Shirley Booth - TV's "Hazel"

 

"Burt Lancaster advised me against doing 'Hazel.'  'Don't do television,' he warned.  'It'll ruin you!'  Burt is a doll and a heck of an actor, but I'm glad I didn't follow his advice.  Everybody under 40 knows me better from 'Hazel,' not from my movies."

Shirley Booth was born Marjory Ford in Brooklyn, New York on August 30, 1898.  Admittedly, she's an actress that I know very little about, but she has a pretty cool grave.  She grew up in Brooklyn and then later Philadelphia, where she learned to appreciate the theatre.

She first hit the stage when she was just 17 years old, playing Lola Delaney in the drama Come Back, Little Sheba, a role she'd later reprise on the silver screen.  She made her Broadway debut just a few years later, starring opposite Humphrey Bogart in the three-act play Hell's Bells.

After an early Hollywood marriage that ended in divorce, Booth married William H. Baker, Jr., a regular joe serving his country during World War 2.  This marriage was short-lived too however, as Baker died of heart disease in 1951.  Booth never remarried.

Shirley Booth is best remembered for her role as the wisecracking housekeeper Hazel on the sit-com of the same name.  It premiered on NBC in 1961 and ran for four seasons before being canceled.  CBS picked it up for an additional season, before Booth finally called it quits in 1966.  Along the way, she won two Emmy awards for the role, which she'd continue to play in commercials after the series was canceled (see Trivia below).

Booth retired from acting in 1974.  For her final acting role, she provided the voice of Mrs. Claus in the animated special The Year Without a Santa Claus. 

By 1976, her health was in decline.  Over the next decade, she'd break her hip and suffer a stroke, the latter of which caused mobility issues and took her sight.  She ultimately died on October 16, 1992, at the age of 94.  She was laid to rest in the Baker family plot in Mount Hebron Cemetery in Montclair, New Jersey. 

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Shirley Booth, take a voyage to Amazon.  Its all in books.
  
  
• In 1979, Booth was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in New York City.  She was unable to attend the ceremony however, and the award was accepted on her behalf by actress Celeste Holm.  Additionally, she is one of 15 actresses to have won the Triple Crown of Acting - an Oscar, a Tony, and an Emmy Award.
  
  
• As her Hazel character, Booth did a series of commercials for the Ford Motor Company.  Here's one.  Here's another.  Here's one more.
  
  
• Ever watch Seinfeld?  George Costanza once referenced Shirley Booth and Hazel in this classic clip.
  
  
• Mount Hebron is also the final resting place of several other notable figures, including actress Olympia Dukakis, paint tycoon Benjamin Moore, and Allen Balcom DuMont, the man who gave the world television.

Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!

 

"I would never watch my show.  I'm not interested in it."

I honestly do not know why I haven't done this blog sooner.  Back in the 90s, I was a huge fan of The Jerry Springer Show, so when I was passing through Chicago in 2024, I knew I had to stop and pay my respects. 

Jerry Springer was born Gerald Norman Springer in London, England on February 13, 1944, during the height of World War 2 (see Trivia below).  His family immigrated to America in 1948, eventually settling in Queens, New York.

As a teenager, Springer became interested in politics.  He was impressed by then-Senator John F. Kennedy and decided to pursue a similar career for himself, earning a Bachelor's degree in political science from Tulane University.

After graduation, Springer worked on Robert F. Kennedy's political campaign, which was cut short by an assassin's bullet.  Springer relocated to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he began practicing law and running for office.  He was first elected to the city council in 1971 but resigned three years later after being caught with a prostitute (see Trivia below).  The voters forgave him however, and he was re-elected the following year.  He'd eventually retire from politics after losing his bid for the Ohio state house in 1982.

Around the same time, Springer began his career as a political journalist and commentator for the local NBC affiliate.  He was an overnight success, and it was clear that the public wanted more.  The Jerry Springer Show was launched in September 1991 to meet that need.  When it began, it reflected his experience and interest in politics.  Early guests included Oliver North and Jesse Jackson, and it would cover broad social topics still in play today, such as gun control and homelessness.  The best was yet to come.

By 1994, the show's ratings were in serious decline.  Springer and his producer revamped the format to appeal to a broader audience.  Gone were the politicians and issues, replaced by transvestites, cheaters, and midgets.  The switch worked, so much so that by 1998, Jerry was winning the daytime ratings war, beating out the longtime queen herself, Oprah Winfrey.  It remained a television staple for the next 27 years, most of which I watched.  He finally called it quits in 2018.

This blogger attended a taping of The Jerry Springer Show in 2016.

In early 2023, Springer was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  The battle would not be a long one however, as it took his life just a few months later, on April 27th.  He was only 79 years old.

Jerry Springer was laid to rest at Memorial Park Cemetery in Skokie, Illinois.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Jerry Springer, take a voyage to Amazon.  Its all in books.
  
  
• Jerry was born in London's Highgate station, an underground facility used as a bomb shelter during World War 2.  Both of his grandmothers perished in concentration camps, one in Poland, the other in Czechoslovakia.
  
  
• Springer's visit with a prostitute came to light as a result of his having paid for it with a personal check, something he'd admit to in later political campaigns.  Check out his confessional campaign spot on YouTube.
  
  
• This blogger was fortunate enough to attend a taping of The Jerry Springer Show in 2016.  Prior to the show, Springer addressed the audience, taking questions from a few of the fortunate, this blogger included, while passing out "Jerry beads" to others.
  
  
• During the early days of the show, Springer appeared as himself in a classic episode of Married With Children, wherein Al Bundy and his friends take "the masculine feminist" hostage during his talk show.  Check out a clip on YouTube.
  
  
• In 1998, Springer appeared as himself in the box office film Ringmaster, which was loosely based on the show.  You can check out the trailer on YouTube.
  
  
• Memorial Park Cemetery is also the final resting place of Brady Bunch star Robert Reed, previously profiled by this blog.

Danny Kaye is now a Bench!

 

"I became an entertainer not because I wanted to but because I was meant to."

Danny Kaye was born David Daniel Kaminsky in Brooklyn, New York on January 18, 1911.  He was the youngest of three sons born to Russian-Jewish immigrants.  Sadly, his mother would pass away when he was still just a teenager.

As a young boy, Kaye aspired to be a surgeon, but medical school was not a financial reality.  His second option was show business, a career that would sustain him for the rest of his life.

He got his first break in 1933, when he joined a vaudeville dance act.  It was during this period that he adopted his stage name.  He had also recently met Miss Sylvia Fine, the woman he'd spend the next five decades with.

Kaye's career lasted just as long.  He'd star in such box office hits as White Christmas with Bing Crosby and The Court Jester with Angela Lansbury.  He was no stranger to television either.  After a slew of specials in the early 1960s, he'd eventually host his own variety series, The Danny Kaye Show, which ran from 1963 to 1967.  

In 1983, Kaye underwent quadruple bypass heart surgery.  During the procedure, he contracted Hepatitis C, from which he'd never recover.  It ultimately contributed to his death on March 3, 1987.  He was 76 years old.  He was cremated and the ashes were given to Sylvia.

Now, this is where it gets weird.  Sylvia died four years later and she was cremated as well.  Her ashes, as well as her husband's, were placed inside of a memorial bench at Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York.   

Location: Valhalla Plot, Section #19, Lot #1

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Danny Kaye, take a voyage to Amazon.  Its all in books.
  
  
• A one-hour documentary entitled American Masters: Danny Kaye - A Legacy of Laughter was released in 1996.  You can watch it in its entirety on YouTube.
  
  
• Prior to her death, Sylvia donated a score of materials to the Library of Congress, including recordings, scripts, awards and other memorabilia.  Many of these items are available online via the Library of Congress website.  Check out the Danny Kaye and Sylvia Fine Collection.
  
  
• Kaye served as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, eventually raising more than $5 million for the charitable organization.  For his work, he was awarded France's highest civilian accolade, the Legion of Honor. 
  
  
• Kaye was a certified commercial pilot.  During one flight, he correctly diagnosed himself as having appendicitis.  He landed the plane at the nearest airport and went to a hospital, where he underwent an emergency appendectomy.  Believe it or Not!