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Martha Raye
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Martha Raye was born Margaret Teresa Yvonne O'Reed in Butte, Montana. She was influenced by her vaudeville parents and at the age of three became part of their act. At the age of 13, she was a singer with a band. Her boisterous and comedic attitude led her into an acting career, which began with her Broadway debut in 1934 in Calling All Stars. A year later, she made her film debut in Rhythm on the Range. Most of her roles were minor until 1947, when she played a murder victim in Monsieur Verdoux.
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Mel's contentious mom Carrie (Martha Raye) is back bearing happy news--happy to her, anyway. It seems that after decades of widowhood, Carrie is about to remarry. At first, Mel (Vic Tayback) is delighted at the prospect of someone taking his mother off his hands and off his back--but then he discovers that his future stepfather (Howard Witt) is years younger than Carrie! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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"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."
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The inimitable Martha Raye makes her first series appearance as Carrie Sharples, the overbearing mother of diner owner Mel (Vic Tayback). Having figured that he'd escaped his mom's clutches year earlier, Mel learns to his dismay that Carrie intends to spend the entire winter in Phoenix. Will Mel be able to withstand Carrie's verbal slings and arrows--or will he stand up to her at long last? (Trivia note: Alice's boyfriend in this episode, identified as "Greg Lawrence", was known as "Greg Stemple" in most of his appearances). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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Irrepressible clown Martha Raye (1916-1994) was a more versatile performer than some people know. Though it's her broad, eager-to-please comedy persona and lovably nutty way with a song that brought her more acclaim, she ... could jazz up a tune and longed to be the belle of the ballad, too. As the liner notes point out, she was so determined to sing straight and work against type, she recorded several songs under a pseudonym (Margie Reed) in order to be taken seriously. These restrained, no-fooling-around tracks are included here. She is accompanied on those by Charlie Barnet and his orchestra, sounding smooth and professional, almost generically so. Martha takes on such heavy songs in that guise as "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)" and "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" along with a couple that have a lighter feel. Point taken, she could sing a serious song and acquit herself well enough, but in a world of many women with pretty voices, still she shines more in the perkier, quirkier numbers where her sense of fun is unbridled.
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Martha Raye was known for the size of her mouth, which appeared large in proportion to the rest of her face... earning her the nickname "The Big Mouth." She often alluded to this in a subsequent series of commercials for Polident denture toothpaste in the 1980s: "So take it from The Big Mouth...new Polident Green gets tough stains clean!"
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Martha Raye