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49-527: The New Riviera Club was opened by Alex Bayou on December 3, 1943. The opening featured performances by the Smoothies, radio stars Kate Smith , Burns and Allen , Fred Waring , dancer Dorothy Dale, comedian Jack Herbert, and Gus Martel's orchestra. In 1944, African-American politician and civil rights activist Jordan W. Chambers purchased the Riviera nightclub located at 4460 Delmar Blvd. Chambers acquired

98-667: A CD titled Kate Smith: The Songbird of the South . The artwork was based on a photograph of Smith taken in the 1960s. On October 26, 1982, Smith received the Presidential Medal of Freedom , America's highest civilian honor, by U.S. President Ronald Reagan . In bestowing the honor, Reagan said: The voice of Kate Smith is known and loved by millions of Americans, young and old. In war and peace, it has been an inspiration. Those simple but deeply moving words, "God bless America", have taken on added meaning for all of us because of

147-413: A concert demonstration against indecency, for which President Richard Nixon commended the stars' performances. Eddie Dowling Eddie Dowling (born Joseph Nelson Goucher ; December 11, 1889 — February 18, 1976) was an American actor, director, playwright, screenwriter, composer and theatrical producer. Born Joseph Nelson Goucher on December 11, 1889, he was the 14th of 17 children born to

196-604: A father of French-Canadian descent and a mother of Irish descent in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. (Some sources give his middle name as Narcisse.) He took his professional surname from the maiden name of his mother, Bridget Mary Dowling, who was born in Smithfield, Rhode Island. His father was Charles Goucher, a textile worker, who was born in St Marcel, Province of Québec, Canada. Dowling began his career in vaudeville with

245-533: A half octaves. Her earliest performances were during amateur nights at vaudeville theaters in D.C. Her earliest musical influences were her parents: her father sang in the choir at the Catholic church; her mother played piano at the Presbyterian church. She attended Business High School in D.C. (now Theodore Roosevelt High School ), likely graduating in 1924. Alarmed by his daughter's evident penchant for

294-504: A huge leap in 1930 when Columbia Records A&R executive Ted Collins took an interest as a result of her Hit the Deck performances. Collins would become her longtime manager in 50–50 partnership. Smith had become self-conscious regarding her weight, in no small part because of the on- and off-stage mocking she received from co-star Bert Lahr. She later credited Collins with helping her overcome her self-consciousness, writing, "Ted Collins

343-426: A propaganda asking people to stay away from the picture. Her advertisement probably put a million dollars on its gross." Smith starred in two concurrent television programs in the early 1950s The Kate Smith Hour on NBC Television from 1950 through 1954, hosting until 1953 in the late afternoon hour of 4:00 pm ET. James Dean and Audrey Hepburn made early acting appearances on the show. Smith also starred in

392-489: A reception was held at Club Riviera in honor of entertainer Josephine Baker who was presented the key to the city. In the early 1960s business began to decline and after Cambers died in 1962, his estate sold the building. In 1964, the building was remodeled and reopened as the Riviera Civic Center. A fire destroyed the vacant building on December 7, 1970. Authorities suspect it was an act of arson because

441-585: A sausage factory in California." Dowling was married to the Scottish-born actress and stage performer Rachel Rice Dooley , who specialized in physical comedy ; they had two children, Jack and Maxine. Jack Dowling was killed in a plane crash in Brazil in 1955 when he was Time magazine's Buenos Aires bureau chief. On February 18, 1976, Dowling died at a nursing home in Smithfield, Rhode Island at

490-593: A separate hit series in 1940. Smith also made a dramatic appearance, starring in "Little Johnny Appleseed" on Silver Theater on May 14, 1944. By 1946, she also collaborated with the actor Pat O'Brien on the Viva America program for the CBS radio network in support of America's cultural diplomacy initiatives in South America. Smith's figure was not the only target of satire. Her cheery radio sign-on

539-655: A special part of Flyers' history. In 1987, the team erected a statue of Smith outside the Spectrum, their arena at the time, in her memory. However, the statue was later covered and then removed in April 2019 due to criticism of lyrics in some of her earlier songs that were perceived as racist. Until that time, the Flyers still showed a video of her singing "God Bless America" in lieu of " The Star-Spangled Banner " for good luck before important games. The video of Smith's performance

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588-466: A year following her death, Smith's remains were stored in a vault at St. Agnes Cemetery in Lake Placid, while officials of St. Agnes Church and the singer's executors engaged in a dispute over Smith's request to be interred in a mausoleum on the cemetery's grounds. Her private interment service was held on November 14, 1987. She did a command performance for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth at

637-763: Is well known for her renditions of " God Bless America " and " When the Moon Comes over the Mountain ". She became known as The Songbird of the South because of her tremendous popularity during World War II . Smith was born on May 1, 1907, in Greenville, Virginia , to Charlotte 'Lottie' Yarnell ( née Hanby) and William Herman Smith and grew up in Washington, D.C. Her father owned the Capitol News Company, distributing newspapers and magazines in

686-527: The Columbia label. She made a few more records for Columbia through May 1927. In 1929 through 1931 she again returned to Columbia's studios, this time appearing for the budget labels Harmony , Diva and Velvet Tone under a pseudonym. These commercially successful records were often sung in the style of Ethel Waters and Ruth Etting , although others were more akin to the early crooning style of Bing Crosby and Russ Columbo . Her musical career took

735-682: The Phil Moore Four jazz group, comedians Allen Drew and Grace Smith, and dancer Al Guster and the Riviera Chorines. During its heyday, Club Riviera is said to have rivaled the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York . Renowned jazz entertainers such as Nat King Cole , Ella Fitzgerald , and Duke Ellington performed at the club. Chambers also rented the nightclub out to social clubs and organizations for events. In February 1952,

784-691: The Stanley Cup Finals when the Flyers lost to the Montreal Canadiens 5–3 and were swept in that series. She made her final public performance on May 23, 1985, before Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals when the Flyers lost to the Edmonton Oilers 3–1, and lost the series in five games. The Flyers' record when "God Bless America" was played or sung by Smith in person stood at a remarkable 100 wins, 29 losses, and five ties as of April 20, 2016 . Smith and her song remain

833-662: The Toronto Maple Leafs on October 11, 1973, Smith made a surprise appearance to perform the song in person and received a tremendous reception. The Flyers won that game by a 2–0 score. She again performed the song at the Spectrum in front of a capacity crowd of 17,007 fans before game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals on May 19, 1974, against the Boston Bruins. Before this game, Smith had a "Flyer Record" of 36–3–1 (win-loss-tie). After her performance, in keeping with

882-490: The "Star-Spangled Banner" played before games, due to the tensions caused by the Vietnam War, and he decided to use Smith's rendition of "God Bless America" instead. The crowd responded more favorably to this recording. After the Flyers won the game, it was decided by the team that the song would be used as an alternative to the "Star-Spangled Banner", but only for certain important games. At the Flyers' home opener against

931-530: The 1934 Democratic nomination for the United States Senate seat from Rhode Island. At the time, Time reported that his great-grandfather and two great-grand uncles were the founders of Goucher College for Women in Baltimore and that "he was the 14th in a family of 17 children; his schooling had extended only up to the third grade; he had been a cabin boy and a music hall singer...and he owned

980-670: The 1943 wartime film This Is the Army , she sang " God Bless America ", which became her signature song. Smith was a major star of radio, usually backed by Jack Miller's Orchestra. She began with her twice-a-week NBC series, Kate Smith Sings (quickly expanded to six shows a week), followed by a series of shows for CBS: Kate Smith and Her Swanee Music (1931–33), sponsored by La Palina Cigars; The Kate Smith Matinee (1934–35); The Kate Smith New Star Revue (1934–35); Kate Smith's Coffee Time (1935–36), sponsored by A&P ; and The Kate Smith A&P Bandwagon (1936–37). The Kate Smith Hour

1029-581: The 1950s but in 1963 signed a contract with RCA Victor to record a number of successful albums, including several that charted on the Billboard Hot 200 chart alongside the major rock stars of the era, usually with Smith, then well into her fifties, the oldest performer on the charts. In 1967 she had her first new hit record in many years when "Anyone Can Move A Mountain" peaked at #30 on Billboard ' s Easy Listening Hits chart in July 1967. This record

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1078-549: The British television show, Sunday Night at the London Palladium . Because of her popularity, her face was a common sight in print advertisements of the day. Over the years, she acted as a commercial spokeswoman for numerous companies such as Studebaker , Pullman, Diamond Crystal Salt , and Jell-O . Smith recorded dozens of successful albums and songs during the 1930s and 1940s. She recorded sporadically during

1127-678: The Bruins out 1–0 in the game. Smith also performed live at the Flyers' home game on May 13, 1975, before Game 7 of the Stanley Cup semifinals against the Islanders. After her performance, Islanders' captain Ed Westfall presented Smith with a bouquet of flowers as each member of the Islanders lined up to shake her hand. Nonetheless, the Flyers won the game 4–1. On May 16, 1976, Smith made one of her final public performances before Game 4 of

1176-489: The Flyers' reputation of "The Broad Street Bullies", Smith mimicked a knockout punch. Boston's defenseman Bobby Orr and center Phil Esposito infamously tried to jinx the Flyers' "good luck charm" by shaking her hand after her performance. Yet, the Flyers won their first of two back-to-back Stanley Cups , winning that playoff series against the Boston Bruins four games to two, with goaltender Bernie Parent shutting

1225-803: The Homan Stock Company at the Scenic Temple theatre in Providence, RI. He appeared on stage for many years, including appearances in the Ziegfeld Follies . His Broadway debut came in The Velvet Lady (1919. His most famous role was as Tom Wingfield in the original Broadway production of The Glass Menagerie , starring opposite Laurette Taylor and Julie Haydon . He produced the play's original Chicago production in 1944 and followed it to Broadway. Dowling sought

1274-590: The Hour " (1947). "Rose O'Day" sold over one million copies, her first to achieve this feat, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA . Her theme song was " When the Moon Comes over the Mountain "; she had helped write the lyrics. Smith greeted her audience with "Hello, everybody!" and signed off with "Thanks for listenin'." In 1932, Smith appeared in Hello, Everybody! , with co-stars Randolph Scott and Sally Blane , and in

1323-598: The White House on June 8, 1939. She received a Drake University medallion for "outstanding contributions to radio and the people". Smith was inducted posthumously into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1999. She was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2010, the U.S. postal service issued a commemorative stamp featuring a duplication of artwork created for the cover of

1372-620: The age of 30. She titled her 1938 autobiography Living in a Great Big Way . Smith was the grand marshal of the 1976 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California and sang "God Bless America" and the National Anthem before the Rose Bowl game, a UCLA victory over Ohio State. Smith's rendition of "God Bless America" was played during the seventh-inning stretch of New York Yankees home games from 2001 until April 2019, when

1421-856: The company lead in George White's Flying High , which opened at the whites only Hurtig & Seamon's New Burlesque Theater (which later became the Apollo Theater) on March 3, 1930, and ran for 122 performances. As Pansy Sparks, Smith's role was to be the butt of Bert Lahr 's often cruel jibes about her girth. She said later that she often wept with humiliation in her dressing room after the show. During Honeymoon Lane ' s run in New York, Smith made her first phonograph recordings, consisting of songs from that show. The first sessions were for Victor but none were issued. Her first issued recordings, from an October 28, 1926, session, appeared on

1470-627: The diseases that eat away the fibers of peace". She went on to state "it is up to us to tolerate one another in order to achieve peace". Smith, who never married, rented several apartments in Manhattan during her long career. She had a home in Arlington, Virginia , and kept a summer home on a small island in Lake Placid, New York . After attending services at a Catholic parish for 25 years, Smith converted to Roman Catholicism in 1965. During

1519-468: The greater D.C. area. She was the youngest of three daughters, the middle child dying in infancy. She failed to talk until she was four years old, but a year later she was singing at church social events. By the time she was eight, she was singing for the troops at Army camps in the Washington area during World War I . Smith never had a singing lesson in her life and possessed a 'rich range' of two and

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1568-482: The number-one ranked anthemist in the NHL, Lauren Hart, as she sings 'God Bless America', accompanied by the great Kate Smith." Smith's plump figure made her an occasional object of derision; however, late in her career, Philadelphia Flyers hockey fans said about her appearance before games "It ain't BEGUN 'til the fat lady sings!" Smith was 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) tall and weighed 235 pounds (107 kg) at

1617-480: The practice was discontinued amid controversy surrounding her 1931 recordings of " That's Why Darkies Were Born " and " Pickaninny Heaven". The following day, the Philadelphia Flyers followed suit, and the statue of Smith outside the Flyers' arena was removed on April 21, 2019. Her family responded by denying the racism allegations. Those against the discontinuation of Smith's recordings have cited

1666-578: The property through a white buyer who had an option on it. The grand reopening featured performances by the vocal group Cats and the Fiddle , singers Marcella Wilson, Connie Lynwood, dancer Hortense Allen and her Riviera Chorines, and the Jeter-Pillars Orchestra on June 23, 1944. After a three-week closure for redecoration, Club Riviera reopened on December 21, 1945. Performers at the reopening included Ernie Fields and his orchestra,

1715-488: The sale of over $ 600 million (equivalent to $ 12.4 billion in 2023) of war bonds during a series of marathon broadcasts. No other show-business star came near her as revenue producer of War Bonds to finance the United States' war effort. In 1944 Smith launched a campaign against the film Double Indemnity . James M. Cain recalled that "there was a little trouble caused by this fat girl, Kate Smith, who carried on

1764-437: The satirical nature of the song "That's Why Darkies Were Born", and the fact that it was also popularized by Paul Robeson . The song "Pickaninny Heaven" is from the movie Hello, Everybody! , one of whose writers was Fannie Hurst , a well-known advocate for African American equality. Smith called for racial tolerance in 1945 in an address on CBS Radio, declaring, "Race hatreds, social prejudices, religious bigotry, they are

1813-546: The stage, her father sent her to the George Washington University School for Nursing where she attended classes for nine months between 1924 and 1925, withdrawing to pursue a career in show business. She got herself on the bill at Keith's Theater in Boston as a singer. Heading the bill was the actor and producer Eddie Dowling , who recruited the young singer for a revue he was preparing. It

1862-413: The time she spent in Lake Placid, she regularly attended Sunday Mass at St. Agnes Roman Catholic Church and could be heard singing the hymns in her contralto voice. In her later years, Smith was impaired by diabetes . In 1976, she suffered brain damage after slipping into a diabetic coma . After she emerged from the coma, her family helped her move in 1979 to Raleigh . In January 1986, Smith's right leg

1911-500: The varieties and nightclubs are known as 'hot' songs. Kate Smith is the newcomer's not uncommon name." When Honeymoon Lane closed, Smith had difficulty finding work in New York, so she returned to Washington, D.C. where she appeared sporadically in vaudeville. Smith joined the road company of Vincent Youmans ' Hit the Deck , where she won acclaim singing "Hallelujah!" as a mammy in blackface. Back in New York City, she took

1960-555: The way Kate Smith sang them. Thanks to her they have become a cherished part of all our lives, an undying reminder of the beauty, the courage, and the heart of this great land of ours. In giving us a magnificent, selfless talent like Kate Smith, God has truly blessed America. It was not the first time Smith had been saluted by a president. In 1969, in light of Jim Morrison 's arrest in Miami for indecent exposure, Smith had performed with The Lettermen , Anita Bryant , and Jackie Gleason in

2009-622: The weekly The Kate Smith Evening Hour which included a rare US TV appearance by Josephine Baker as well as the only major filmed footage of Hank Williams . Smith continued on the Mutual Broadcasting System, CBS, ABC, and NBC, presenting both music and talk shows on radio until 1960. From January 25 to July 18, 1960, Smith hosted The Kate Smith Show , a variety program on the CBS Television Monday evening schedule. On October 2, 1966, Smith performed on

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2058-513: The windows and doors of the vacant building were boarded up after a fire the previous month. The venue subject of a play, Live at the Club Riviera , at The Grandel in St. Louis. Notable performers who performed at Club Riviera include: Kate Smith Kathryn Elizabeth Smith (May 1, 1907 – June 17, 1986) was an American contralto . Referred to as The First Lady of Radio , Smith

2107-465: Was a leading radio variety show, offering comedy, music, and drama with appearances by top personalities of films and theater for eight years (1937–1945). The show's resident comics, Abbott and Costello and Henny Youngman , introduced their comedy to a nationwide radio audience aboard her show, while a series of sketches based on the Broadway production of the same name led to The Aldrich Family as

2156-579: Was amputated due to poor circulation caused by diabetes. Five months later, she underwent a mastectomy . On June 17, 1986, Smith died of respiratory arrest at Raleigh Community Hospital in Raleigh at the age of 79. Patricia Castledine (1939–2021) was Smith's live-in nurse until Smith's death. Castledine became the president of the Kate Smith Fan Club after Smith's death and continued to hold that post until her own death in 2021. For over

2205-561: Was called Honeymoon Lane , and opened in Atlantic City, New Jersey on August 29, 1926. A month later, it moved to Broadway. An indelicate review in The New York Times on October 31, 1926, under the heading "A Sophie Tucker Rival", said: "A 19-year-old girl, weighing in the immediate neighborhood of 200 pounds, is one of the discoveries of the season for those whose interests run to syncopators and singers of what in

2254-642: Was her only 1960s single release to be successful. In 1974, Smith returned to Billboard ' s Easy Listening chart when "Smile, Smile, Smile", a one-shot single release (and her last recording) for Atlantic Records , peaked at #42 in June 1974. (US chart positions courtesy Billboard magazine ). When the Philadelphia Flyers ice hockey team played Smith's rendition of "God Bless America" before their game on December 11, 1969, an unusual part of her career began. The Flyers' public address announcer had noticed that people would not pay attention or would show disdain for

2303-437: Was later accompanied by Lauren Hart , daughter of the late Hockey Hall of Fame broadcaster, Gene Hart , longtime voice of the Flyers, and anthem singer for the Flyers. Before games whenever "God Bless America" was performed, Lou Nolan , the public address announcer for the Flyers at Wells Fargo Center would say "Ladies and gentlemen, at this time, we ask that you please rise and remove your hats and salute our flags and welcome

2352-590: Was parodied by comedian Henry Morgan when he launched his own show in 1942: "Good evening, anybody, here's Morgan," which became his sign-on. Morgan recalled in his memoir Here's Morgan , that Smith's sign-on struck him as condescending: "I, on the other hand, was grateful if anybody was listening." Smith continued on the Mutual Broadcasting System , CBS, ABC, and NBC, presenting both music and talk shows on radio until 1960. Smith "stirred patriotic fervor" during World War II and contributed to

2401-590: Was the first man who regarded me as a singer, and didn't even seem to notice that I was a big girl." She noted, "I'm big, and I sing, and boy, when I sing, I sing all over!" Collins put Smith on radio in 1931. That year, she performed " Dream a Little Dream of Me ". Her biggest hits were "River, Stay 'Way from My Door" (1931), " The Woodpecker Song " (1940), " The White Cliffs of Dover " (1942), "Rose O'Day" (1941), "The Last Time I Saw Paris" (1940), " I Don't Want to Walk Without You " (1942), "There Goes That Song Again" (1944), " Seems Like Old Times " (1946), and " Now Is

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