Ballard, Kaye 1926- (Catherine Gloria Balotta)

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Ballard, Kaye 1926- (Catherine Gloria Balotta)

PERSONAL:

Born November 20, 1926, in Cleveland, OH; daughter of Vincent James and Lena Balotta.

ADDRESSES:

Agent—Muriel Nellis, Literary & Creative Artists, Inc., 3543 Albemarle St., N.W., Washington, DC 20008-4213.

CAREER:

Comedian, singer, actress, and writer. Has performed in nightclubs, plays and musicals, and appeared on film and television. Appeared in numerous plays, including New York productions of Top Banana, 1951; The Golden Apple, 1954; Carnival!, 1961-63; Wonderful Town, 1963; The Decline and Fall of the Entire World as Seen through the Eyes of Cole Porter Revisited, 1966; Pirates of Penzance: The Slave of Duty, 1981-82; She Stoops to Conquer, 1985; Hurray! Hurray! Hollywood, 1991; Over the River and Through the Woods, 1999; Funny Girl, 2002. Film appearances include The Girl Most Likely, 1958; A House Is Not a Home, 1964; Which Way to the Front?, 1970; The Ritz, 1976; Freaky Friday, 1977; Falling in Love Again, 1980; Pandemonium, 1982; The Perils of P.K., 1986; Tiger Warsaw, 1988; Eternity, 1989; Modern Love, 1990; Fate, 1990; Joey Takes a Cab, 1991; Ava's Musical Adventure, 1994; The Modern Adventures of Tom Sawyer, 1998; Baby Geniuses, 1999; The Million Dollar Kid, 2000; Little Insects, 2000; The Pool of Desire, 2004; and Broadway: The Golden Age, By the Legends Who Were There, 2004. Also appeared in numerous television specials, series, and talk shows, and costarred in the situation comedy series The Mothers-in-Law, 1967-69. Performer on numerous recordings, including Lyrics by Lerner, Heritage, 1953; Gershwin Rarities, Walden Records, 1953; The Golden Apple, RCA Victor, 1954; Roberta, Columbia, 1956; Peanuts, Harmony, c. 1960; The Golden Apple, Elektra, 1961; The Best of Irving Berlin's Songs from Mr. President, RCA Victor, 1962; Cole Porter Revisited, RIC, 1964; The Decline and Fall of the Entire World as Seen through the Eyes of Cole Porter, Columbia, 1965; Hit Songs from Baker Street: And other Broadway Musicals, MGM, c. 1965.

WRITINGS:

Hey Ma … Kaye Ballard (solo show), produced in New York at the Promenade Theatre, 1984.

(With Jim Hesselman) How I Lost 10 Pounds in 53 Years: A Memoir, Back Stage Books (New York, NY), 2006.

RECORDINGS

The Fanny Brice Story in Song Sound Recording, MGM Records (New York, NY), 1958.

Hey, Ma!, Cabaret DRG, (New York, NY), 1991.

SIDELIGHTS:

Kaye Ballard is a comedian and performer who has worked in burlesque, and performed on stage, television, and film. She is the author of the solo stage show Hey Ma … Kaye Ballard, which was also made into a recording, and How I Lost 10 Pounds in 53 Years: A Memoir. In her memoir, Ballard provides numerous anecdotes from her sixty-plus-year career in show business, including her discovery by bandleader Spike Jones in the 1940s and her starring role in The Golden Apple on Broadway in the 1950s. In addition to writing about various performers dating back several decades and about the "Golden Age" of Broadway shows, the author discusses her personal life, from her childhood in Cleveland to her meeting with Mother Teresa. Ballard also writes about her love life, such as her rejection of amorous advances from Phil Silvers, a Broadway and television star, and her infatuation with Marlon Brando. "Seasoned with just a touch of family angst, a bit of payback for … bad actors and a little vamping, it's a traditional theatrical memoir," wrote a Kirkus Reviews contributor. A California Bookwatch contributor called How I Lost 10 Pounds in 53 Years "a real treat" for Ballard fans.