Kay Medford high school and working as a nightclub waitress. She was the original "Mama" in "Bye Bye Birdie" on Broadway, garnering excellent reviews, but lost the film role to Maureen Stapleton. Medford appeared in the Warner Bros. rock and roll film, "Jamboree" (1957). She made her Broadway debut in 1951 in the musical "Paint Your Wagon". She was cast in "Carousel" before she appeared onstage in "Funny Girl" as the mother of Fanny Brice (played by Barbra Streisand); for this performance she was nominated for a 1964 Tony Award for Featured Actress (Musical), and when she repeated the role in the
Good News of 1938 final host in 1940. Frank Morgan appeared regularly in a comedy role, as did Fanny Brice and Hanley Stafford in their roles of Baby Snooks and her father. An MGM chorus directed by Max Terrs provided music along with soloists, including Betty Jaynes, Connee Boswell, and Judy Garland. Brice initially appeared on the show's fourth episode on November 25, 1937. Herbert G. Goldman wrote in his book, "Fanny Brice: The Original Funny Girl", "Baby Snooks put "Good News" on the hit list and started Fanny on the radio career she would continue for the rest of her short life." After