Allen won the Tony Award, for Best Featured Actress in a Play for And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little, she had two prior Tony nominations, including one for Best Featured Actress in Damn Yankees in 1955 and for the same category in Traveller Without Luggage in 1967. She appeared in the original Broadway production of Damn Yankees as the nosy reporter Gloria and recreated the role in the film adaptation, in both of which she introduced the song, "Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, Mo."
