Helen Walpole

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Helen Walpole Brewer (born February 1, 1911 in Birmingham; died May 26, 1992) was a radio and broadway actress, writer and critic.

Helen was the daughter of Clifton Lewis and Helen MacDonald James Brewer of Birmingham. She moved with her family to New York City in 1929. Using her middle name as a stage name, she was active on Broadway from 1931 to 1936. She made the transition to radio in the mid 1930s with parts on the Lux Radio Theatre and other shows. She was cast as Sylvia Bardine in the radio drama "Just Plain Bill" and as Frances in the series "Lorenzo Jones".

Walpole was one of the writers for the radio programs "Our Gal Sunday" and "Stella Dallas". She also co-wrote "The Story of John Milton" for NBC's "Adventure in Reading". She was head writer for "Nona from Nowhere" on CBS.

In later life, Brewer became interested in genealogy and moved to Richmond, Virginia for more convenient access to historical records on her Virginia ancestors. She was a member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy from 1971 and published her autobiography, Irresistable Magic, the proceeds of which she donated to the UDC's magazine fund. At her death in 1992 she left a sizable bequest to the organization, which funded construction of the Helen Walpole Brewer Library at its Richmond headquarters.

Publications

  • Brewer, Helen Walpole (1986) Irresistable Magic. Richmond, Virginia: self-published/Adams Press