appearing in more than 750 performances of 50 operas...
as a recently widowed Italian-American opera singer, Babbo Bonino, undertaking the rearing of his six children. Mary Wickes
Mary Wickes
Mary Wickes was an American film and television actress.-Career:Wickes was born as Mary Isabelle Wickenhauser in St. Louis, Missouri, of German Irish Protestant extraction. She graduated at the age of eighteen with a degree in political science from Washington University in St. Louis, where she...
costarred as Martha the housekeeper.
One of Allen's young Bonino costars was Van Dyke Parks
Van Dyke Parks
Van Dyke Parks is an American composer, arranger, producer, musician, singer, author and actor. Parks is perhaps best known for his contributions as a lyricist on the Beach Boys album Smile....
, a future composer and musician with whom he had roomed at Columbus Boyschoir.
Allen failed to make the transition into adult acting and was frequently admitted to psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
s because of recurring depression
Depression (mood)
Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...
. He procured his Social Security number
Social Security number
In the United States, a Social Security number is a nine-digit number issued to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and temporary residents under section 205 of the Social Security Act, codified as . The number is issued to an individual by the Social Security Administration, an independent...
in New Jersey, presumably when he joined the Columbus Boychoir. Allen spent his last years in Columbus, Ohio. When Menotti visited him there, in either 1982 or 1983, he found a bitterly unhappy young man for whom life had been a series of repeated disappointments. "No one could have helped him enough," Menotti later maintained. In 1984, at the age of forty-five, Allen committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
by taking five times the fatal dosage of a prescription
Prescription drug
A prescription medication is a licensed medicine that is regulated by legislation to require a medical prescription before it can be obtained. The term is used to distinguish it from over-the-counter drugs which can be obtained without a prescription...
anti-depressant.