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.
By age 13, she was already singing with bands. Her transition to Hollywood occurred in 1936 when director Norman Taurog caught her cabaret act in a New York City club. He was blown away by her vocal prowess and immediately cast her in the 1936 Bing Crosby film Rhythm on the Range. There, she scored a major hit with her rendition of “Mr. Paganini,” cementing her status as a standout comic actress and a versatile standards vocalist.
Raye maintained a thriving musical career alongside her film and television work. She frequently headlined at various cabarets and eventually became a partner and featured performer at Martha Raye’s Five O’Clock Club in Miami Beach. The venue was renowned for its late hours and its namesake gimmick: free drinks for anyone still at the bar at 5 a.m. At her shows, Raye wowed crowds with an infectious mix of slapstick comedy and virtuosic jazz singing, directly anticipating later jazz vocalists like Ella Fitzgerald with her rapid-fire scatting and musical improvisations.
Movie wise, she is probably best remembered for her wartime films all in which she played memorable supporting roles, In 1941, she starred opposite comedy duo Abbott and Costello in the comedy Keep ‘Em Flying, and opposite Ann Sheridan and Jack Oakie in Navy Blues as well as the comedy classic Hellzapoppin. In 1944 she had supporting roles in two films for 20th Century Fox: Four Jills in a Jeep and Pin Up Girl.
In 1942, Raye joined the United Service Organizations (USO), soon after the US entered World War II, and became a regular international performer for American troops over the following two years . Known as “Colonel Maggie,” she would dress in fatigues, including combat boots, tie and Green Beret and raise morale with her singing and comedic talents.
Martha trained as a nurse’s aide in the 1930s and treated wounded soldiers during World War II, Korea, and in Vietnam to which she .traveled to and from for nine years, She received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1969 for her service to the troops in Vietnam.
In the late ’60s, she performed at the McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey for the Anniversary of Women in the Air Force, while starring in the musical play ‘Hello Sucker.’ For her service to America, Raye also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1993.
Her acting career did not end in films, as she went on to host her own variety show The Martha Raye Show in 1955. She returned to the stage in 1967 when she replaced Ginger Rogers in Hello Dolly on Broadway and in 1972 was the lead in No, No Nanette. During her television career, Martha Raye performed in many commercials and had supporting roles on such popular shows as McMillan and Wife and Alice.
Married seven times, Raye had only one daughter. Martha Raye died Oct 19, 1994 at Los Angeles. She was buried in the military cemetery at Fort Bragg, NC, in recognition of her more than 50 years of service to the military as “Colonel Maggie.”
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