Preferably, The Golden Apple. Yes, friends, our last Mystery Guest was the star of stage, screen, nightclubs, and television, Miss Kaye Ballard. Belying the brash and brassy image she cultivated on such TV shows as The Doris Day Show and her own The Mothers-in-Law, La Ballard's early days found her talents alternating between broad comedy and sophisticated vocalese: in The Golden Apple, she introduced the gorgeous standard, "Lazy Afternoon," and (with apologies to other notable claimants Mabel Mercer and Portia Nelson) was the first to record Bart Howard's "In Other Words" -- better known by its alternate title, a little something called "Fly Me to the Moon."
In the 1970's, of course, Kaye became a familiar, funny fixture on the twin despositories for aging celebrities: Match Game and The Love Boat. Still going strong today, Kaye Ballard remains an amazing force of nature, and one of the few surviving links to the golden age of Broadway and New York cabaret.
Well turn me upside down and paint me blue, but I just can NOT believe that the last mystery guest was Kaye Ballard. Can't reconcile that picture! I may have to self-medicate.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE Kaye Ballard...but I would have never guessed that she was the mystery guest.
ReplyDeleteSwing by my blog, I left a treat for you!
One hates to contradict TJB, but if your last mystery guest was Kaye Ballard, then I am Shirley Temple.
ReplyDeleteToby, you're so right. In no way is that KB. I'm thinking it's Priscilla Gillette, who appeared in The Golden Apple with KB.
ReplyDeleteToby & MC -- Darn those LIFE magazine web editors. I stand humbly corrected. Of course, we weren't around back then, so...
ReplyDelete