Eartha Kitt

Actor, singer, and dancer

• Born: January 17, 1927
• Birthplace: North, South Carolina
• Died: December 25, 2008
• Place of death: Weston, Connecticut

One of few entertainers to be nominated for Tony, Grammy, and Emmy awards, Kitt performed extensively on Broadway and in nightclubs and concerts; however, she is best remembered for her sex-kitten image, demonstrated in her hit “Santa Baby” (1953) and as Catwoman (1967-1968) in the Batman television series.

Early Life

Few details about the early life of Eartha Mae Kitt (UR-thuh) are known to be accurate. She was born Eartha Mae Keith in 1927 in North, South Carolina. Kitt often said that her family continually abandoned her because she was a child of rape and multiracial (her white father was of Germanic descent). After spending her first eight years on a farm in the South, she was sent to New York City to live with Mamie Kitt, who was probably her biological mother. Periods of running away and homelessness as a teen took a toll on her formal education but did not crush her intellectual curiosity. At fifteen, Kitt (who had taken dance lessons) won an audition to join the Katherine Dunham Company, a primarily African American dance troupe that toured worldwide and received international acclaim. She was in the cast of the company’s Broadway production of Bal Nègre (1946) and the show’s European tour. Kitt became fluent in French while performing in Europe, both with the Dunham Company and as a cabaret singer. Before she left the dance company, Kitt appeared in the film Casbah (1948). Orson Welles was so impressed by her performance that he asked her to costar with him in his stage production of Dr. Faustus (1950).

Life’s Work

By her twenties, Kitt’s work experience included cabaret singing, performing in revues and Broadway musicals, acting in Shakespearean theater, and appearing on film. Her sex-kitten persona was exemplified by her performance of the songs “Monotonous” and “C’est si bon” in the 1952 revue New Faces (a film version featuring Kitt was released in 1954). She developed collaborative friendships with notable figures such as Welles and Duke Ellington, although these relationships did not attract as much attention as her love life. Her hit “Santa Baby” (1953), followed by appearances in films such as St. Louis Blues (1958), Saint of Devil’s Island (1961), and Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1965), together with her continuing stage work, catapulted her to popularity as an actor, singer, and dancer. At age twenty-nine, Kitt published her first autobiography, Thursday’s Child (1956).

Kitt’s career remained strong into the 1960’s until her confrontation with the First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson, over the Vietnam War at a White House event. When asked about her thoughts about the war, Kitt remarked that the White House sent people to fight the war to be “shot and maimed” and that nobody should be surprised that young people rebelled by smoking marijuana. This confrontation, viewed by many as criticism of the government’s involvement in Vietnam, led to Kitt’s blacklisting and subsequent departure for Europe.

Despite the controversy, earlier successes such as “Santa Baby” and her portrayal of Catwoman in Batman reminded audiences of Kitt’s talents. She returned to Broadway in Timbuktu! (1978) and earned a Tony nomination for her performance. In 1984, she had a surprise disco hit with “Where is My Man.” In 1989, she recorded another hit, the dance song “Cha-Cha Heels,” with Bronski Beat. Into the early twenty-first century, she had a distinguished career doing voice-overs for animated television shows and films, including The Emperor’s New Groove (2000) and its sequel Kronk’s New Groove (2005).

Kitt died of colon cancer at her home in Weston, Connecticut, in 2008.

Significance

Best known for her hit “Santa Baby” and as Catwoman, Kitt’s sex-kitten image often overshadowed her diverse achievements as an actor, dancer, and singer. Also often overlooked were her anti-Vietnam statement and early activism for world peace, her volunteer work to help homeless children, and her support of gay rights (including gay marriage). A contemporary of singers Lena Horne and Shirley Bassey, Kitt contributed musically to the cultivation of the cabaret tradition. In this respect, her influence can be heard in a diverse group of female and male singers such as Diana Ross, David Bowie, Rod McKuen, Nick Cave, Danny Elfman, and Cyndi Lauper. Kitt embraced her multiracial background and used it to transcend racial barriers and become widely admired for her beauty and charisma. Her autobiographical writings, which include her recollections of working with Dunham, Welles, and other entertainers, offer details of her artistic and cultural milieu.

Bibliography

Alexander, Amy. “Eartha Kitt.” In Fifty Black Women Who Changed America. New York: Citadel Press, 1999. Reprint. New York: Kensington, 2003. This biographical sketch describes Kitt’s influence on African American female entertainers.

Kitt, Eartha. Thursday’s Child.1956. Reprint. New York: Duell, Sloan, and Pearce, 1978. Kitt’s first autobiography focuses on her career as a Katherine Dunham dancer as well her work in cabaret, theater, and music.

‗‗‗‗‗‗‗. Alone with Me: A New Autobiography. Chicago: H. Regnery, 1976. Kitt’s second autobiography describes her television success and the fallout (for example, loss of employment opportunities) from her confrontation with Lady Bird Johnson over the Vietnam War.

‗‗‗‗‗‗‗. I’m Still Here: Confessions of a Sex Kitten. 1989. Reprint. New York: Barricade Books, 1991. Written after a career comeback, Kitt’s third autobiography provides more details about her hardscrabble childhood, theatrical work, worldwide travels, and sex-symbol status.

Powell, D. A. “Eartha Kitt: Purrrfectly Detached.” In My Diva: Sixty-five Gay Men on the Women Who Inspire Them, edited by Michael Montlack. Madison, Wis.: Terrace Books, 2009. Powell explains why gay men are drawn to Kitt’s sex-kitten image and growling singing style.