Kitty Carlisle (also known as Kitty Carlisle Hart; September 3, 1910 – April 17, 2007) was an American singer, actress and spokeswoman for the arts. She is best remembered as a regular panelist on the television game show To Tell the Truth. Carlisle served 20 years on the New York State Council on the Arts. In 1991, she received the National Medal of Arts from President George H. W. Bush. Eight years later, in 1999, she was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.
September 3, 1910, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Died
April 17, 2007, New York City, New York, United States
Place Of Birth
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Profession
Actress, Soundtrack
Education
New York University
Nationality
American
Spouse
Moss Hart (m. 1946–1961)
Children
Catherine Hart, Christopher Hart
Movies
A Night at the Opera, Here Is My Heart
Star Sign
Virgo
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Trademark
1
Writing number one as a roman numeral one while a panelist on "To Tell The Truth"
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Quote
1
In a chat with Peggy Cass, a co-panelist on What's My Line?, referring to her husband Moss Hart, she said he loved to see me in red satin and diamonds. Oh, I would get all done up for him.
2
[on filming 'A Night at the Opera'] Groucho would come up to from time to time to ask me,'Is this funny?'' Then, totally deadpan, he'd try out the line. I'd say, 'No, I don't think it is funny', and he'd go away absolutely crushed and try it out on everyone else in the cast. Chico was always playing cards in the back room and had to be called on the set. Harpo would work well until about eleven o'clock. Then he'd stretch out on the nearest piece of furniture and start calling at the top of his voice, 'Lunchie! Lunchie!'
3
On time: Each morning I wake up and say, "Dear Lord, I don't want anything better; just send me more of the same."
4
My mother once said to me, 'Kitty, once you're past fifty, every fifteen minutes it's breakfast.
5
I think people today aren't learning as much as we did. They don't understand world politics, they really don't understand geography. They don't know where anything is.
6
"I never remarried. When you've had the best of it, why fiddle around? He was so wonderful. He was so witty and it was such fun to be with him. I loved it and I loved him." KC - referring to late husband Moss Hart.
7
[Celebrity] these days it's based on, how should I put it, vulgarity. We had standards and we didn't allow other people to debase our standards. It was a different time.
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Fact
1
She served as Chairman of the NYS Council on the Arts, under Governors (both Republican and Democratic), for twenty-years (1976-1996)and continued as Chairman Emeritus until her passing in 2007, and never accepted a salary for doing so.
2
Was a Girl Scout.
3
Was the first female guest replacement following the death of Dorothy Kilgallen on the What's My Line? (1950) panel in November of 1965.
4
Bought her Madison Avenue apartment in 1962 after the death of her husband, Moss Hart, for $100,000. As of July 2007, it's on the market for $12.5 million.
5
In 1970, she became romantically involved with former New York Governor and two-time Republican presidential candidate Thomas E. Dewey, and they spoke of marriage. However, Dewey died suddenly of a heart attack in early 1971.
6
A notorious fashion hound, she was an early patron of Scaasi. She claims she was "Scaasified" ever since the designer dressed her for the London opening of "My Fair Lady" in the late 1950s.
Got her start at the Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, Pennsylvania. The playhouse, once a grist mill (dating from the 1700s) was instrumental in turning the town into an arts center, way back when.
16
She was the only panelist to appear on every version of "To Tell the Truth" from 1956-2002, lasting 46 years.