Laurie Anders (January 16, 1922 – October 5, 1992) was an American actress and singer, best known for her work with television personality Ken Murray.

Birth and early life

Anders was born and grew up on a ranch in Casper, Wyoming. Her first employment was as a stenographer and secretary at a labor union. Still in Wyoming, she joined a

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

band as a singer. She relocated to California in the 1940s, eventually finding her way to

Ciro's Ciro's (later known as Ciro's Le Disc) was a nightclub on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, California owned by William Wilkerson. Opened in 1940, Ciro's became a popular nightspot for celebrities. The nightclub closed in 1957 and was reopened ...

nightclub in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

as a

cigarette girl In Europe and the United States, a cigarette girl is a person who sells or provides cigarettes from a tray held by a neck strap. They may also carry cigars and other items like candy, snacks, and chewing gum on their trays. Uniform The most ...

. She was noticed there by Ken Murray, who signed her to be part of his "Blackouts" traveling production. She continued with Murray when he moved to television.

Acting career

Laurie Anders was a regular on the variety program ''

The Ken Murray Show ''The Ken Murray Show'' was an American music and comedy television show on CBS Television hosted by Ken Murray (entertainer), Ken Murray that ran from 1950 to 1953. Show An established entertainer and vaudeville regular, Murray had hosted comedy ...

'' for its full run, from January 1950 until June 1953. She began the show as part of the "Glamourlovelies" female dance chorus featured on the program. Previously unknown, she was given a solo number in the production number "Oh, Susanna". This song, entitled ''I Like the Wide Open Spaces'' generated instant impact among viewers. From that point on, Anders was billed as the "glamour cowboy" in promotional material, and the song was repeatedly plugged. Anders was showcased on the

Arthur Godfrey Arthur Morton Godfrey (August 31, 1903 – March 16, 1983) was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname The Old Redhead. At the peak of his success, in the early-to-mid 1950s, Godf ...

's show, singing the song as a duet with Godfrey, where response was so positive that advance orders of 50,000 units were reportedly received for a recording that had not even been made yet. Previously television shows had been unwilling to air a song unknown to audiences, in fear of audience displacement. Anders' performance demonstrated beyond doubt that an unknown performer, singing an unknown song, could effect significant influence on the current musical landscape. From that time on, television was used as a promotional vehicle for new artists and compositions. Anders starred in a 1953 western comedy motion picture entitled ''

The Marshal's Daughter ''The Marshal's Daughter'' is a 1953 American action film directed by William Berke and written by Bob Duncan. The film stars Laurie Anders, Hoot Gibson, Ken Murray, Preston Foster and Johnny Mack Brown. The film was released on June 26, 195 ...

''. The

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stud ...

film co-starred Ken Murray and western silent-film star

Hoot Gibson Edmund Richard "Hoot" Gibson (August 6, 1892 – August 23, 1962) was an American rodeo champion, film actor, film director, and producer. While acting and stunt work began as a sideline to Gibson's focus on rodeo, he successfully transitioned ...

and was directed by

William Berke William A. Berke (born October 3, 1903 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin – died February 15, 1958 in Los Angeles, California) was an American film director, producer, actor and screenwriter. He wrote, directed, and/or produced some 200 films over a ...

Singing career

Together with

, Anders had a top-20 hit with the song ''I Like the Wide Open Spaces'', partially composed by Ken Murray which was released by Columbia Records in 1951. This recording placed in the top-5 of Billboard's "Disc Jockeys Picks". In the mid 1950s, she toured as a featured performer in

WLW WLW (700 AM) is a commercial news/talk radio station licensed to Cincinnati, Ohio. Owned by iHeartMedia, WLW is a clear-channel station, often identifying itself as The Big One. WLW operates with around the clock. Its daytime signal provides ...

's "Midwestern Hayride."

Discography

Later life

By the late 1950s, Anders had ceased working as an actress. She became highly proficient at jujitsu. In 1974 she married Leslie Raddatz, a publicist, and became known by the name LoRaye Raddatz. She died of cancer on October 5, 1992 at age 70, at her home in the

Tarzana, Los Angeles Tarzana is a suburban neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Tarzana is on the site of a former ranch owned by author Edgar Rice Burroughs. It is named after Burroughs' fictional jungle hero, Tarzan. History ...

neighborhood.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Anders, Laurie Columbia Records artists 20th-century American musicians 1922 births 1992 deaths People from Casper, Wyoming Musicians from Wyoming Burials at San Fernando Mission Cemetery