Harry Babbitt

2025-06-19T01:04:32Z

2600:4040:A7EF:5700:7CAA:897C:89C8:39AF: Updated short description

{{short description|American singer (1913–2004)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Harry Babbitt
| image = Harry Babbitt 1953.JPG
| alt =
| caption = Harry Babbitt (1953)
| birth_name =
| birth_date = November 2, 1913
| birth_place = St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
| death_date = April 9, 2004 (aged 90)
| death_place = Aliso Viejo, California, U.S.
| nationality =
| other_names =
| occupation = Singer
| alma_mater =
| spouse = Betty
| children = 3 sons
| parents =
| known_for = Singing with Kay Kyser's Orchestra
}}
'''Harry Babbitt''' (November 2, 1913 – April 9, 2004) was an American singer and star during the [[Big Band]] era.

==Early career==
Born in [[St. Louis, Missouri]], Babbitt organized his own band after high school, directing the group in addition to singing and playing saxophone and drums. Later, his work as an announcer and soloist on a radio station in St. Louis caught the attention of bandleader [[Kay Kyser]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hasley|first1=Betty|title=Cinderella Tells About Radio And Its Celebrities|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2031008/cinderella_tells/|agency=Williamsburg Journal-Tribune|date=January 23, 1947|page=7|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|accessdate = March 20, 2015}} {{Open access}}</ref>

==Music career==
Babbitt joined the Kyser band in the winter of 1936. With Kyser he recorded several hits in his rich [[baritone]]. On some novelty tunes he adopted a high-pitched [[falsetto]].<ref name="NYT">{{cite news|url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0713FE3B5E0C758EDDAD0894DC404482|title=Harry Babbitt, 90, Singer Prominent in Big Band Era|date=April 26, 2004|work=[[The New York Times]]|accessdate=January 13, 2011}}</ref> Babbitt sang such hits as "[[Three Little Fishies]]," "[[(I'd Like to Get You on a) Slow Boat to China]]" and "Jingle, Jangle, Jingle," but his biggest hit was the cover of [[Vera Lynn]]'s "[[The White Cliffs of Dover]]".<ref name="NYT"/> He also sang the [[Spike Jones]] holiday hit, "[[All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth]]" and did the laugh on Kyser's "[[Woody Woodpecker]]" song with vocalist [[Gloria Wood]]. He appeared as a regular on Kyser's radio program, ''[[Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge]]'',{{r|rp|page1=189}} and in seven movies with Kyser, including ''[[That's Right – You're Wrong]]'' (1939), ''[[Thousands Cheer]]'' (1943) and ''[[Carolina Blues]]'' (1944).

Babbitt served in the [[United States Navy]] from 1944 to 1946, then returned to Kyser's band, which he eventually left for good in 1949.

==Radio and television==
Babbitt was host of an early morning radio show, ''The Second Cup of Coffee Club'' on [[CBS]].<ref name=rs>DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. {{ISBN|978-0-7864-2834-2}}. p. 18.</ref> It ran 10 years in the 1940s and 1950s. He also co-starred with [[Mary Small]] on ''By Popular Demand'', a weekly program on [[Mutual Broadcasting System|Mutual]] in 1945–1946.<ref name=rp>Terrace, Vincent (1999). ''Radio Programs, 1924–1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows''. McFarland & Company, Inc. {{ISBN|978-0-7864-4513-4}}. p. 57.</ref>

Babbitt's obituary in ''Variety'' called him "a television pioneer," noting that "he hosted two long-running musical shows on KTLA-TV in Los Angeles: ''Bandstand Review'' and ''Hollywood Opportunity''. He also hosted an NBC program, ''[[Glamour Girl (TV series)|Glamour Girl]]'',<ref name=variety>{{cite news|title=Harry Babbitt|url=https://variety.com/2004/scene/people-news/harry-babbitt-1117903695/|accessdate=21 March 2015|agency=Variety|date=April 22, 2004}}</ref> which ran in 1953–1954 and provided "wardrobe advice, beauty treatments and other tips ... designed to make the average woman a glamour girl."<ref name=etvs>Terrace, Vincent (2011). ''Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010''. McFarland & Company, Inc. {{ISBN|978-0-7864-6477-7}}. p. 397.</ref>

==Later years==
Babbitt retired from showbusiness in 1964 and made money in [[real estate]] in [[Orange County, California]]. He also managed the Newport Tennis Club and headed public relations for a retirement community, both in Orange County.<ref>{{cite news|title=Harry Babbitt to Run Newport Tennis Club|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2031499/babbitttennis_club/|agency=Independent Press-Telegram|date=April 7, 1968|page=48}}</ref>

After Kyser died, Babbitt went on tour with a new band, using Kyser's name and music. He retired from that in the mid-1990s.<ref name=lat>{{cite news|last1=McLellan|first1=Dennis|title=Harry Babbitt, 90; Baritone Was Lead Vocalist for Kay Kyser's Band|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-apr-22-me-babbitt22-story.html|access-date=21 March 2015|agency=Los Angeles Times|date=April 22, 2004}}</ref>

==Death==
Babbitt died at the age of 90 in [[Aliso Viejo, California]].<ref name="NYT"/> He and his wife, Betty, were married 69 years. He was survived by her, their sons Michael, Stephen and Christopher, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.<ref name=lat/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1849317 NPR: "Woody Woodpecker's Laugh: Remembering Harry Babbitt"]
* [http://www.kaykyser.net/harry-tribute.html Steve Beasley's Tribute to Harry Babbitt]

{{Kay Kyser}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Babbitt, Harry}}
[[Category:1913 births]]
[[Category:2004 deaths]]
[[Category:Big band singers]]
[[Category:Singers from St. Louis]]
[[Category:United States Navy sailors]]
[[Category:20th-century American musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:Television pioneers]]
[[Category:United States Navy personnel of World War II]]

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Harry Babbitt