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. She was honored in 1969 at the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

as the

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award is awarded periodically by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) at the Governors Awards ceremonies for an individual's "outstanding contributions to humanitarian causes". Prior to 2009 and ...

recipient for her volunteer efforts and services to the troops.

Early years

Raye was born at St. James Hospital in Butte, Montana, as Margy Reed, the daughter of Irish immigrant Peter F. Reed Jr., and Maybelle Hazel (Hooper) Reed, who had been raised in Milwaukee and Montana. Her parents were performing in a local

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

theatre as Reed and Hooper when their daughter was born.

Career

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 Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

; her first feature film was '' Rhythm on the Range'' with

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

. 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 Edgar Yipsel Harburg (born Isidore Hochberg; April 8, 1896 – March 5, 1981) was an American popular song lyricist and librettist who worked with many well-known composers. He wrote the lyrics to the standards " Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" (w ...

's '' Hold On to Your Hats'' (1941), Jerry Herman's '' Hello, Dolly!'' (1967), 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). From 1936 to 1939, she was a featured cast member in 39 episodes of

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson, ; May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-born American singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. Self-billed as "The World's Greatest Entertainer," Jolson was one of the United States' most famous and ...

'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 in films 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 an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...

, W.C. Fields, Abbott and Costello,

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (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 considered o ...

and

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

. She joined the

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

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 referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

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. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

cartoon '' The Woods Are Full of Cuckoos'' (1937), she was caricatured as a jazzy scat-singing donkey named 'Moutha Bray'. In 1969, she was awarded the

in the form of an Oscar at the

41st Academy Awards The 41st Academy Awards were presented on April 14, 1969, to honor the films of 1968. They were the first Oscars to be staged at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles, and the first with no host since the 20th Academy Awards. '' Oliver!'' ...

. She was the first woman to receive this award. 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, alongside the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by decision of the president of the United States to "any person recommended to the President ...

by President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

for her service to her country. The citation reads:

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 beg ...

boxer

Rocky Graziano Thomas Rocco Barbella (January 1, 1919 – May 22, 1990), better known as Rocky Graziano, was an American professional boxer and actor who held the World Middleweight title. Graziano is considered one of the greatest knockout artists in boxing ...

, who played her boyfriend. 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 Zsa Zsa Gabor ( , ; born Sári Gábor ; February 6, 1917 – December 18, 2016) was a Hungarian Americans, Hungarian-American socialite and actress. Her sisters were socialites and actresses Eva Gabor and Magda Gabor. Gabor competed in the ...

Cesar Romero César Julio Romero Jr. (February 15, 1907 – January 1, 1994) was an American actor. He was active in film, radio, and television for almost 60 years. His wide range of screen roles included Latin lover (stereotype), Latin lovers, historical ...

, and Broadway dancer Wayne Lamb. She also appeared on other TV shows in the 1950s, such as ''

What's My Line? ''What's My Line?'' is a Panel show, panel game show that originally ran in the United States, between 1950 and 1967, on CBS, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent American revivals. The game uses celebrity panelists ...

'' 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 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 symbol generally recognized as representing 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 was used for decora ...

. After her recovery, she wore these amulets faithfully, but 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 Sid Krofft (born July 30, 1929) and Marty Krofft (April 9, 1937 – November 25, 2023), known as The Krofft Brothers and born as Cydus and Moshopopoulos Yolas, were a Canadian sibling team of television creators, writers and puppeteers. Through ...

. This role 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 ''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Wilford Lloyd Baumes that originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1977, to May 24, 1986. In addition, three TV movies aired before the regular series pre ...

'', and on variety programs, including the short-lived ''

The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show was a musical variety series that aired Saturday evenings from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from September 29, 1962Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, ''The Complete Directory to Prime Ti ...

''. 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 per season. She made guest appearances or did cameos in series such 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 series f ...

'', '' 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. She was married seven times. Raye was a devout

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

. She regularly attended church, she read the

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

on a daily basis, and she also taught Sunday school. Because her religious views were frequently misconstrued, she said "One paper says I'm

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, and the other says I'm

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

. 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 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 born in July 1944, with Nick Condos. Melodye Condos was named after Raye's recently deceased younger sister. Politically, Raye was

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

, in a 1984 interview, she affirmed: "I believe in the constitution, strength in national defense, limited government, individual freedom, and personal responsibility. They 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."

Death

Raye died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

at the age of 78 on October 19, 1994.

Legacy

Appreciation of her work with the

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 the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

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

Fort Bragg Fort Bragg (formerly Fort Liberty from 2023–2025) is a United States Army, U.S. Army Military base, military installation located in North Carolina. It ranks among the largest military bases in the world by population, with more than 52,000 m ...

Main Post cemetery at Spring Lake, North Carolina, 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 Berets of the United States Army, headgear, is a branch of the United States Army United States Army Special Operations Comm ...

; the Fifth Special Forces Group (Airborne) made her an honorary Green Beret for her USO work in Vietnam, including an unauthorized visit to the Leghorn, a top secret SOG listening post on a spire in Laos. Raye has two stars on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

—one for motion pictures at 6251 Hollywood Boulevard and the other for television at 6547 Hollywood Blvd. The moving image collection of Martha Raye is held at the Academy Film Archive. The collection consists of an audio tape and home movies.

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'' (1937) – Liza Lou Lane * ''Cinema Circus'' (1937) – Herself (archive footage) * ''

The Big Broadcast of 1938 ''The Big Broadcast of 1938'' is a Paramount Pictures musical film, musical comedy film starring W. C. Fields and featuring Bob Hope. Directed by Mitchell Leisen, the film is the last in a series of ''Big Broadcast'' movies that were variety sh ...

'' (1938) – Martha Bellows * '' College Swing'' (1938) – Mabel Grady * '' Tropic Holiday'' (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 ''The Boys from Syracuse'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Lorenz Hart, based on William Shakespeare's play '' The Comedy of Errors'', as adapted by librettist George Abbott. The score includes swing and other contemp ...

'' (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 ''Monsieur Verdoux'' is a 1947 American black comedy film directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin, who plays a bigamist wife killer inspired by serial killer Henri Désiré Landru. The supporting cast includes Martha Raye, William Frawley, and ...

'' (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 to 1953) – Herself * ''The Martha Raye Show'' (1954–1956) – Herself * ''

'' (mystery guest December 11, 1955) – Herself * '' Club Oasis'' (1958) – Herself * ''

'' (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 tele ...

'' (1963) – Herself * '' The Judy Garland Show'' (1964) – Herself * ''

Password A password, sometimes called a passcode, is secret data, typically a string of characters, usually used to confirm a user's identity. Traditionally, passwords were expected to be memorized, but the large number of password-protected services t ...

'' (March 25, 1965) - Herself * ''

The Hollywood Palace ''The Hollywood Palace'' was an hourlong American television variety show broadcast Saturday nights (except September 1967 to January 1968, when it aired on Tuesday nights) on ABC from January 4, 1964, to February 7, 1970. Titled ''The Satur ...

'' (April 2, 1966) – Herself * ''

The Carol Burnett Show ''The Carol Burnett Show'' is an American variety/sketch comedy television show that originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 279 episodes, and again with nine episodes in fall 1991. It starred Carol Burnett, Harv ...

'' (1967, 1969,1970) – Herself * '' The Bugaloos'' (1970–1972) – Benita Bizarre * '' McMillan'' (1976–1977) – Agatha * '' 'Twas the Night Before Christmas'' (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'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...

'' (1985, TV movie) – The Duchess

Stage work

* '' Calling All Stars'' (1934) * '' Hold On to Your Hats'' (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 CinemaScope film is about a callous womanizer who gets his just reward after a jealous husband kills hi ...

'' (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 before opening)

References

Sources

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 American vaudeville performers Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients Paramount Pictures contract players California Republicans Montana Republicans People with Alzheimer's disease Deaths from pneumonia in California Comedians from Montana