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IMDbPro

Kate Smith(1907-1986)

  • Actress
  • Writer
  • Producer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Goldie Hawn, Henry Gibson, Chelsea Brown, Ruth Buzzi, Judy Carne, Arte Johnson, Dave Madden, Kate Smith, Alan Sues, Dick Whittington, and Jo Anne Worley in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967)
She was dubbed "The Songbird of the South" and would be forever etched in the hearts and minds of millions of Americans as a true American symbol of World War II, especially after giving voice to Irving Berlin's classic song "God Bless America." Her inspiring rendition went on to sell millions of war bonds and even helped a hockey team in the 1970s win the Stanley Cup.

Singing patriot Kate Smith was born Kathryn Elizabeth Smith on May 1, 1907. As a child she showed a devoted interest toward singing and dancing, initially appearing in jazz nightclubs before opting for a standard music career. Discovered by the famed singer/dancer Eddie Dowling, Kate made her Broadway debut in his musical comedy "Honeymoon Lane" in 1926. Double-chinned and exceedingly heavyset, she served as the plump, singing slapstick foil to the star, and continued in that same predictable vein with the subsequent tour of "Hit the Deck" and in "Flying High" the 1930 Broadway show headlining Bert Lahr.

Unhappy at being made fun of in burlesque comedy and preferring to focus on her natural singing ability, Kate quickly joined forces with Columbia Records vice president Ted Collins who subsequently became her partner, protector and manager. Pointing her in the direction of radio, Kate made her debut in 1931 and her stardom was secured by year's end. She went on to break the record for longevity at the renown Palace Theatre. Her radio celebrity prompted a guest cameo role in the Paramount musical film The Big Broadcast (1932) singing what would become her signature piece "When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain" (she had co-written the lyrics).

This, in turn, led to her first and only film vehicle. In Hello, Everybody! (1933), Kate Smith literally played Kate Smith, a meek, plus-sized radio singer who unabashedly tends to her farm in between jobs while losing the man of her dreams (Randolph Scott) to her svelte-looking sister, played by Sally Blane. As expected, Kate's character finds true happiness not in the arms of a man but in the helping and caring of others. True to form, Kate never married. Realizing she was not at all film material, Kate wisely stuck with radio and recordings, appearing in a film only one other time--as a guest singing "God Bless America" in the Warner Bros. star-studded variety show This Is the Army (1943).

She began making records in 1926 and over the years her best-selling hits would include "River, Stay 'Way From My Door" (1931), "The Woodpecker Song" (1940), "The White Cliffs of Dover" (1941), "I Don't Want to Walk Without You" (1942), "There Goes That Song Again" (1944), "Seems Like Old Times" (1946), "Now Is the Hour" (1947) and "How Great Thou Art (1965).

Kate had one of the most popular radio variety shows with "The Kate Smith Hour", which aired weekly from 1937-1945. At the same time she fronted the top daytime radio show with the midday "Kate Smith Speaks," a news and commentary program. She made a grand and memorable entrance at Carnegie Hall in 1963 and performed for Arthur Fiedler and his Boston Pops in 1967.

Television was also a successful medium for the singing star with a Monday-Friday afternoon variety show The Kate Smith Hour (1950) which ran four years. The show proved so popular that NBC handed her the prime time The Kate Smith Evening Hour (1951) to host as well. A variety show favorite, she appeared for Ed Sullivan, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Jack Paar, Dean Martin, Andy Williams, Tony Orlando, and Carol Burnett.

During her last productive decade, she gave live concerts and performed in clubs all over the country. Illness would intervene in the 1970s and diabetes forced her to retire, eventually crippling her and confining her to a wheelchair. 79-year-old Kate died of major complications in Raleigh, North Carolina, on June 17, 1986.
BornMay 1, 1907
DiedJune 17, 1986(79)
BornMay 1, 1907
DiedJune 17, 1986(79)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank

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Known for

Robert Redford in The Natural (1984)
The Natural
7.4
  • Soundtrack("The Star Spangled Banner")
  • 1984
Jennifer Aniston, John C. Reilly, and Jake Gyllenhaal in The Good Girl (2002)
The Good Girl
6.4
  • Soundtrack("I'll Be Seeing You")
  • 2002
Robert De Niro, James Woods, William Forsythe, Brian Bloom, Adrian Curran, James Hayden, Rusty Jacobs, and Scott Tiler in Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
Once Upon a Time in America
8.3
  • Soundtrack("God Bless America")
  • 1984
Tom Hanks, Daryl Sabara, and Josh Hutcherson in The Polar Express (2004)
The Polar Express
6.6
  • Soundtrack("Silver Bells")
  • 2004

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actress



  • Dick Martin and Dan Rowan in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967)
    Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
    8.0
    TV Series
    • Guest Performer
    • 1968
  • Once Upon a Christmas Time
    7.2
    TV Movie
    • Beth
    • 1959
  • Danger (1950)
    Danger
    7.4
    TV Series
    • 1953
  • The Small One
    TV Movie
    • 1952
  • This Is the Army (1943)
    This Is the Army
    5.8
    • Kate Smith
    • 1943
  • America Sings with Kate Smith
    Short
    • Kate Smith
    • 1942
  • Kate Smith in Hollywood on Parade No. A-11 (1933)
    Hollywood on Parade No. A-11
    7.0
    Short
    • 1933
  • Kate Smith in Hello, Everybody! (1933)
    Hello, Everybody!
    6.4
    • Kate Smith
    • 1933
  • Stuart Erwin and Donald Novis in The Big Broadcast (1932)
    The Big Broadcast
    6.6
    • Kate Smith
    • 1932
  • Connee Boswell, Martha Boswell, Vet Boswell, and The Boswell Sisters in Rambling 'Round Radio Row #1 (1932)
    Rambling 'Round Radio Row #1
    6.5
    Short
    • Kate Smith (uncredited)
    • 1932

Writer



  • Angela Kinsey, Jeff Avenue, and Lillian Doucet-Roche in Confessions of a Christmas Letter (2024)
    Confessions of a Christmas Letter
    5.3
    TV Movie
    • written by
    • 2024
  • The Kate Smith Hour (1950)
    The Kate Smith Hour
    6.5
    TV Series
    • Writer
    • 1950–1954

Producer



  • The Kate Smith Hour (1950)
    The Kate Smith Hour
    6.5
    TV Series
    • executive producer
    • 1950–1954

Personal details

Edit
  • Official site
    • The Kate Smith Commemorative Society
  • Alternative name
    • Ms Kate Smith
  • Height
    • 5′ 10″ (1.78 m)
  • Born
    • May 1, 1907
    • Greenville, Virginia, USA
  • Died
    • June 17, 1986
    • Raleigh, North Carolina, USA(complications from diabetes)
  • Other works
    Grand Marshal, Tournament of Roses parade
  • Publicity listings
    • 3 Print Biographies
    • 3 Portrayals
    • 14 Articles
    • 1 Magazine Cover Photo

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Sang her most famous song, Irving Berlin's "God Bless America", before Philadelphia Flyers games for many years, always to an appreciative audience.
  • Quotes
    This year, with the war clouds of Europe so lately threatening the peace of the entire world, I felt I wanted to do something special - something that would not only be a memorial to our soldiers - but would also emphasize just how much America means to each and every one of us ... The song is 'God Bless America'; the composer, Mr. Irving Berlin. When I first tried it over, I felt, here is a song that will be timeless - it will never die - others will thrill to its beauty long after we are gone. In my humble estimation, this is the greatest song Irving Berlin has ever composed ... As I stand before the microphone and sing it with all my heart, I'll be thinking of our veterans and I'll be praying with every breath I draw that we shall never have another war... -- KS introducing "God Bless America" on her radio show, Armistice Day, November 11, 1938
  • Trademarks
      Her theme song: "When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain."
  • Nicknames
    • The First Lady of Radio
    • The Songbird of the South

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