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 Broadway. She was honored in 1969 at the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

as the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award recipient for her volunteer efforts and services to the troops.

Early years

Raye's life as a singer and comedic performer began in very early childhood. She was born at St. James Hospital in

Butte, Montana Butte ( ) is a consolidated city-county and the county seat of Silver Bow County, Montana, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. The city covers , and, according to t ...

, as Margy Reed; despite her birth certificate showing Reed, some sources in the 1970s and 1980s gave her the surname O'Reed. Her father, Peter F. Reed Jr., was an Irish immigrant; her mother, Maybelle Hazel (Hooper) Reed, was raised in Milwaukee and Montana. Her parents were performing in a local

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

theatre as Reed and Hooper when their daughter was born. Two days later, her mother was performing again. Martha first appeared in their act when she was three years old. She later performed with her brother Bud, and the children became so popular that their parents' act was renamed Margie and Bud.

Career

In the early 1930s, Raye was a band vocalist with the Paul Ash and

Boris Morros Boris Morros (; January 1, 1891 - January 8, 1963) was an American Communist Party member, Soviet agent, and FBI double agent. He also worked at Paramount Pictures, where he produced films as well as supervising their music department. Life and ...

orchestras. She made her first film appearance in 1934 in a band short titled ''A Nite in the Nite Club''. In 1936, she was signed for comic roles by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

, and made her first picture for Paramount. Her first feature film was '' Rhythm on the Range'' with crooner

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

. She made her Broadway debut in the Harry Akst musical '' Calling All Stars'' in 1934, and later returned to Broadway in starring roles in Yip Harburg's ''

Hold On to Your Hats ''Hold On To Your Hats'' is a musical comedy in two acts by Guy Bolton, Matt Brooks, and Eddie Davis, with lyrics by E. Y. Harburg and music by Burton Lane. The show was lavishly Mantle, Burns, Editor, "The Best Plays of 1940-1941", Dodd, Me ...

'' (1941, as Marnie),

Jerry Herman Gerald Sheldon Herman (July 10, 1931December 26, 2019) was an American composer and lyricist, known for his work in Broadway theatre. One of the most commercially successful Broadway songwriters of his time, Herman was the composer and lyrici ...

's '' Hello, Dolly!'' (1967, as Dolly), and

Vincent Youmans Vincent Millie Youmans (September 27, 1898 – April 5, 1946) was an American Broadway composer and producer. A leading Broadway composer of his day, Youmans collaborated with virtually all the greatest lyricists on Broadway: Ira Gershwin, ...

's '' No, No, Nanette'' (1972, as Pauline). From 1936–1939, 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. Over the next quarter century, she would appear with many of the leading comics of her day, including Joe E. Brown,

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with ...

W. C. Fields William Claude Dukenfield (January 29, 1880 – December 25, 1946), better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler, and writer. Fields's comic persona was a misanthropic and hard-drinking egotist who remained a sympathet ...

Abbott and Costello Abbott may refer to: People * Abbott (surname) *Abbott Handerson Thayer (1849–1921), American painter and naturalist * Abbott and Costello, famous American vaudeville act Places Argentina * Abbott, Buenos Aires United States * Abbott, Arkansas ...

(in ''Keep 'Em Flying''),

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is conside ...

(in ''Monsieur Verdoux''), and

Jimmy Durante James Francis Durante ( , ; February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980) was an American comedian, actor, singer, vaudevillian, and pianist. His distinctive gravelly speech, Lower East Side accent, comic language-butchery, jazz-influenced son ...

. She joined the USO in 1942, soon after the US entered World War II. She was known for the size of her mouth, which was large in proportion to her face, earning her the nickname The Big Mouth. She later 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!" 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 The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

cartoon '' Mother Goose Goes Hollywood'', she is caricatured while dancing alongside Joe E. Brown, another actor known for a big mouth. In the Warner Bros. cartoon ''

The Woods Are Full of Cuckoos ''The Woods Are Full of Cuckoos'' is a 1937 '' Merrie Melodies'' cartoon directed by Frank Tashlin. The short was released on December 4, 1937. Plot The cartoon starts with an owl named "Owl Kott" (satirizing Alexander Woolcott's ''Town Crier' ...

'' (1937), she was caricatured as a jazzy scat-singing donkey named 'Moutha Bray'. In 1968, she was awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in the form of an Oscar. 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 The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merit ...

by President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...

for her service to her country. 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 {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...
, and the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
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.

Television career

She was a television star very early in its history. She starred in the short-lived (28 episodes) ''The Martha Raye Show'' (1954–1956), opposite retired

middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...

boxer Rocky Graziano, who played her boyfriend. (Raye was known to call Graziano " goombah", the Sicilian abbreviation of the Italian 'compáré' ('cumpari' in Southern Italian - friend, comrade)). The writer and producer was future '' The Phil Silvers Show'' creator Nat Hiken. Some of the guest stars on the show were Zsa Zsa Gabor, Cesar Romero, and Broadway dancer

Wayne Lamb Michael "Wayne" Lamb (October 24, 1920 – June 5, 2001) was a Broadway dancer, choreographer, theatre director and professor of dance. Beginnings in Kansas Lamb was born in Centerville, Kansas and attended the University of Wichita and the U ...

. She also appeared on other TV shows in the 1950s, such as '' What's My Line?'' Following the demise of her TV variety show, the breakup of her fifth marriage, and a series of other personal and health problems, she attempted

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...

by overdosing on sleeping pills on August 14, 1956. Well-wishers gave her a St. Christopher's medal, a St. Genesius medal, and a

Star of David The Star of David (). is a generally recognized symbol of both Jewish identity and Judaism. Its shape is that of a hexagram: the compound of two equilateral triangles. A derivation of the ''seal of Solomon'', which was used for decorative ...

. After her recovery, she wore these amulets faithfully, although she was neither Catholic nor Jewish. At the conclusion of each episode of her TV shows, 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. Later in her career, she made television commercials for Polident denture cleanser, principally during the 1970s and 1980s.

Later career

In 1970, she portrayed Boss Witch, the "Queen of all Witchdom", in the feature film '' Pufnstuf'' for Sid and Marty Krofft. This led 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 as ABC's '' The Love Boat'', and also 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 Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...

'', making two or three appearances a season. She made guest appearances or did

cameo role A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...

s in such series as ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The seri ...

'' on CBS and '' The Andy Williams Show'' and '' McMillan & Wife'', both on NBC. 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 incontinent airline passenger in the disaster film '' The Concorde ... Airport '79'' (1979).

Personal life

Raye's personal life was complex and emotionally tumultuous. She was married seven times. Raye was a devout

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

. She regularly attended church, read the Bible daily, and taught

Sunday school A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West. ...

. Because her religious views were often misconstrued, she said, "One paper says I'm Catholic and the other says I'm Jewish. I guess that's fitting because, as a Methodist, I'm meant to be undetermined some of the time". Her engagement to orchestra leader Johnny Torrence was announced in June 1936. 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." 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; to composer-conductor

David Rose David Rose may refer to: Business * David Rose (real estate developer) (1892–1986), American real estate developer and philanthropist * David L. Rose (born 1967), American business executive and scientist at MIT Media Lab * David S. Rose (bor ...

from October 8, 1938, to 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 from April 21, 1954, to October 6, 1956; to Robert O'Shea from November 7, 1956, to December 1, 1960; and to Mark Harris from September 25, 1991, until her death in 1994. She had one child, a daughter, Melodye Condos (born July 26, 1944), with her fourth husband, Nick Condos. Politically, Raye was

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

, affirming her political views by informing an interviewer in 1984, "I believe in the constitution, strength in national defense, limited government, individual freedom, and personal responsibility. They reinforce the resolve 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."

Death

Raye's final years were plagued by ill health. She had a history of cardiovascular disease and suffered from

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As ...

, in addition to losing both legs in 1993 due to poor circulation. While resting in the hospital-type bed in her home, she and her husband Mark Harris (who, because of their controversial May/December relationship, became a frequent guest on the popular Howard Stern radio program) were forced to move into a hotel after their house was destroyed in the

1994 Northridge earthquake The 1994 Northridge earthquake was a moment 6.7 (), blind thrust earthquake that occurred on January 17, 1994, at 4:30:55 a.m. PST in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles. The quake had a duration of approximately 1 ...

. Raye died at age 78 of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severit ...

on October 19, 1994. 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 Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

. Upon her death it was instead requested that she be buried with full military honors in the

Fort Bragg Fort Bragg is a military installation of the United States Army in North Carolina, and is one of the largest military installations in the world by population, with around 54,000 military personnel. The military reservation is located within Cu ...

Main Post cemetery at

Spring Lake, North Carolina Spring Lake is a town in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. The 2010 census recorded the population at 11,964 people, with an estimated population in 2019 of 12,005. History The current name of the town first appeared around 19 ...

, home of her loving and beloved

United States Army Special Forces The United States Army Special Forces (SF), colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force of the United States Army. The Green Berets are geared towards nine doctrinal mi ...

; the Fifth Special Forces Group (Airborne) made her an honorary Green Beret for her USO work in Vietnam. Raye has two stars on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...

—one for motion pictures at 6251 Hollywood Boulevard and the other for television at 6547 Hollywood Blvd.

Filmography

Film

* ''A Nite in a Nite Club'' (1934, Short) – Herself – Singer * '' Rhythm on the Range'' (1936) – Emma Mazda * '' The Big Broadcast of 1937'' (1936) – Patsy * '' Hideaway Girl'' (1936) – Helen Flint * '' College Holiday'' (1936) – Daisy Schloggenheimer * '' Waikiki Wedding'' (1937) – Myrtle Finch * '' Mountain Music'' (1937) – Mary Beamish * '' Artists & Models'' (1937) – Specialty * ''

Double or Nothing Double or nothing (UK often double or quits) is a gamble to decide whether a loss or debt should be doubled. The result of a "double or nothing" bet is either the subject doubled to twice the amount as the original ''or'' the doubling of a debt. It ...

'' (1937) – Liza Lou Lane * ''Cinema Circus'' (1937) – Herself (archive footage) * '' The Big Broadcast of 1938'' (1938) – Martha Bellows * ''

College Swing ''College Swing'', also known as ''Swing, Teacher, Swing'' in the U.K., is a 1938 comedy film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring George Burns, Gracie Allen, Martha Raye, and Bob Hope. The supporting cast features Edward Everett Horton, Ben Blue ...

'' (1938) – Mabel Grady * ''

Tropic Holiday ''Tropic Holiday'' is a 1938 American musical film directed by Theodore Reed and starring Bob Burns, Dorothy Lamour and Ray Milland. The film was nominated for the Academy Award's Best Original Score. Cast * Bob Burns as Breck Jones * Dorot ...

'' (1938) – Midge Miller * '' Give Me a Sailor'' (1938) – Letty Larkin * '' Never Say Die'' (1939) – Mickey Hawkins * '' $1,000 a Touchdown'' (1939) – Martha Madison * '' The Farmer's Daughter'' (1940) – Patience Bingham * '' The Boys from Syracuse'' (1940) – Luce * '' Navy Blues'' (1941) – Lilibelle Bolton * '' Keep 'Em Flying'' (1941) – Gloria Phelps / Barbara Phelps * '' Hellzapoppin''' (1941) – Betty Johnson * '' Four Jills in a Jeep'' (1944) – Martha Raye * '' Pin Up Girl'' (1944) – Molly McKay * '' Monsieur Verdoux'' (1947) – Annabella Bonheur * '' Billy Rose's Jumbo'' (1962) – Lulu * ''No Substitute for Victory'' (1970, Documentary) – Herself * '' The Phynx'' (1970) – Foxy * '' Pufnstuf'' (1970) – Boss Witch * '' The Concorde ... Airport '79'' (1979) – Loretta

Television

* '' Four Star Revue'' (host from 1951–1953) – Herself * ''The Martha Raye Show'' (1954–1956) – Herself * '' What's My Line?'' (mystery guest December 11, 1955) – Herself * '' Club Oasis'' (1958) – Herself * '' The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show'' (episode "Circus", December 8, 1962) – Herself * ''

The Red Skelton Show ''The Red Skelton Show'' is an American television comedy/variety show that aired from 1951 to 1971. In the decade prior to hosting the show, Richard "Red" Skelton had a successful career as a radio and motion pictures star. Although his televi ...

'' (1963) – Herself * '' The Judy Garland Show'' (1964) – Herself * '' Password'' (March 25, 1965) - Herself * '' The Hollywood Palace'' (April 2, 1966) – Herself * '' The Carol Burnett Show'' (1967, 1969) – Herself * '' The Bugaloos'' (1970–1972) – Benita Bizarre * '' McMillan & Wife'' (1976–1977) – Agatha * ''

'Twas the Night Before Christmas ''A Visit from St. Nicholas'', more commonly known as ''The Night Before Christmas'' and ''Twas the Night Before Christmas'' from its first line, is a poem first published anonymously under the title ''Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas'' ...

'' (1977, TV special) – Nellie's mother * ''Skinflint: A Country Christmas Carol'' (1979, TV movie) – Ghost of Christmas Past * ''

'' (1979–1984) – Carrie Sharples * ''The Gossip Columnist'' (1980, TV movie) – Georgia O'Hanlon * '' Pippin: His Life and Times'' (1981, TV movie) – Berthe * ''

'' (1985) – Sadie Winthrope * ''

Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatur ...

'' (1985, TV movie) – The Duchess (final film role)

Stage work

* ''Calling All Stars'' (1934) * ''

'' (1940) * '' Annie Get Your Gun'' (1951) * '' Anything Goes'' (1958) * ''

Wildcat The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while th ...

'' (1962) * '' Call Me Madam'' (1963) * '' The Solid Gold Cadillac'' (1964) * '' Hello Dolly!'' (1967) * ''

Goodbye Charlie ''Goodbye Charlie'' is a 1964 American comedy film directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Tony Curtis, Debbie Reynolds and Pat Boone. The film is about a callous womanizer who gets his just reward. It was adapted from George Axelrod's 1959 pl ...

'' (1968) * ''Hello, Sucker!'' (1969) (closed on the road) * ''Everybody Loves Opal'' (1970; 1988) * '' No, No, Nanette'' (1972) (replacement for Patsy Kelly) * ''Pippin (1981)'' * ''4 Girls 4'' (1982) * '' Annie'' (1983) * '' The Prince of Central Park'' (1989) (replaced by Jo Anne Worley prior to opening)

References

External links

* * * *
''All Star Revue'' episode guide
at Classic TV Info.
''The Martha Raye Show'' episode guide
at Classic TV Info.

* ttp://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/c/colonel-maggie.htm Truth or fiction report regarding her military honorary rank, medals and service as a military nurse.
Martha Raye papers, 1916–2000
Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences {{DEFAULTSORT:Raye, Martha 1916 births 1994 deaths 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American comedians American amputees American Methodists American women pop singers American film actresses American radio actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American women comedians American people of Irish descent Actresses from Butte, Montana Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award winners Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award Military personnel from Montana Traditional pop music singers Vaudeville performers Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients Paramount Pictures contract players California Republicans Montana Republicans Conservatism in the United States People with Alzheimer's disease Deaths from pneumonia in California United Service Organizations entertainers