Martha Raye
Raye in a 1951 press photo
Born
Margy Reed

(1916-08-27)August 27, 1916
Died October 19, 1994(1994-10-19) (aged 78)
Resting place Main Post Cemetery, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, U.S.
Other names The Big Mouth
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
  • comedian
Years active 1934–1989
Spouses
(m. 1937; div. 1937)
(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) was an American comic actress and singer whose career spanned six decades across film, theater, and television. Her wide smile and energetic comedic style earned her the nickname "The Big Mouth."[1]

Born to vaudevillian parents in Butte, Montana, Raye began performing in her family's stage act at age three. She began performing on Broadway at age eighteen, before making her feature film debut in Rhythm on the Range (1936). As a contract player for Paramount Pictures, she starred in numerous films for the studio over the following decade, including Waikiki Wedding, Mountain Music, Double or Nothing (all 1937), Never Say Die (1939), and The Farmer's Daughter (1940).

In 1942, she joined the United Service Organizations during World War II and became a frequent performer for U.S. troops. Raye returned to acting with performances in films such as Pin Up Girl (1944) and Charlie Chaplin's Monsieur Verdoux (1947). In the 1950s, Raye continued to occasionally perform in stage productions, as well as hosting her own television show, The Martha Raye Show. Ray also had a recurring guest role on the sitcom Alice (1979–1984), playing Carrie Sharples. She made her final feature film appearance in The Concorde... Airport '79 (1979).

She was honored in 1969 at the Academy Awards as the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award recipient for her volunteer efforts and services to the troops.

Early life

Raye was born Margy Reed on August 27, 1916 at St. James Hospital in Butte, Montana,[2][3][4] the eldest of three children born to vaudeville performers Maybelle Hazel (née Hooper) and Peter F. Reed Jr..[5] Her father was an Irish immigrant, while her mother, a native of Great Falls, Montana, was of English heritage.[6] At the time of her birth, Raye's parents were performing in local vaudeville theatre, billed as "Reed and Hooper."[7]

Raye had a peripatetic childhood, and began performing at age three as part of her parents' touring stage act.[8] Her younger brother, Douglas "Buddy" Reed, was born shortly before her second birthday, while the family was performing in Grand Rapids, Michigan.[9] The siblings eventually became a regular part of their family's stage act.[10] While the family was living in Chicago, Raye's parents welcomed a third child, daughter Melodye.[9]

Raye's parents had a tumultuous relationship, as her father struggled with alcoholism.[11] Due to the family's frequent relocations, she received little formal education, though she did attend the Professional Children's School in New York City for a period.[10]

Career

Early stage and film roles

As a teenager in the early 1930s, Raye began her 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 Paramount Pictures; her first feature film was Rhythm on the Range with Bing Crosby and Frances Farmer.[12] She made her Broadway debut in the Harry Akst musical Calling All Stars in 1934.[13]

From 1936 to 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 sang both solos and duets with Jolson.[14]

Raye starred in an ensemble cast alongside Bob Burns in The Big Broadcast of 1937 (1936).[15] This was followed by a lead role opposite Burns and Bing Crosby in the musical comedy film Waikiki Wedding (1937).[16] Raye was paired again with Burns the same year in Mountain Music,[17] and with Crosby in Double or Nothing.[18] The following year, she starred in the musical comedy Give Me a Sailor opposite Bob Hope and Betty Grable.[19] Raye next appeared opposite Hope in the romantic comedy Never Say Die (1939), directed by Elliott Nugent.[20]

She returned to Broadway in a starring role in Yip Harburg's Hold On to Your Hats (1940),[21] and starred in the comedy film The Farmer's Daughter the same year.[22] In 1941, she starred opposite comedy duo Abbott and Costello in the Arthur Lubin-directed comedy Keep 'Em Flying, and opposite Ann Sheridan and Jack Oakie in Navy Blues.[23]

Raye performing for troops in Africa, 1943

In 1942, Raye joined the United Service Organizations (USO), soon after the US entered World War II, and became a regular international performer for American troops over the following two years.[24][25]

In 1944, Raye appeared in supporting roles in two films for 20th Century Fox: Four Jills in a Jeep and Pin Up Girl.[26] In 1947, she was cast in a supporting role in Monsieur Verdoux, a dark comedy directed by and co-starring Charlie Chaplin.[27]

Television and theater

Raye was a television star very early in its history. She starred in The Martha Raye Show (1954–1956), opposite retired middleweight boxer Rocky Graziano, who played her boyfriend.[28] The writer and producer was future The Phil Silvers Show creator Nat Hiken.[29] The series ran for three seasons.[30] Some of the guest stars on the series included Zsa Zsa Gabor, Cesar Romero, and Broadway dancer Wayne Lamb.[30][31] She also appeared on other TV shows in the 1950s, such as What's My Line?

She had a lead role in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962), co-starring with Doris Day, Stephen Boyd, and Jimmy Durante.[32] Raye returned to theater with lead role on Broadway in Jerry Herman's Hello, Dolly! (1967), and later in Vincent Youmans's No, No, Nanette (1972).[33]

Later career

In 1970, she portrayed Boss Witch, the "Queen of all Witchdom", in the feature film Pufnstuf for Sid and Marty Krofft. This role led to her being cast as villainess Benita Bizarre in the series The Bugaloos (1970), which the Kroffts produced the same year.[34]

She often appeared as a guest on other programs, particularly those which often featured older performers as guest stars, such as The Love Boat, and on variety programs, including the short-lived The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show. She appeared from the third to the ninth seasons as Carrie Sharples, Mel's mother on Alice, making two or three appearances per season. She made guest appearances or did cameos in series such 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 Walker, who had left the series. Her last film appearance was as an airline passenger in the disaster film The Concorde... Airport '79 (1979).

Personal life

Raye's personal life was complex and emotionally tumultuous,[35] marked by alcoholism as well as a cocaine addiction.[36] Following the demise of her TV variety show, the breakup of her fifth marriage, and a series of other personal and health problems, Raye attempted suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills on August 14, 1956.[37]

Following her suicide attempt, well-wishers and fans gifted her a St. Christopher's medal, a St. Genesius medal, and a Star of David.[37] After her recovery, she wore these amulets faithfully, though she was neither Catholic nor Jewish.[37] At the conclusion of each episode of her TV show, she would thank the nuns at the Sisters of St. Francis Hospital in Miami, Florida, where she had recovered. She always said "Goodnight, Sisters" as a sign of appreciation and gratitude.[38] Raye was a devout Methodist[39] who regularly attended church, read the Bible daily, and also taught Sunday school.[40]

Politically, Raye was Republican, commenting: "I believe in the constitution, strength in national defense, limited government, individual freedom, and personal responsibility. [Republicans] reinforce the resolve that the United States is the greatest country in the world, and we can all be eternally grateful to our founding fathers for the beautiful legacy they left us."[41]

Relationships

Raye was married seven times. Her engagement to orchestra leader Johnny Torrence was announced in June 1936.[42] Less than two months later she commented, "They tell me I've gone Hollywood already because I got engaged to Johnny Torrence one day and broke it off the next."[43]

She was married to make-up artist Hamilton "Buddy" Westmore from May 30, 1937, until September 1937, filing for divorce on the basis of extreme cruelty;[44] to composer-conductor David Rose from October 8, 1938, to May 19, 1941;[45] and to Neal Lang[46] from May 25, 1941, to February 3, 1944.[47]

Raye was married to Nick Condos from February 22, 1944, to June 17, 1953. She had one child—a daughter, Melodye, born in July 1944—with Condos.[48] Melodye was named after Raye's recently-deceased younger sister.[49]

She was later married to Edward T. Begley from April 21, 1954, to October 6, 1956;[50] and to Robert O'Shea from November 7, 1956, to December 1, 1960.[51]

Raye married her seventh and final husband, Mark Harris, on September 25, 1991, three weeks after they first met.[36][52] Though Raye was a Methodist, the couple were married by a rabbi, as Harris was Jewish.[36] Harris, who was openly bisexual, later claimed after her death that Raye herself was also bisexual.[36]

Death

Raye suffered ill health in her final years, living with Alzheimer's disease[53] and cardiovascular disease, the latter of which resulted in a major stroke in 1990.[54][55] Complications from the stroke eventually resulted in her having her left leg amputated in October 1993,[56][55][57] followed by her right leg in February 1994.[36] Raye also suffered from liver disease stemming from decades of alcohol abuse.[58]

She died of pneumonia Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on October 19, 1994, aged 78.[7][59]

In the period leading up to Raye's death, her estranged daughter, Melodye, sued her for conservatorship over her estate, claiming Raye was unable to manage her financial affairs or resist "fraud and undue influence."[36] Prior to her death, Raye revised her will, leaving her husband Harris their home, and the remainder of her $2 million estate to a Brooklyn house painter.[36] In a final gesture, Raye had bequeathed $50,000 to her daughter in exchange for dropping any contest to the will.[36]

Honors

In 1969, she was awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in the form of an Oscar at the 41st Academy Awards. She was the first woman to receive this award.[60] After her death, the statuette was displayed for many years in a specially constructed lighted niche at the Friars Club in Beverly Hills.

On November 2, 1993, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton for her service to her country.[24][25] The citation reads:

A talented performer whose career spans the better part of a century, Martha Raye has delighted audiences and uplifted spirits around the globe. She brought her tremendous comedic and musical skills to her work in film, stage, and television, helping to shape American entertainment. The great courage, kindness, and patriotism she showed in her many tours during World War II, the Korean War, 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 her fellow Americans.[61]

Legacy

Raye was known for the size of her mouth, which was large in proportion to her face, earning her the nickname "The Big Mouth". She referred to this in a series of television commercials for Polident denture cleaner in the 1980s: "So take it from The Big Mouth: new Polident Green gets tough stains clean!"[62] Her large mouth would relegate her motion picture work to supporting comic parts, and was often made up so it appeared even larger. In the Disney cartoon Mother Goose Goes Hollywood, she is caricatured while dancing with Joe E. Brown, another actor known for a big mouth. In the Warner Bros. cartoon The Woods Are Full of Cuckoos (1937), she was caricatured as a jazzy scat-singing donkey named 'Moutha Bray'.[63]

"In late October 1942, Raye partnered with fellow entertainers Kay Francis, Carole Landis, and Mitzi Mayfair for an overseas tour, which took them to England and North Africa. In between shows, Raye, having trained as a nurse's aide in Los Angeles, helped military medical personnel in field hospitals. After her colleagues returned home, Raye carried on by herself until yellow fever and anemia forced her return to the states in March 1943."[64]

Appreciation of her work with the USO during World War II and subsequent wars led to her being named both an honorary colonel in the U.S. Marines and an honorary lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, and earned special consideration to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Upon her death it was instead requested that she be buried with full military honors in the Fort Bragg Main Post cemetery[25] at Spring Lake, North Carolina, home of her loving and beloved United States Army Special Forces; the Fifth Special Forces Group (Airborne) made her an honorary Green Beret for her USO work in Vietnam,[25] including an unauthorized visit to the Leghorn, a top secret SOG listening post on a spire in Laos.[65]

Raye has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame—one for motion pictures at 6251 Hollywood Boulevard and the other for television at 6547 Hollywood Blvd.[10]

The moving image collection of Martha Raye is held at the Academy Film Archive. The collection consists of an audio tape and home movies.[66]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role(s) Notes Ref.
1934 A Nite in a Nite Club Herself Short film
1936 Rhythm on the Range Emma Mazda [12]
The Big Broadcast of 1937 Patsy [67]
Hideaway Girl Helen Flint [68]
College Holiday Daisy Schloggenheimer [68]
1937 Waikiki Wedding Myrtle Finch [16]
Mountain Music Mary Beamish [69]
Artists and Models Speciality [70]
Double or Nothing Liza Lou Lane [18]
Cinema Circus Herself Archive footage
1938 The Big Broadcast of 1938 Martha Bellows [71]
College Swing Mabel Grady [71]
Tropic Holiday Midge Miller [72]
Give Me a Sailor Letty Larkin [19]
1939 Never Say Die Mickey Hawkins [20]
$1,000 a Touchdown Martha Madison [22]
1940 The Farmer's Daughter Patience Bingham [22]
The Boys from Syracuse Luce [73]
1941 Navy Blues Lilibelle Bolton [74]
Keep 'Em Flying Gloria Phelps / Barbara Phelps [23]
Hellzapoppin' Betty Johnson [23]
1944 Four Jills in a Jeep Herself [75]
Pin Up Girl Molly McKay [76]
1947 Monsieur Verdoux Annabella Bonheur [77]
1962 Billy Rose's Jumbo Lulu [32]
1970 No Substitute for Victory Herself Documentary film
The Phynx Foxy [34]
Pufnstuf Boss Witch [34]
1979 The Concorde... Airport '79 Loretta [78]
Skinflint: A Country Christmas Carol Ghost of Christmas Past Television film [79]
1980 The Gossip Columnist Georgia O'Hanlon Television film [79]
1981 Pippin: His Life and Times Berthe Television film
1985 Alice in Wonderland The Duchess Television film [80]

Television

Year Title Role(s) Notes Ref.
1951–1953 Four Star Revue Herself Host
1954–1956 The Martha Raye Show Herself [30]
1955 What's My Line? Herself Mystery guest [81]
1958 Club Oasis Herself
1962 The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show Herself Episode: "Circus"
1963 The Red Skelton Show Herself
1964 The Judy Garland Show Herself
1965 Password Herself 1 episode
1966 The Hollywood Palace Herself 1 episode
1967–1970 The Carol Burnett Show Herself 3 episodes
1970–1972 The Bugaloos Benita Bizarre [34]
1976–1977 McMillan Agatha
1977 'Twas the Night Before Christmas Nellie's mother Television special
1979–1984 Alice Carrie Sharples
1985 Murder, She Wrote Sadie Winthrope

Stage credits

Year Title Role(s) Notes Ref.
1934 Calling All Stars Performer Hollywood Theatre [82]
1940 Hold On to Your Hats Mamie Shubert Theatre [82]
1951 Annie Get Your Gun Annie New York City Center [83]
1958 Anything Goes Reno Sweeney Televised production [84]
1962 Wildcat Wildcat Jackson Touring production [85]
1963 Call Me Madam Cosmo Constantine Touring production [86]
1964 The Solid Gold Cadillac Regional production [87]
1967 Hello Dolly! Mrs. Dolly Gallagher Levi 46th Street Theatre [82]
1968 Goodbye Charlie
1969 Hello, Sucker! Closed on the road
1970 Everybody Loves Opal
1972 No, No, Nanette Pauline 46th Street Theatre [82]
1981 Pippin
1982 4 Girls 4
1983 Annie (1983) Miss Hannigan Regional tour [88]
1988 Everybody Loves Opal

References

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  84. ^ Gould, Jack (October 3, 1950). "'ANYTHING GOES' REVIVED ON VIDEO; Martha Raye Takes Merman's Role While Billy Lynn Fills Victor Moore's Part". The New York Times.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  85. ^ Pitrone 1999, p. 134.
  86. ^ Zolotow, Sam (August 28, 1963). "RICHARD HARRIS SIGNED FOR 'KELLY'; London Star Has Title Role of Musical Due in March "Marathon '33' Homeless 'One in a Row' Obtained Peggy Wood to Appear 'Portrait of a Queen' Ionesco Bill Listed Footlights". The New York Times.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  87. ^ "Martha Raye to Star in Play". The New York Times. April 16, 1964.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
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