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Martha Raye

Known For
Acting

Known Credits
73

Gender
Female

Birthday
August 27, 1916 (109 years old)

Place of Birth
Butte, Montana, USA

Martha Raye

Biography

Martha Raye (born Margy Reed), nicknamed The Big Mouth, was an American comic actress and singer who performed in movies, and later on television. She also acted in plays, including Broadway. She was honored in 1969 at the Academy Awards as the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award recipient for her volunteer efforts and services to the troops.

In the early 1930s, Raye was a band vocalist with the Paul Ash and Boris Morros orchestras. She made her first film appearance in 1934 in a band short titled A Nite in the Nite Club. In 1936, she was signed for comic roles by Paramount Pictures, and made her first picture for Paramount. Her first feature film was Rhythm on the Range with crooner Bing Crosby. She was a featured cast member in 39 episodes of Al Jolson's weekly CBS radio show, The Lifebuoy Program, also called Cafe Trocadero. In addition to comedy, Martha sang both solos and duets with Jolson. Over the next quarter century, she would appear with many of the leading comics of her day, including Joe E. Brown, Bob Hope, W. C. Fields, Abbott and Costello (in Keep 'Em Flying), Charlie Chaplin (in Monsieur Verdoux), and Jimmy Durante. She joined the USO in 1942, soon after the US entered World War II.

She was known for the size of her mouth, which was large in proportion to her face, earning her the nickname The Big Mouth. She later referred to this in a series of television commercials for Polident denture cleaner in the 1980s: "So take it from The Big Mouth: new Polident Green gets tough stains clean!" Her large mouth would relegate her motion picture work to supporting comic parts, and was often made up so it appeared even larger. In the Disney cartoon Mother Goose Goes Hollywood, she is caricatured while dancing alongside Joe E. Brown, another actor known for a big mouth. In the Warner Bros. cartoon The Woods Are Full Of Cuckoos (1937), she was caricatured as a jazzy scat-singing donkey named 'Moutha Bray'.

She often appeared as a guest on other programs, particularly those which often featured older performers as guest stars, such as ABC's The Love Boat, and also on variety programs, including the short-lived The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show. She appeared from the third to the ninth seasons as Carrie Sharples on Alice, making two or three appearances a season. She made guest appearances or did cameo roles in such series as Murder, She Wrote on CBS and The Andy Williams Show and McMillan & Wife, both on NBC. She appeared again as Agatha for the six-episode run of the retooled McMillan, taking over for Nancy Walker, who had left the series. Her last film appearance was as an incontinent airline passenger in the disaster film The Concorde ... Airport '79.

Later in her career, she made television commercials for Polident denture cleanser, principally during the 1970s and 1980s.

Known For

Acting

2026Star Struckas Susan Mendella
2026Amara:The Statueas Martha
2025Airportsas
2019Sid & Judyas Self (archive footage)
2014Bing Crosby: Rediscoveredas Self (archive footage)
2005The Adventures of Errol Flynnas Self (archive footage)
2003Chaplin Today: Monsieur Verdouxas Self (archive footage)
1999The 13th Yearas ( Self )
1985Alice in Wonderlandas Duchess
1984Murder, She Wroteas Sadie Winthrope
1982Showbiz Goes to Waras (archive footage)
1981Pippinas Bertha
1980The Gossip Columnistas Georgia O'Hanlon
1979Skinflint: A Country Christmas Carolas The Ghost of Christmas Past
1979The Concorde... Airport '79as Loretta
1977'Twas the Night Before Christmasas
1977The Love Boatas Irene Austin
1977The Love Boatas Zelda
1976Bob Hope's World of Comedyas Self (archive footage)
1976Aliceas
1976Aliceas Carrie Sharples
1971McMillan & Wifeas Agatha
1971McMillan & Wifeas Agetha
1970The Bugaloosas Benita Bizarre
1970Pufnstufas Boss Witch
1970The Phynxas Foxy
1970No Substitute for Victoryas Self
1969The Barbara McNair Showas Self
1968The Dick Cavett Showas Self - Guest
1967The Carol Burnett Showas Self - Guest
1966Clown Alleyas Washerwoman Clown
1964The Hollywood Palaceas Self
1963The Judy Garland Showas Self
1963Burke's Lawas Beulah Brothers
1962Billy Rose's Jumboas Lulu
1962The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carsonas Self
1961The Mike Douglas Showas Self
1959The Big Partyas Self
1958The All-Star Christmas Showas Self
1956The Steve Allen Showas Self
1953The Oscarsas Self
1952This Is Your Lifeas Self
1951The Red Skelton Showas
1950The Colgate Comedy Houras Self
1950The Bob Hope Showas Self
1950What's My Line?as Self
1947Monsieur Verdouxas Annabella Bonheur
1944Pin Up Girlas Molly McKay
1944Four Jills in a Jeepas Martha Raye
1943Show-Business at Waras Self
1941Hellzapoppin'as Betty Johnson
1941Keep 'Em Flyingas Gloria Phelps / Barbara Phelps
1941Navy Bluesas Lilibelle Bolton
1940The Boys from Syracuseas Luce
1940The Farmer's Daughteras Patience Bingham
1939$1,000 a Touchdownas Martha Madison
1939Never Say Dieas Mickey Hawkins
1938Give Me a Sailoras Letty Larkin
1938Tropic Holidayas Midge Miller
1938College Swingas Mabel Grady
1938The Big Broadcast of 1938as Martha Bellows
1937Double or Nothingas Liza Lou Lane
1937Artists & Modelsas Specialty
1937Mountain Musicas Mary Beamish
1937Waikiki Weddingas Myrtle Finch
1936College Holidayas Daisy Schloggenheimer
1936Hideaway Girlas Helen Flint
1936The Big Broadcast of 1937as Patsy
1936Rhythm on the Rangeas Emma
The Clockmaker’s Secret: Lost in Spindlewoodas Sabrina Williow
Holly Noel: The Winter Ball (Christmas 3)as ( Self )
Ruby Gale & The Diamond Thiefas Martha Carpenter
A Christmas Childas Regina Wlison-Washington/Ghost Of Christmas Past

Production