Web Quotableonline.com Frasescelebres.org Greatbookscollection.org

Martha Raye (1916-October 19, 1994) was an
American comic actress and singer in motion
pictures and later, on television.  

Miss Raye was best known for the size of her
mouth, which appeared enormous in proportion to
the rest of her face.  It relegated her motion
picture work to largely supporting comic parts. 
She became known as "The Big Mouth"; apparently
she was often made up in a way which tended to
cause it to appear as even larger than it actually
already was.  For example, she appears in the
picture The Big Broadcast of 1938 where Bob Hope
first sings what became his theme song, Thanks for
the Memories; however, it is not sung to Miss
Raye, but rather the female leading actress that
she supports.  She joined the USO soon after the
US entered World War II. During WW2, Korea and
Vietnam, Martha travelled extensively to entertain
the American troops.
 
In October 1966, Martha came to Soc Trang,
Vietnam, to entertain the troops at this base
which was the home base of the 121st Aviation
company, the Soc Trang Tigers and the gun-ship
platoon, The Vikings along with the 336th Aviation
company. Shortly after her arrival, both units
were called out on a mission to extract supposed
POWs from an area nearby. Martha decided to hold
her troop of entertainers there until the mission
was completed so that all could watch her show.
During that time, I was flying a "Huey Slick"
carrying troops into the LZ. My ship received
combat damage to the extent that I had to return
to base at Soc Trang and, as there were no
replacements, we could not return to the mission.
While waiting, Martha played poker with us (I
should have known better) and was very genial.
When the mission was completed, which had resulted
in the loss of a helicopter gun-ship and a Viking
pilot, CWO2 James W. Hargrove, there was also a
wounded officer, Major R. Nutter, Viking Lead,
acting as co-pilot who had been wounded when that
ship went down. When he and the two remaining
crewmen were returned to Soc Trang, Martha
volunteered to assist the doctor in treating the
wounded Major Nutter.
When all had been completed, Martha waited until
all were available and then put on her show. An
outstanding trooper and wonderful person.
In 1968, she was given the Jean Hersholt
Humanitarian Award, in the form of an Oscar. In
November of 1993, President Clinton awarded her
the Presidential Medal of Freedom. 

Miss Raye was an early television star when that
medium was very young; for a while she had her own
program, The Martha Raye Show, in which she was
the lead and her awkward boyfriend was portrayed
by retired middleweight boxer Rocky Graziano. In
the late 1950s she made a well-publicized suicide
attempt which may have been partially related to
the breakup of her marriage to conductor-composer
David Rose.  

In 1970 she portrayed Boss Witch, the "Queen of
all Witch-dom" in the film Pufnstuf.  She often
appeared as a guest on other programs,
particularly ones which often had older performers
as guest stars, such as The Love Boat, and on
variety programs.  She also appeared in a number
of Television commercial|commercials for a denture
adhesive product which emphasized its importance
to her appearance due to the size of her mouth. In
addition to the aforementioned television work,
she appeared for two years as Mel Sharples'
mother, Carrie, on the sitcom Alice
(television)|Alice.

Martha Raye was deeply patriotic and, thanks to
her work with the USO during World War II and
subsequent wars, special consideration was given
to bury her in Arlington National Cemetery upon
her death.  She was buried with full military
honors on Saturday, in Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. 

==Filmography==

*A Nite in a Nite Club (1934) (short subject)
*Rhythm on the Range (1936)
*The Big Broadcast of 1937 (1936)
*Hideaway Girl (1936)
*College Holiday (1936)
*Cinema Circus (1937) (short subject)
*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)
*$1000 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)