Kate Smith(1907-1986)
- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
She was dubbed "The Songbird of the South" and would be forever etched
in the hearts and minds of millions of Americans as a true American
symbol of World War II, especially after giving voice to Irving Berlin's
classic song "God Bless America." Her inspiring rendition went on to
sell millions of war bonds and even helped a hockey team in the 1970s
win the Stanley Cup.
Singing patriot Kate Smith was born Kathryn
Elizabeth Smith on May 1, 1907. As a child she
showed a devoted interest toward singing and dancing, initially
appearing in jazz nightclubs before opting for a standard music career.
Discovered by the famed singer/dancer Eddie Dowling, Kate made her Broadway
debut in his musical comedy "Honeymoon Lane" in 1926. Double-chinned
and exceedingly heavyset, she served as the plump, singing slapstick
foil to the star, and continued in that same predictable vein with the
subsequent tour of "Hit the Deck" and in "Flying High" the 1930
Broadway show headlining Bert Lahr.
Unhappy at being made fun of in
burlesque comedy and preferring to focus on her natural singing
ability, Kate quickly joined forces with Columbia Records vice
president Ted Collins who subsequently became her partner, protector
and manager. Pointing her in the direction of radio, Kate made her
debut in 1931 and her stardom was secured by year's end. She went on to
break the record for longevity at the renown Palace Theatre. Her radio
celebrity prompted a guest cameo role in the Paramount musical film
The Big Broadcast (1932) singing what would become her signature piece "When the Moon
Comes Over the Mountain" (she had co-written the lyrics).
This, in turn, led to her first and only film vehicle. In Hello, Everybody! (1933), Kate Smith
literally played Kate Smith, a meek, plus-sized radio singer who
unabashedly tends to her farm in between jobs while losing the man of
her dreams (Randolph Scott) to her svelte-looking sister, played by Sally Blane.
As expected, Kate's character finds true happiness not in the arms of a
man but in the helping and caring of others. True to form, Kate never
married. Realizing she was not at all film material, Kate wisely stuck
with radio and recordings, appearing in a film only one other time--as
a guest singing "God Bless America" in the Warner Bros. star-studded
variety show This Is the Army (1943).
She began making records in 1926 and over the
years her best-selling hits would include "River, Stay 'Way From My
Door" (1931), "The Woodpecker Song" (1940), "The White Cliffs of Dover"
(1941), "I Don't Want to Walk Without You" (1942), "There Goes That
Song Again" (1944), "Seems Like Old Times" (1946), "Now Is the Hour"
(1947) and "How Great Thou Art (1965).
Kate had one of the most popular
radio variety shows with "The Kate Smith Hour", which aired weekly from
1937-1945. At the same time she fronted the top daytime radio show with
the midday "Kate Smith Speaks," a news and commentary program. She made
a grand and memorable entrance at Carnegie Hall in 1963 and performed
for Arthur Fiedler and his Boston Pops in 1967.
Television was also a
successful medium for the singing star with a Monday-Friday afternoon
variety show The Kate Smith Hour (1950) which ran four years. The
show proved so popular that NBC handed her the prime time The Kate Smith Evening Hour (1951) to host as well. A variety show favorite, she appeared for
Ed Sullivan, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Jack Paar, Dean Martin, Andy Williams, Tony Orlando, and Carol Burnett.
During her last productive decade, she gave live concerts and performed
in clubs all over the country. Illness would intervene in the 1970s and
diabetes forced her to retire, eventually crippling her and confining
her to a wheelchair. 79-year-old Kate died of major complications in Raleigh, North
Carolina, on June 17, 1986.
in the hearts and minds of millions of Americans as a true American
symbol of World War II, especially after giving voice to Irving Berlin's
classic song "God Bless America." Her inspiring rendition went on to
sell millions of war bonds and even helped a hockey team in the 1970s
win the Stanley Cup.
Singing patriot Kate Smith was born Kathryn
Elizabeth Smith on May 1, 1907. As a child she
showed a devoted interest toward singing and dancing, initially
appearing in jazz nightclubs before opting for a standard music career.
Discovered by the famed singer/dancer Eddie Dowling, Kate made her Broadway
debut in his musical comedy "Honeymoon Lane" in 1926. Double-chinned
and exceedingly heavyset, she served as the plump, singing slapstick
foil to the star, and continued in that same predictable vein with the
subsequent tour of "Hit the Deck" and in "Flying High" the 1930
Broadway show headlining Bert Lahr.
Unhappy at being made fun of in
burlesque comedy and preferring to focus on her natural singing
ability, Kate quickly joined forces with Columbia Records vice
president Ted Collins who subsequently became her partner, protector
and manager. Pointing her in the direction of radio, Kate made her
debut in 1931 and her stardom was secured by year's end. She went on to
break the record for longevity at the renown Palace Theatre. Her radio
celebrity prompted a guest cameo role in the Paramount musical film
The Big Broadcast (1932) singing what would become her signature piece "When the Moon
Comes Over the Mountain" (she had co-written the lyrics).
This, in turn, led to her first and only film vehicle. In Hello, Everybody! (1933), Kate Smith
literally played Kate Smith, a meek, plus-sized radio singer who
unabashedly tends to her farm in between jobs while losing the man of
her dreams (Randolph Scott) to her svelte-looking sister, played by Sally Blane.
As expected, Kate's character finds true happiness not in the arms of a
man but in the helping and caring of others. True to form, Kate never
married. Realizing she was not at all film material, Kate wisely stuck
with radio and recordings, appearing in a film only one other time--as
a guest singing "God Bless America" in the Warner Bros. star-studded
variety show This Is the Army (1943).
She began making records in 1926 and over the
years her best-selling hits would include "River, Stay 'Way From My
Door" (1931), "The Woodpecker Song" (1940), "The White Cliffs of Dover"
(1941), "I Don't Want to Walk Without You" (1942), "There Goes That
Song Again" (1944), "Seems Like Old Times" (1946), "Now Is the Hour"
(1947) and "How Great Thou Art (1965).
Kate had one of the most popular
radio variety shows with "The Kate Smith Hour", which aired weekly from
1937-1945. At the same time she fronted the top daytime radio show with
the midday "Kate Smith Speaks," a news and commentary program. She made
a grand and memorable entrance at Carnegie Hall in 1963 and performed
for Arthur Fiedler and his Boston Pops in 1967.
Television was also a
successful medium for the singing star with a Monday-Friday afternoon
variety show The Kate Smith Hour (1950) which ran four years. The
show proved so popular that NBC handed her the prime time The Kate Smith Evening Hour (1951) to host as well. A variety show favorite, she appeared for
Ed Sullivan, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Jack Paar, Dean Martin, Andy Williams, Tony Orlando, and Carol Burnett.
During her last productive decade, she gave live concerts and performed
in clubs all over the country. Illness would intervene in the 1970s and
diabetes forced her to retire, eventually crippling her and confining
her to a wheelchair. 79-year-old Kate died of major complications in Raleigh, North
Carolina, on June 17, 1986.