View source for Martha Raye

{{short description|American comic actress and singer (1916–1994)}}
{{for|the British singer|Martha Ray}}
{{Infobox person
| name          = Martha Raye
| image         = MARTHA RAYE.jpg
| image_size    = 250px
| caption       = 
| birthname     = Margy Reed
| birth_date    = {{Birth date|1916|8|27}}
| birth_place   = [[Butte, Montana]], U.S.
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|1994|10|19|1916|8|27}}
| death_place   = [[Los Angeles|Los Angeles, California]], U.S.
| resting_place = Main Post Cemetery in [[Fort Bragg, North Carolina]]
| years_active  = 1934–1989
| occupation    = {{hlist|Actress|singer| comedian}}
| spouse        = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Bud Westmore]]|1937|1937|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[David Rose (musician)|David Rose]]|1938|1941|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Neal Lang|1941|1944|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Nick Condos|1944|1953|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Edward T. Begley|1954|1956|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Robert O'Shea|1956|1960|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Mark Harris|1991}}
}}
| children = 1
}}

'''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.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Van Gelder|first1=Lawrence|title=Martha Raye, 78, Singer And Comic Actress, Dies|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/20/obituaries/martha-raye-78-singer-and-comic-actress-dies.html|access-date=15 December 2014|work=New York Times|date=20 October 1994}}</ref>
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 years==
Raye was born at St. James Hospital in Butte, Montana, as Margy Reed,<ref>[http://www.colonelmaggie.com/images/BirthCertificate.jpg ''Birth Certificate''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220203181006/http://www.colonelmaggie.com/images/BirthCertificate.jpg |date=2022-02-03 }}, ColonelMaggie.com; accessed September 16, 2014.</ref><ref name=raye2>{{cite web|title=125 Montana Newsmakers: Martha Raye|url=http://www.greatfallstribune.com/multimedia/125newsmakers6/raye.html|work=Great Falls Tribune|author=Tribune staff|access-date=August 28, 2011}}</ref> the daughter of Irish immigrant Peter F. Reed Jr., and Maybelle Hazel (Hooper) Reed, who had been raised in Milwaukee and Montana.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1368&dat=19400227&id=dWYcAAAAIBAJ&pg=6898,4941726|title=The Milwaukee Sentinel|via=Google News Archive Search|website=News.google.com}}{{Dead link|date=October 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Her parents were performing in a local [[vaudeville]] theatre as Reed and Hooper when their daughter was born.<ref>{{cite news|author=Lawrence Van Gelder|title=Martha Raye, 78, Singer and Comic Actress, Dies|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A02E3DD1E3CF933A15753C1A962958260|work=The New York Times|date=October 20, 1994|access-date=2008-01-17}}</ref>

==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]]; her first feature film was ''[[Rhythm on the Range]]'' with [[Bing Crosby]]. She made her [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] debut in the [[Harry Akst]] musical ''[[Calling All Stars (1934 musical)|Calling All Stars]]'' in 1934, and later returned to Broadway in starring roles in [[E. Y. Harburg|Yip Harburg]]'s ''[[Hold On to Your Hats]]'' (1941), [[Jerry Herman]]'s ''[[Hello, Dolly! (musical)|Hello, Dolly!]]'' (1967), and [[Vincent Youmans]]'s ''[[No, No, Nanette]]'' (1972).

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. 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]], [[W.C. Fields]], [[Abbott and Costello]], [[Charlie Chaplin]] and [[Jimmy Durante]]. She joined the [[United Service Organizations|USO]] in 1942, soon after the US entered World War II.<ref name="rayeMT">{{cite web|url=https://www.uso.org/stories/1804-martha-raye-healing-through-humor|title=Martha Raye: Healing Through Humor|last=Quigley|first=Samantha|date=April 26, 2013|publisher=United Service Organizations|work=USO.org|access-date=October 26, 2016}}</ref><ref name="SI"/>

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]] 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'.<ref>{{cite book|last=Pittrone|first=Jane Maddern|page=216|title=Take It from the Big Mouth: The Life of Martha Raye|publisher=University of Kentucky Press|year=1999}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Martha Raye receives the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: 1969 Oscars |url=https://www.oscars.org/videos-photos/41st-oscars-highlights?fid=14431 |website=[[Oscars.org]]}}</ref> 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.<ref name=rayeMT /><ref name="SI"/> The citation reads:

{{blockquote|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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.war-veterans.org/Maggie.htm|title=Col Martha Maggie Raye|website=War-veterans.org}}</ref>}}

===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]] boxer [[Rocky Graziano]], 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]], [[Cesar Romero]], and Broadway dancer [[Wayne Lamb]]. 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 by overdosing on sleeping pills on August 14, 1956. Well-wishers gave her a [[St. Christopher]]'s medal, a [[Genesius of Rome|St. Genesius]] medal, and a [[Star of David]]. 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 (film)|Pufnstuf]]'' for [[Sid and Marty Krofft]]. 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]]'', 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 (American TV series)|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).

{{Anchor|Mark Harris}}

==Personal life==
Raye's personal life was complex and emotionally tumultuous.<ref name="ms540425">{{cite news|first=Martha|last=Raye|work=The American Weekly|page=7|title=Me and My Big Mouth|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=53QxAAAAIBAJ&pg=5898,6485827&hl=en|date=April 25, 1954|access-date=February 8, 2011}}{{Dead link|date=October 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> She was married seven times.

Raye was a devout [[Methodism|Methodist]]. She regularly attended church, she read the [[Bible]] on a daily basis, and she also taught Sunday school.<ref>Pitrone, Maddern Jean (1999). ''Take It from the Big Mouth: The Life of Martha Raye'' Hardcover, The University of Kentucky Press, pp. 220–221 {{ISBN|0-8131-2110-8}}</ref> Because her religious views were frequently misconstrued, she said "One paper says I'm [[Catholic Church|Catholic]], and the other says I'm [[Judaism|Jewish]]. I guess that's fitting because, as a Methodist, I'm meant to be undetermined some of the time".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.azquotes.com/quote/1120507|title=Martha Raye Quote|website=A–Z Quotes}}</ref>

Her engagement to orchestra leader Johnny Torrence was announced in June 1936.<ref>{{Cite news|newspaper=Chicago Tribune |title=Martha Raye, Film Actress, Engaged to Band Leader |date=June 25, 1936 |page=17 |issue=Final }}</ref> 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."<ref>{{Cite news|newspaper=Salt Lake Telegram |title=Funny Face Wins Star Niche For Martha Raye |date=August 15, 1936 |page=8 |issue=Home Edition}}</ref>

She was married to make-up artist [[Bud Westmore|Hamilton "Buddy" Westmore]] from May 30, 1937, until September 1937, filing for divorce on the basis of extreme cruelty; to composer-conductor [[David Rose (songwriter)|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.<ref name="wapo/rayes-december">{{cite news |last1=Rusoff |first1=Jane Wollman |title=MARTHA RAYE'S WARM DECEMBER |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1991/12/28/martha-rayes-warm-december/6bcb66a2-e1d6-4a09-927b-766bb6779aeb/ |access-date=18 September 2023 |newspaper=Washington Post |date=28 December 1991}}</ref> She had one child, a daughter born in July 1944, with Nick Condos. Melodye Condos was named after Raye's recently deceased younger sister.<ref>Pitrone, ''op. cit.,'' [https://archive.org/details/takeitfrombigmou00pitr/page/64/mode/2up?q=%22she+named+the+baby+melodye%22 pp. 65], [https://archive.org/details/takeitfrombigmou00pitr/page/56/mode/2up?q=%22melodye+had+died%22 57].</ref>

Politically, Raye was [[Conservatism|conservative]], 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."<ref>Interview, ''The Hollywood Reporter'', 1984.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.azquotes.com/quote/1120508|title=Martha Raye Quote|website=A–Z Quotes}}</ref>

==Death==
Raye died of [[pneumonia]] at the age of 78 on October 19, 1994.<ref>Pitrone, ''op. cit.,'' [https://archive.org/details/takeitfrombigmou00pitr/page/218/mode/2up?q=%22ms+raye+had+died+of+pneumonia%22 p. 219]</ref>

==Legacy==
Appreciation of her work with the [[United Service Organizations|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<ref name="SI">{{cite web |last1=Blazich |first1=Frank |title="Maggie of the Boondocks": Martha Raye and a lifetime of service to the U.S. Armed Forces |url=https://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/martha-raye |website=National Museum of American History: O Say Can You See? blog |publisher=Smithsonian Institution |access-date=11 November 2021 |date=9 November 2021}}</ref> 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,<ref name="SI"/> including an unauthorized visit to the Leghorn, a top secret [[Military_Assistance_Command,_Vietnam_–_Studies_and_Observations_Group|SOG]] listening post on a spire in Laos.<ref>{{harvnb|Plaster|1997|pp=61}}.</ref>

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.

The moving image collection of Martha Raye is held at the Academy Film Archive. The collection consists of an audio tape and home movies.<ref>{{cite web|title=Martha Raye Collection|url=http://www.oscars.org/film-archive/collections/martha-raye-collection|website=Academy Film Archive|date=2015-08-20}}</ref>

==Filmography==
===Film===
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break|width=50%}}
* ''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 (film)|Mountain Music]]'' (1937) – Mary Beamish
* ''[[Artists and Models (1937 film)|Artists & Models]]'' (1937) – Specialty
* ''[[Double or Nothing (1937 film)|Double or Nothing]]'' (1937) – Liza Lou Lane
* ''Cinema Circus'' (1937) – Herself (archive footage)
* ''[[The Big Broadcast of 1938]]'' (1938) – Martha Bellows
* ''[[College Swing]]'' (1938) – Mabel Grady
* ''[[Tropic Holiday]]'' (1938) – Midge Miller
* ''[[Give Me a Sailor]]'' (1938) – Letty Larkin
* ''[[Never Say Die (1939 film)|Never Say Die]]'' (1939) – Mickey Hawkins
{{col-break}}
* ''[[$1,000 a Touchdown]]'' (1939) – Martha Madison
* ''[[The Farmer's Daughter (1940 film)|The Farmer's Daughter]]'' (1940) – Patience Bingham
* ''[[The Boys from Syracuse (film)|The Boys from Syracuse]]'' (1940) – Luce
* ''[[Navy Blues (1941 film)|Navy Blues]]'' (1941) – Lilibelle Bolton
* ''[[Keep 'Em Flying]]'' (1941) – Gloria Phelps / Barbara Phelps
* ''[[Hellzapoppin' (film)|Hellzapoppin']]'' (1941) – Betty Johnson
* ''[[Four Jills in a Jeep]]'' (1944) – Martha Raye
* ''[[Pin Up Girl (film)|Pin Up Girl]]'' (1944) – Molly McKay
* ''[[Monsieur Verdoux]]'' (1947) – Annabella Bonheur
* ''[[Billy Rose's Jumbo (film)|Billy Rose's Jumbo]]'' (1962) – Lulu
* ''No Substitute for Victory'' (1970, Documentary) – Herself
* ''[[The Phynx]]'' (1970) – Foxy
* ''[[Pufnstuf (film)|Pufnstuf]]'' (1970) – Boss Witch
* ''[[The Concorde... Airport '79]]'' (1979) – Loretta
{{col-end}}

===Television===
* ''[[Four Star Revue]]'' (host from 1951 to 1953) – Herself
* ''The Martha Raye Show'' (1954–1956) – Herself
* ''[[What's My Line?]]'' (mystery guest December 11, 1955)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G419SH4l104 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/G419SH4l104 |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=What's My Line? – Martha Raye (Dec 11, 1955)|date=23 September 2015 |publisher=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> – Herself
* ''[[Club Oasis]]'' (1958) – Herself
* ''[[The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show]]'' (episode "Circus", December 8, 1962) – Herself
* ''[[The Red Skelton Show]]'' (1963) – Herself
* ''[[The Judy Garland Show]]'' (1964) – Herself
* ''[[Password (American game show)|Password]]'' (March 25, 1965) - Herself
* ''[[The Hollywood Palace]]'' (April 2, 1966) – Herself
* ''[[The Carol Burnett Show]]'' (1967, 1969,1970) – Herself
* ''[[The Bugaloos]]'' (1970–1972) – Benita Bizarre
* ''[[McMillan & Wife|McMillan]]'' (1976–1977) – Agatha
* ''[['Twas the Night Before Christmas (1977 TV special)|'Twas the Night Before Christmas]]'' (1977, TV special) – Nellie's mother
* ''Skinflint: A Country Christmas Carol'' (1979, TV movie) – Ghost of Christmas Past
* ''[[Alice (American TV series)|Alice]]'' (1979–1984) – Carrie Sharples
* ''The Gossip Columnist'' (1980, TV movie) – Georgia O'Hanlon
* ''[[Pippin (musical)#Film|Pippin: His Life and Times]]'' (1981, TV movie) – Berthe
* ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]'' (1985) – Sadie Winthrope
* ''[[Alice in Wonderland (1985 film)|Alice in Wonderland]]'' (1985, TV movie) – The Duchess

===Stage work===
* ''[[Calling All Stars (1934 musical)|Calling All Stars]]'' (1934)
* ''[[Hold On to Your Hats]]'' (1940)
* ''[[Annie Get Your Gun (musical)|Annie Get Your Gun]]'' (1951)
* ''[[Anything Goes]]'' (1958)
* ''[[Wildcat (musical)|Wildcat]]'' (1962)
* ''[[Call Me Madam]]'' (1963)
* ''[[The Solid Gold Cadillac]]'' (1964)
* ''[[Hello, Dolly! (musical)|Hello Dolly!]]'' (1967)
* ''[[Goodbye Charlie]]'' (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 (musical)|Annie]]'' (1983)
* ''[[The Prince of Central Park]]'' (1989, replaced by [[Jo Anne Worley]] before opening)

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

===Sources===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book
 |last= Plaster
 |first= John L.
 |title= SOG : The Secret Wars of America's Commandos in Vietnam
 |date= 1997
 |place= [[New York City|New York, New York]]
 |publisher= [[Simon & Schuster]]
 |isbn= 978-0-684-81105-5
 |oclc= 777435955
}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Biography}}
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb name|0713106}}
* {{tcmdb name}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{find a Grave|2334}}
* [http://www.classictvinfo.com/StarRevue/ ''All Star Revue'' episode guide] at Classic TV Info.
* [http://www.classictvinfo.com/MarthaRayeShow/ ''The Martha Raye Show'' episode guide] at Classic TV Info.
* [http://www.colonelmaggie.com/vets.htm Vets tribute to Colonel Maggie with veteran pictures and stories.]
* [http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/c/colonel-maggie.htm Truth or fiction report regarding her military honorary rank, medals and service as a military nurse.]
* [http://catalog.oscars.org/vwebv/holdingsInfo?bibId=68391 Martha Raye papers, 1916–2000], Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

{{Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award}}
{{ScreenActorsGuildAward LifeAchievement 1960–1979}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raye, Martha}}
[[Category:1916 births]]
[[Category:1994 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American women singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American comedians]]
[[Category:American amputees]]
[[Category:American Methodists]]
[[Category:American women pop singers]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American radio actresses]]
[[Category:American stage actresses]]
[[Category:American television actresses]]
[[Category:American women comedians]]
[[Category:American people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:Actresses from Butte, Montana]]
[[Category:Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award winners]]
[[Category:Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Montana]]
[[Category:Traditional pop music singers]]
[[Category:American vaudeville performers]]
[[Category:Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients]]
[[Category:Paramount Pictures contract players]]
[[Category:California Republicans]]
[[Category:Montana Republicans]]
[[Category:People with Alzheimer's disease]]
[[Category:Deaths from pneumonia in California]]
[[Category:Comedians from Montana]]