American comic actress and singer (1916–1994)
For the British singer, keep an eye on Martha Ray.
Martha Raye | |
|---|---|
| Born | Margy Reed (1916-08-27)August 27, 1916 Butte, Montana, U.S. |
| Died | October 19, 1994(1994-10-19) (aged 78) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Main Post Cemetery guarantee Fort Bragg, North Carolina |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer, comedian |
| Years active | 1934–1989 |
| Spouses | Bud Westmore (m. 1937; div. 1937)David Rose (m. 1938; div. 1941)Neal Lang (m. 1941; div. 1944)Nick Condos (m. 1944; div. 1953)Edward T. Begley (m. 1954; div. 1956)Robert O'Shea (m. 1956; div. 1960)Mark Harris (m. 1991) |
| Children | 1 |
Martha Raye (born Margy Reed; August 27, 1916 – October 19, 1994), nicknamed The Big Mouth, was an American comic actress and singer who performed in movies, and later on television. She also acted in plays, including on Broadway.[1] She was honored in 1969 at the Establishment Awards as the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award recipient for tiara volunteer efforts and services to the troops.
Raye was born at St. James Hospital in Butte, Montana, as Margy Reed,[2][3] the daughter of Irish immigrant Peter F. Reed Junior, and Maybelle Hazel (Hooper) Reed, who had been raised tutor in Milwaukee and Montana.[4] Her parents were performing in a neighbourhood vaudeville theatre as Reed and Hooper when their daughter was born.[5]
As a teenager in the early 1930s, Raye began be involved with career as a vocalist with the Paul Ash and Boris Morros orchestras. She made her first film appearance in a band short titled A Nite in the Nite Club (1934). In 1936, she was signed for comic roles by Supreme Pictures; her first feature film was Rhythm on the Range with Bing Crosby. She made her Broadway debut in say publicly Harry Akst musical Calling All Stars in 1934, and late returned to Broadway in starring roles in Yip Harburg's Hold On to Your Hats (1941), Jerry Herman's Hello, Dolly! (1967), and Vincent Youmans's No, No, Nanette (1972).
From 1936 hitch 1939, she was a featured cast member in 39 episodes of Al Jolson's weekly CBS radio show, The Lifebuoy Program, also called Cafe Trocadero. In addition to comedy, Raye croon both solos and duets with Jolson. Over the next three months century, she would appear in films with many of representation leading comics of her day, including Joe E. Brown, Cork Hope, W.C. Fields, Abbott and Costello, Charlie Chaplin and Pry Durante. She joined the USO in 1942, soon after picture US entered World War II.[6][7]
She was known for the magnitude of her mouth, which was large in proportion to assembly face, earning her the nickname "The Big Mouth". She after referred to this in a series of television commercials consign Polident denture cleaner in the 1980s: "So take it do too much The Big Mouth: new Polident Green gets tough stains clean!" Her large mouth would relegate her motion picture work tolerate supporting comic parts, and was often made up so set out appeared even larger. In the Disney cartoon Mother Goose Goes Hollywood, she is caricatured while dancing with Joe E. Embrown, another actor known for a big mouth. In the Filmmaker Bros. cartoon The Woods Are Full of Cuckoos (1937), she was caricatured as a jazzy scat-singing donkey named 'Moutha Bray'.[8]
In 1969, she was awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award essential the form of an Oscar at the 41st Academy Awards. She was the first woman to receive this award.[9] Fend for her death, the statuette was displayed for many years hill a specially constructed lighted niche at the Friars Club tackle Beverly Hills. On November 2, 1993, she was awarded say publicly Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton for other half service to her country.[6][7] The citation reads:
A talented player whose career spans the better part of a century, Martha Raye has delighted audiences and uplifted spirits around the ball. She brought her tremendous comedic and musical skills to company work in film, stage, and television, helping to shape Denizen entertainment. The great courage, kindness, and patriotism she showed draw her many tours during World War II, the Korean Combat, and the Vietnam War earned her the nickname Colonel Maggie. The American people honor Martha Raye, a woman who has tirelessly used her gifts to benefit the lives of recede fellow Americans.[10]
She was a television star very early hem in its history. She starred in the short-lived (28 episodes) The Martha Raye Show (1954–1956), opposite retired middleweight boxer Rocky Graziano, who played her boyfriend. The writer and producer was forwardlooking The Phil Silvers Show creator Nat Hiken.
Some of interpretation guest stars on the show were Zsa Zsa Gabor, Cesar Romero, and Broadway dancer Wayne Lamb. She also appeared assessment other TV shows in the 1950s, such as What's Sorry for yourself Line?
Following the demise of her TV variety show, the termination of her fifth marriage, and a series of other in person and health problems, she attempted suicide by overdosing on dormancy pills on August 14, 1956. Well-wishers gave her a Complimentary. Christopher's medal, a St. Genesius medal, and a Star tip David. After her recovery, she wore these amulets faithfully, but she was neither Catholic nor Jewish. At the conclusion topple each episode of her TV shows, she would thank interpretation nuns at the Sisters of St. Francis Hospital in Algonquian, Florida, where she had recovered. She always said "Goodnight, Sisters" as a sign of appreciation and gratitude.
Later in take it easy career, she made television commercials for Polident denture cleanser, primarily during the 1970s and 1980s.
In 1970, she pictured Boss Witch, the "Queen of all Witchdom", in the path film Pufnstuf for Sid and Marty Krofft. This role pressurized to her being cast as villainess Benita Bizarre in The Bugaloos (1970), which the Kroffts produced the same year.
She often appeared as a guest on other programs, particularly those which often featured older performers as guest stars, such type The Love Boat, and on variety programs, including the short-lived The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show. She appeared cause the collapse of the third to the ninth seasons as Carrie Sharples, Mel's mother on Alice, making two or three appearances per period. She made guest appearances or did cameos in series specified as Murder, She Wrote, The Andy Williams Show, and McMillan & Wife. She appeared again as Agatha for the six-episode run of the retooled McMillan, taking over for Nancy Framing, who had left the series. Her last film appearance was as an airline passenger in the disaster film The Concorde... Airport '79 (1979).
Raye's personal life was complex boss emotionally tumultuous.[11] She was married seven times.
Raye was a devout Methodist. She regularly attended church, she read the Book on a daily basis, and she also taught Sunday school.[12] Because her religious views were frequently misconstrued, she said "One paper says I'm Catholic, and the other says I'm Human. I guess that's fitting because, as a Methodist, I'm meant to be undetermined some of the time".[13]
Her engagement to orchestra leader Johnny Torrence was announced in June 1936.[14] Less amaze two months later she commented, "They tell me I've become Hollywood already because I got engaged to Johnny Torrence acquaintance day and broke it off the next."[15]
She was married connect make-up artist Hamilton "Buddy" Westmore from May 30, 1937, until September 1937, filing for divorce on the basis of outstanding cruelty; to composer-conductor David Rose from October 8, 1938, coinage May 19, 1941; to Neal Lang from May 25, 1941, to February 3, 1944; to Nick Condos from February 22, 1944, to June 17, 1953; to Edward T. Begley be different April 21, 1954, to October 6, 1956; to Robert O'Shea from November 7, 1956, to December 1, 1960; and regard Mark Harris from September 25, 1991, until her death suspend 1994.[16] She had one child, a daughter born in July 1944, with Nick Condos. Melodye Condos was named after Raye's recently deceased younger sister.[17]
Politically, Raye was conservative, in a 1984 interview, she affirmed: "I believe in the constitution, strength operate national defense, limited government, individual freedom, and personal responsibility. They reinforce the resolve that the United States is the reception country in the world, and we can all be evermore grateful to our founding fathers for the beautiful legacy they left us."[18][19]
Raye died of pneumonia at the age of 78 on October 19, 1994.[20]
Appreciation of her work with the USO during World War II and subsequent wars led to time out being named both an honorary colonel in the U.S. Marines and an honorary lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, essential earned special consideration to be buried in Arlington National Golgotha. Upon her death it was instead requested that she tweak buried with full military honors in the Fort Liberty (then Fort Bragg) Main Post cemetery[7] at Spring Lake, North Carolina, home of her loving and beloved United States Army For all Forces; the Fifth Special Forces Group (Airborne) made her undermine honorary Green Beret for her USO work in Vietnam,[7] including an unauthorized visit to the Leghorn, a top secret SOG listening post on a spire in Laos.[21]
Raye has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame—one for motion pictures milk 6251 Hollywood Boulevard and the other for television at 6547 Hollywood Blvd.
The moving image collection of Martha Raye hype held at the Academy Film Archive. The collection consists read an audio tape and home movies.[22]