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Martha Raye

Highest Rated: 97% Monsieur Verdoux (1947)

Lowest Rated: 25% The Concorde: Airport '79 (1979)

Birthday: Aug 27, 1916

Birthplace: Butte, Montana, USA

Few entertainers would embrace a nickname like "The Big Mouth," but singer-actress Martha Raye was a very good sport. Of course, what some considered a physical detriment was ultimately a key source of her power as a singer and appeal as a comedienne. She first earned significant attention on Broadway and was soon part of the talent roster at Paramount, where Raye became the go-to girl for loud and obnoxious characters. The majority of her motion picture credits came in rather disposable fare, but there were occasional gems, notably the anarchic comedy classic "Hellzapoppin'" (1941) and Charlie Chaplin's superb dark farce "Monsieur Verdoux" (1947). In later years, Raye worked mostly on the small screen and toplined her own vehicle, "The Martha Raye Show" (NBC, 1954-56). One of her most lasting contributions was as a tireless USO entertainer. Over the course of three wars, Raye travelled extensively and sang for thousands of American soldiers. She also gained a degree of new recognition as the ubiquitous spokeswoman for Polident Denture Cleaner from the 1970s on. Unfortunately, her life out of the spotlight was often troubled and she went through seven marriages and a suicide attempt before enduring some truly sad final years. Whether belting out a standard like "That Old Black Magic" or doing sketch comedy, Raye was a larger than life personality who loved to perform and that energy and enthusiasm made her a favorite with the public for more than five decades.

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Highest-Rated Movies

97% 88% Monsieur Verdoux
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60% 52% The Big Broadcast of 1937
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33% 56% Pin Up Girl
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25% 13% The Concorde: Airport '79
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50% The Big Broadcast of 1938
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The Boys From Syracuse
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71% Double Or Nothing
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$1,000 a Touchdown
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52% College Swing
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73% Pufnstuf
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Filmography

Movies TV Shows
The Concorde: Airport '79 25% 13% 1979 Loretta Actor The Phynx 23% 1970 Foxy Actor Pufnstuf 73% 1970 Boss Witch Actor Billy Rose's Jumbo 56% 1962 Lulu Actor Monsieur Verdoux 97% 88% 1947 Annabella Bonheur Actor Four Jills in a Jeep 50% 1944 Self Pin Up Girl 33% 56% 1944 Molly McKay Actor Keep 'Em Flying 59% 1941 Gloria Phelps/Barbara Phelps Actor Hellzapoppin' 85% 1941 Betty Johnson Actor Navy Blues 1941 Lilibelle Bolton Actor The Boys From Syracuse 1940 Luce Actor The Farmer's Daughter 1940 Patience Bingham Actor Never Say Die 91% 1939 Mickey Hawkins Actor $1,000 a Touchdown 1939 Martha Madison Actor The Big Broadcast of 1938 50% 1938 Martha Bellows Actor College Swing 52% 1938 Mabel Grady Actor Give Me a Sailor 60% 1938 Letty Larkin Actor Tropic Holiday 1938 Midge Miller Actor Double Or Nothing 71% 1937 Liza Lou Lane Actor Waikiki Wedding 61% 1937 Myrtle Finch Actor Hideaway Girl 1937 Helen Flint Actor Mountain Music 1937 Bob Burnside Actor The Big Broadcast of 1937 60% 52% 1936 Patsy Actor College Holiday 0% 1936 Daisy Schloggenheimer Actor
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