polident bugaloos denture raye margy maddern pufnstuf westmore hersholt condos frankovich verdoux zsa incontinent hellzapoppin iggie 6251 caricatured hiken wolfington 6547 lifebuoy trocadero jolson gelder jills krim nanette 2468 benita
who is famous for having a big mouth
Martha Raye - wikipedia Martha Raye Jump to : navigation , search <Th_colspan="2"> Martha Raye <Td_colspan="2"> Raye in the 1940s Margy Reed ( 1916 - 08 - 27 ) August 27 , 1916 Butte , Montana , U.S. October 19 , 1994 ( 1994 - 10 - 19 ) ( aged 78 ) Los Angeles , California , U.S. Resting place Main Post Cemetery in Fort Bragg , North Carolina Occupation Actress singer , comedian Years active 1934 -- 1989 Spouse ( s ) Bud Westmore ( 1937 ) David Rose ( 1938 -- 1941 ) Neal Lang ( 1941 -- 1944 ) Nick Condos ( 1944 -- 1953 ) Edward T. Begley ( 1954 -- 1956 ) Robert O'Shea ( 1956 -- 1960 ) Mark Harris ( 1991 -- 1994 ; her death ) Children Martha Raye ( August 27 , 1916 -- October 19 , 1994 ) 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 with an Academy Award as the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award recipient for her volunteer efforts and services to the troops . Contents ( hide ) 1 Early years 2 Career 2.1 Television career 2.2 Later career 3 Personal life 3.1 Death 4 Archive 5 Filmography 5.1 Film 5.2 Television 5.3 Stage Work 6 References 7 External links Early years ( edit ) Raye 's life as a singer and comedic performer began in very early childhood . She was born at St. James Hospital in Butte , Montana , as Margy Reed , some sources give her real name as Maggie O'Reed . Her father , Peter F. Reed Jr. , was an Irish immigrant , while her mother , Maybelle Hazel ( Hooper ) Reed , was raised in Milwaukee and Montana . Her parents were performing in a local vaudeville 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 ( edit ) In the early 1930s , Raye was a band vocalist with the Paul Ash and Boris Morros 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 , and made her first picture for Paramount . Her first feature film was Rhythm on the Range with crooner Bing Crosby . From 1936 -- 39 , 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 , Martha 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 , W.C. Fields , Abbott and Costello , Charlie Chaplin , and Jimmy Durante . 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 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 ( 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 . On November 2 , 1993 , she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton 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 conflict , and the Vietnam conflict 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 ( edit ) She was a television star very early in its history , and even had her own program for a while , The Martha Raye Show ( 1954 -- 1956 ) , with an awkward boyfriend portrayed by retired middleweight boxer Rocky Graziano ( whom she called `` goombah '' , Sicilian slang for the Italian ' compare ' ( best friend ) ) . ( 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 St. Genesius medal , and a Star of David . After her recovery , she wore these amulets faithfully , although she was neither Roman 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 would always say , `` 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 ( edit ) 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 ones that often had older performers as guest stars such as ABC 's 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 on Alice , making two or three appearances a season . She made guest appearances or did cameo roles in such series as Murder , She Wrote 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 ( edit ) Raye 's personal life was complex and emotionally tumultuous . She was married seven times . Raye was a devout Methodist who regularly attended church , read the Bible daily , and even taught Sunday school classes . Because her religious views were often misconstrued throughout her life , she was noted for having 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 Torence 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 , Melodye Condos ( born July 26 , 1944 ) , with fourth husband Condos . Politically , Raye was conservative , affirming her political views by informing an interviewer , `` I am a Republican because I believe in the constitution , strength in national defense , limited government , individual freedom , and personal responsibility as the concrete foundation for American government . 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 today . '' Martha Raye was the fifth person to be awarded Honorary Green Beret . While in Vietnam she would assist those in combat hospitals instead of performing because she was a LPN . Death ( edit ) Her final years were plagued by ill health . She suffered from Alzheimer 's disease and had lost both legs in 1993 from poor circulation . While in poor health and resting in the hospital bed that had to be placed in her home , Martha and husband Mark Harris ( who , because of their controversial May / December relationship , became a frequent guest on the popular Howard Stern radio program ) moved into a hotel after their home was completely destroyed by the 1994 earthquake . Raye died in Los Angeles at 78 of pneumonia on October 19 , 1994 , after a long history of cardiovascular disease . In appreciation of her work with the USO during World War II and subsequent wars , special consideration was given to bury her in Arlington National Cemetery on her death , but on her request , she was buried with full military honors in the Fort Bragg , North Carolina , post cemetery as an honorary colonel in the U.S. Marines and an honorary lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army . She is the only civilian buried at this location who receives military honors each Veterans Day . 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 . Archive ( edit ) 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 ( edit ) Film ( edit ) A Nite in a Nite Club ( 1934 ) Rhythm on the Range ( 1936 ) The Big Broadcast of 1937 ( 1936 ) Hideaway Girl ( 1936 ) College Holiday ( 1936 ) Cinema Circus ( 1937 ) Waikiki Wedding ( 1937 ) Mountain Music ( 1937 ) Artists & Models ( 1937 ) Double or Nothing ( 1937 ) The Big Broadcast of 1938 ( 1938 ) College Swing ( 1938 ) Tropic Holiday ( 1938 ) Give Me a Sailor ( 1938 ) Never Say Die ( 1939 ) $1,000 a Touchdown ( 1939 ) The Farmer 's Daughter ( 1940 ) The Boys from Syracuse ( 1940 ) Navy Blues ( 1941 ) Keep ' Em Flying ( 1941 ) Hellzapoppin ' ( 1941 ) Four Jills in a Jeep ( 1944 ) Pin Up Girl ( 1944 ) Monsieur Verdoux ( 1947 ) Billy Rose 's Jumbo ( 1962 ) No Substitute for Victory ( 1970 ) ( documentary ) The Phynx ( 1970 ) Pufnstuf ( 1970 ) The Concorde ... Airport ' 79 ( 1979 ) Television ( edit ) What 's My Line ? ( mystery guest December 11 , 1955 ) Four Star Revue ( host from 1951 -- 1953 ) The Martha Raye Show ( 1954 -- 1956 ) Club Oasis ( 1957 -- 1958 ) The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show ( episode `` Circus '' , December 8 , 1962 ) The Red Skelton Show ( 1963 ) The Judy Garland Show ( 1964 ) The Hollywood Palace ( April 2 , 1966 ) The Carol Burnett Show ( 1969 ) The Bugaloos ( 1970 -- 1972 ) McMillan and Wife ( 1976 ) Twas the Night Before Christmas ( 1977 ) Skinflint : A Country Christmas Carol ( 1979 ) The Gossip Columnist ( 1980 ) Pippin : His Life and Times ( 1981 ) Alice ( 12 episodes , 1979 - 1984 ) Murder , She Wrote , episode `` Armed Response '' ( 1985 ) Alice in Wonderland ( 1985 ) Stage Work ( edit ) Calling All Stars ( 1934 ) Hold On to Your Hats ( 1940 ) Annie Get Your Gun ( 1951 ) Anything Goes ( 1958 ) Wildcat ( 1962 ) Call Me Madam ( 1963 ) The Solid Gold Cadillac ( 1964 ) 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 ) 4 Girls 4 ( 1982 ) Annie ( 1983 ) The Prince of Central Park ( 1989 ) ( replaced by Jo Anne Worley prior to opening ) References ( edit ) Jump up ^ Van Gelder , Lawrence ( 20 October 1994 ) . `` Martha Raye , 78 , Singer And Comic Actress , Dies '' . New York Times . Retrieved 15 December 2014 . Jump up ^ Birth Certificate , ColonelMaggie.com ; accessed September 16 , 2014 . Jump up ^ Tribune staff . `` 125 Montana Newsmakers : Martha Raye '' . Great Falls Tribune . Retrieved August 28 , 2011 . Jump up ^ New York , 19 January 1981 , page 108 : 26 January 1981 page 90 . Jump up ^ Joseph F. Clarke ( 1977 ) . Pseudonyms . BCA . p. 138 . Jump up ^ ( 1 ) Jump up ^ Lawrence Van Gelder ( October 20 , 1994 ) . `` Martha Raye , 78 , Singer And Comic Actress , Dies '' . The New York Times . Retrieved 2008 - 01 - 17 . ^ Jump up to : Quigley , Samantha ( April 26 , 2013 ) . `` Martha Raye : Healing Through Humor '' . USO.org . United Service Organizations . Retrieved October 26 , 2016 . Jump up ^ Pittrone , Jane Maddern ( 1999 ) . Take It from the Big Mouth : The Life of Martha Raye . University of Kentucky Press . p. 216 . Jump up ^ `` Colonel Martha `` Maggie '' Raye `` . war-veterans.org . External link in publisher = ( help ) Jump up ^ Raye , Martha ( April 25 , 1954 ) . `` Me and My Big Mouth '' . The American Weekly . p. 7 . Retrieved February 8 , 2011 . Jump up ^ Pitrone , Maddern Jean Take It from the Big Mouth : The Life of Martha Raye Hardcover , The University of Kentucky Press , April 8 , 1999 , pp. 220 - 221 ISBN 0 - 8131 - 2110 - 8 Jump up ^ http://www.azquotes.com/quote/1120507 Jump up ^ Template : Cite newspaper Chicago Tribune Jump up ^ Template : Cite newspaper Salt Lake Telegram Jump up ^ Interview , The Hollywood Reporter , 1984 . Jump up ^ http://www.azquotes.com/quote/1120508 Jump up ^ `` Martha Raye Collection '' . Academy Film Archive . Jump up ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G419SH4l104 External links ( edit ) Biography portal Wikimedia Commons has media related to Martha Raye . Wikiquote has quotations related to : Martha Raye Martha Raye on IMDb Martha Raye at the TCM Movie Database Martha Raye at the Internet Broadway Database Martha Raye at Find a Grave All Star Revue episode guide at Classic TV Info . The Martha Raye Show episode guide at Classic TV Info . Colonel Maggie Story of Raye Vets tribute to Colonel Maggie with veteran pictures and stories . 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 <Th_colspan="2"> Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award <Td_colspan="2"> Y . Frank Freeman ( 1956 ) Samuel Goldwyn ( 1957 ) Bob Hope ( 1959 ) Sol Lesser ( 1960 ) George Seaton ( 1961 ) Steve Broidy ( 1962 ) Edmond L. DePatie ( 1965 ) George Bagnall ( 1966 ) Gregory Peck ( 1967 ) Martha Raye ( 1968 ) George Jessel ( 1969 ) Frank Sinatra ( 1970 ) Rosalind Russell ( 1972 ) Lew Wasserman ( 1973 ) Arthur B. Krim ( 1974 ) Jules C. Stein ( 1975 ) Charlton Heston ( 1977 ) Leo Jaffe ( 1978 ) Robert Benjamin ( 1979 ) Danny Kaye ( 1981 ) Walter Mirisch ( 1982 ) M.J. Frankovich ( 1983 ) David L. Wolper ( 1984 ) Charles `` Buddy '' Rogers ( 1985 ) Howard W. Koch ( 1989 ) Audrey Hepburn / Elizabeth Taylor ( 1992 ) Paul Newman ( 1993 ) Quincy Jones ( 1994 ) Arthur Hiller ( 2001 ) Roger Mayer ( 2005 ) Sherry Lansing ( 2007 ) Jerry Lewis ( 2009 ) Oprah Winfrey ( 2011 ) Jeffrey Katzenberg ( 2012 ) Angelina Jolie ( 2013 ) Harry Belafonte ( 2014 ) Debbie Reynolds ( 2015 ) <Th_colspan="2"> Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award <Td_colspan="2"> 1962 : Eddie Cantor 1963 : Stan Laurel 1965 : Bob Hope 1966 : Barbara Stanwyck 1967 : William Gargan 1968 : James Stewart 1969 : Edward G. Robinson 1970 : Gregory Peck 1971 : Charlton Heston 1972 : Frank Sinatra 1973 : Martha Raye 1974 : Walter Pidgeon 1975 : Rosalind Russell 1976 : Pearl Bailey 1977 : James Cagney 1978 : Edgar Bergen 1979 : Katharine Hepburn 1980 : Leon Ames 1982 : Danny Kaye 1983 : Ralph Bellamy 1984 : Iggie Wolfington 1985 : Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward 1986 : Nanette Fabray 1987 : Red Skelton 1988 : Gene Kelly 1989 : Jack Lemmon 1990 : Brock Peters 1991 : Burt Lancaster 1992 : Audrey Hepburn 1993 : Ricardo Montalbán 1994 : George Burns 1995 : Robert Redford 1996 : Angela Lansbury 1997 : Elizabeth Taylor 1998 : Kirk Douglas 1999 : Sidney Poitier 2000 : Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee 2001 : Ed Asner 2002 : Clint Eastwood 2003 : Karl Malden 2004 : James Garner 2005 : Shirley Temple 2006 : Julie Andrews 2007 : Charles Durning 2008 : James Earl Jones 2009 : Betty White 2010 : Ernest Borgnine 2011 : Mary Tyler Moore 2012 : Dick Van Dyke 2013 : Rita Moreno 2014 : Debbie Reynolds 2015 : Carol Burnett 2016 : Lily Tomlin 2017 : Morgan Freeman VIAF : 32187199 LCCN : n79064369 ISNI : 0000 0000 2468 652X GND : 119448467 SUDOC : 079046290 BNF : cb13935233g ( data ) MusicBrainz : eb608fc1 - fc6b - 435f - 8d1e - 90a7c9930a77 SNAC : w6z90j8t Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Martha_Raye&oldid=833804134 '' Categories : 1916 births 1994 deaths American amputees American Methodists American female pop singers American film actresses American radio actresses American television actresses American people of Irish descent Actresses from Montana Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award winners Actors from Butte , Montana Torch singers Traditional pop music singers Vaudeville performers American women comedians Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients American stage actresses 20th - century American actresses Paramount Pictures contract players California Republicans Montana Republicans 20th - century American singers 20th - century women singers Hidden categories : CS1 errors : external links Pages using infobox person with unknown parameters Articles with hCards All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from October 2016 Articles with unsourced statements from September 2014 Turner Classic Movies person ID same as Wikidata Articles with IBDb links Find a Grave template with ID same as Wikidata Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers Wikipedia articles with SNAC - ID identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikiquote تۆرکجه Deutsch Español فارسی Français Italiano 日本 語 Polski Русский Simple English Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Українська 5 more Edit links This page was last edited on 2 April 2018 , at 14 : 25 . 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