Helen Kane
Encyclopedia
Helen Kane was an American
popular singer; her signature song was "I Wanna Be Loved By You". Kane's voice and appearance were a likely source for Fleischer Studios
animator
Grim Natwick
when creating Betty Boop
, although It-girl Clara Bow
is another possible influence.
Kane's mother reluctantly paid $3 for her daughter's costume as a queen in Kane's first theatrical role at school. By the time she was 15 years, Kane was onstage professionally, touring the Orpheum Circuit with the Marx Brothers
in On the Balcony.
She spent the early 1920s trouping in vaudeville
as a singer and kickline dancer with a theater engagement called the 'All Jazz Revue.' She played the New York Palace
for the first time in 1921. Her Broadway days started there as well with the Stars of the Future (1922–24, and a brief revival in early 1927). She also sang onstage with an early singing trio, the Hamilton Sisters and Fordyce, later known as The Three X Sisters
.
Kane's roommate in the early 1920s was Jessie Fordyce. The singing trio act might have become the Hamilton Sisters and Schroeder, however Pearl Hamilton chose Fordyce to tour as a trio act "just to see what happens" at the end of the theatrical season.
. It ran from May 3, 1927 through Nov 12, 1927 for a total of 174 performances, at the 44th Street Theatre
in NYC. Subsequently, Paul Ash
, a band conductor, put her name forward for a performance at New York's Paramount Theater
.
Kane's first performance at the Paramount Theater in Times Square
proved to be her career's launching point. She was singing "That's My Weakness Now
", when she interpolated the scat
lyrics “boop-boop-a-doop.” This resonated with the flapper
culture, and four days later, Helen Kane’s name went up in lights.
Oscar Hammerstein’s
1928 show Good Boy, was where she first introduced the hit "I Wanna Be Loved by You
" . Then it was back to the Palace, as a headliner for $5,000 a week. She rejoined her friends from vaudeville, The Three X Sisters (formerly The Hamilton Sisters and Fordyce) for one night. In a 1935 live stage performance, she harmonized with their unique banter to a novelty tune, "The Preacher and the Bear".
Kane had excellent diction, intonation and timing, learned during her apprenticeship in vaudeville
. Her songs have a strong word focus, and capitalize on her coquettish voice. She blended several fashionable styles of the late 1920s. These included scat singing
, a kind of vocal improvisation, and also blending singing and speech. Sprechgesang
("speech-song") was fashionable at this time in Germany's Weimar Republic
in both nightclubs and in serious music.
Kane recorded 22 songs between 1928 and 1930. After 1930 and up to 1951, she recorded four sides for Columbia in addition to the "Three Little Words" soundtrack single recording of "I Wanna Be Loved by You"
She also recorded four songs that comprise a 1954 MGM 45Ep entitled, "The Boop Boop a Doop Girl".
Kane's height (only 5 feet tall) and slightly plump figure attracted attention and fans. Her round face with big brown eyes was topped by black, curly hair; her voice was a baby squeak with a distinct Bronx dialect.
signed Kane to make a series of musicals at a salary as much as $8,000 a week (equivalent to over $160,000 in 2009).
Her films were:
It should be noted that although Helen was not the "star" of most of her pictures (with Dangerous Nan McGrew being the one exception) she was so popular that in the case of "Sweetie," her name appeared over the title on the marquee when the movie premiered at the New York Paramount (although Nancy Carroll was the true star). Helen provided all the fun and she and Jack Oakie
taught the college kids, "The Prep Step," a big hit along with "He's So Unusual." Another hit from this picture was Nancy Carroll
's, "My Sweeter Than Sweet."
In the opening credits of Pointed Heels, Helen's name is equal with William Powell
on the same line in large letters just below the title with Fay Wray
and the rest in smaller letters underneath. She had equal billing with Buddy Rogers in Heads Up! and it is their faces which appeared in all the ads. And in Dangerous Nan McGrew, Helen received top billing in the film's credits.
animator Grim Natwick
introduced a caricature of Helen Kane, with droopy dog ears and a squeaky singing voice, in the Talkartoons
cartoon Dizzy Dishes
. "Betty Boop
", as the character was later dubbed, soon became popular and the star of her own cartoons. In 1932, Betty Boop was changed into a human, the long dog ears becoming hoop earrings.
In May 1932, Kane filed a $250,000 suit against Paramount
and Max Fleischer
, charging unfair competition and wrongful appropriation in the Betty Boop
cartoons. The trial opened that year with Helen Kane and Betty Boop
films being viewed only by the judge. No jury was called., Bonnie Poe
, Kate Wright, Margie Hines
, and most notably Mae Questel
were all summoned to testify.
The case dragged on for more than two years before the judge ruled against Kane, claiming her testimony did not prove that her singing style was unique and not an imitation itself; a little-known African American singer known as "Baby Esther" had been cited by the defense as "booping" in song.
biting, the flamboyant world of the flapper
was over, and Kane's style began to date rapidly. After 1931 she lost the favour of the movie makers, who chose other singers for their films. She appeared in a stage production called Shady Lady in 1933, and made appearances at various nightclubs and theatres during the 1930s.
In 1950, she dubbed Debbie Reynolds
, who performed "I Wanna Be Loved By You" in the MGM musical biopic of songwriters Bert Kalmar
and Harry Ruby
: Three Little Words
. She did not appear in the film's credits.
She appeared on several TV shows in the 1950s and 1960s, principally Toast of the Town, later known as The Ed Sullivan Show. Kane's final public appearance was on the Sullivan Show on St. Patrick's Day 1965.
In addition, she was given overdue tribute in the early 1950s on This is Your Life
with Ralph Edwards
. It brought a tearful reunion with Helen's old friend, actress Fifi D'Orsay
, and a lifelong fan who once sent her money when she was down on her luck. Renewed interest in Helen brought her a one-record contract with MGM Records
and appearances on I've Got a Secret
and You Asked for It
. She sang on all of these TV shows.
In February 1933 she married an actor, Max Hoffman, Jr. After six months he deserted her and Helen filed for divorce. The divorce was finalized in May 1935.
In 1939 she married Dan Healy, whom she had worked with in Good Boy in 1928. They opened a restaurant in New York City
, "Healy's Grill." She remained married to Healy for the rest of her life. However, the marriage was childless.
Helen Kane battled breast cancer
for more than a decade. She had surgery in 1956 and eventually received two hundred radiation treatments as an outpatient at Memorial Hospital.
She died on September 26, 1966 at age 62, in her apartment in Jackson Heights, Queens
(New York City
). Her husband of 27 years was at her bedside. Her remains were buried in the Long Island National Cemetery
.
The release dates of recordings 1 to 22 are derived from the cover notes of the CD Helen Kane - Great Original Performances - 1928 to 1930 (RPCD 323)http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000AWB2
In 1954, MGM records issued the last Helen Kane recordings as a 45-rpm Ep X1164 called "The Boop-Boop-A-Doop Girl!", orchestra directed by Leroy Holmes, and the songs are "When My Sugar Walks Down the Street", "When I Get You Alone Tonight, Do Something" (from Nothing But the Truth) and "That's My Weakness Now".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
popular singer; her signature song was "I Wanna Be Loved By You". Kane's voice and appearance were a likely source for Fleischer Studios
Fleischer Studios
Fleischer Studios, Inc., was an American corporation which originated as an Animation studio located at 1600 Broadway, New York City, New York...
animator
Animator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an...
Grim Natwick
Grim Natwick
Myron "Grim" Natwick was an American artist, animator and film director. Natwick is best known for drawing the Fleischer Studio's most popular character, Betty Boop.-Background:...
when creating Betty Boop
Betty Boop
Betty Boop is an animated cartoon character created by Max Fleischer, with help from animators including Grim Natwick. She originally appeared in the Talkartoon and Betty Boop film series, which were produced by Fleischer Studios and released by Paramount Pictures. She has also been featured in...
, although It-girl Clara Bow
Clara Bow
Clara Gordon Bow was an American actress who rose to stardom in the silent film era of the 1920s. It was her appearance as a spunky shopgirl in the film It that brought her global fame and the nickname "The It Girl." Bow came to personify the roaring twenties and is described as its leading sex...
is another possible influence.
Early life
Born as Helen Clare Schroeder, Kane attended St. Anselm’s Parochial School in the Bronx. She was the youngest of three children. Her father, Louis Schroeder, the son of a German immigrant, was employed intermittently; her Irish immigrant mother, Ellen (Dixon) Schroeder, worked in a laundry.Kane's mother reluctantly paid $3 for her daughter's costume as a queen in Kane's first theatrical role at school. By the time she was 15 years, Kane was onstage professionally, touring the Orpheum Circuit with the Marx Brothers
Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
in On the Balcony.
She spent the early 1920s trouping in vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
as a singer and kickline dancer with a theater engagement called the 'All Jazz Revue.' She played the New York Palace
Palace Theatre, New York
The Palace Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 1564 Broadway in midtown-Manhattan.-History:Designed by architects Kirchoff & Rose, the theatre was built by Martin Beck a California vaudeville entrepreneur and Broadway impresario. The project experienced a number of business problems before...
for the first time in 1921. Her Broadway days started there as well with the Stars of the Future (1922–24, and a brief revival in early 1927). She also sang onstage with an early singing trio, the Hamilton Sisters and Fordyce, later known as The Three X Sisters
Three X Sisters
The Three X Sisters were an American all-girl harmony singing trio, initially known as The Hamilton Sisters and Fordyce. They were on stage singing together as early as 1922, and formed their trio in 1924, which was composed of Pearl Santos , Violet Hamilton , and Jessie Fordyce .The trio...
.
Kane's roommate in the early 1920s was Jessie Fordyce. The singing trio act might have become the Hamilton Sisters and Schroeder, however Pearl Hamilton chose Fordyce to tour as a trio act "just to see what happens" at the end of the theatrical season.
Music
Kane's career break came in 1927, when she appeared in a musical called A Night in SpainA Night in Spain
A Night in Spain is a musical revue with a book by Harold R. Atteridge, music by Jean Schwartz and lyrics by Al Bryan. Additional music and lyrics were contributed by Phil Baker, Sid Silvers and Ted Healy. The revue was first presented in 1927 off-Broadway and then on Broadway for a total of 174...
. It ran from May 3, 1927 through Nov 12, 1927 for a total of 174 performances, at the 44th Street Theatre
44th Street Theatre
The 44th Street Theatre was a New York City Broadway theatre from 1912 to 1945 in the United States of America. It was located on Broadway, at West 44th Street. Architect was William A. Swansea. Built by the Shuberts, and first named Weber and Fields' Music Hall, its name was changed when the...
in NYC. Subsequently, Paul Ash
Paul Ash
Paul Ash was a German-born musician, bandleader, conductor, and lyricist....
, a band conductor, put her name forward for a performance at New York's Paramount Theater
Paramount Theater (New York City)
The Paramount Theatre was a noted movie palace located at 43rd Street and Broadway in the Times Square district of New York City. Opened in 1926, it was the premiere showcase for Paramount Pictures and also became a popular live performance venue. The theater was closed in 1964 and its space...
.
Kane's first performance at the Paramount Theater in Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
proved to be her career's launching point. She was singing "That's My Weakness Now
That's My Weakness Now
"That's My Weakness Now" was written by, Sam H. Stept and Bud Green, in 1928. This became their first hit song together, having been made popular by singer Helen Kane that same year....
", when she interpolated the scat
Scat singing
In vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. Scat singing gives singers the ability to sing improvised melodies and rhythms, to create the equivalent of an instrumental solo using their voice.- Structure and syllable choice...
lyrics “boop-boop-a-doop.” This resonated with the flapper
Flapper
Flapper in the 1920s was a term applied to a "new breed" of young Western women who wore short skirts, bobbed their hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered acceptable behavior...
culture, and four days later, Helen Kane’s name went up in lights.
Oscar Hammerstein’s
Oscar Hammerstein II
Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II was an American librettist, theatrical producer, and theatre director of musicals for almost forty years. Hammerstein won eight Tony Awards and was twice awarded an Academy Award for "Best Original Song". Many of his songs are standard repertoire for...
1928 show Good Boy, was where she first introduced the hit "I Wanna Be Loved by You
I Wanna Be Loved by You
"I Wanna Be Loved by You" is a song written by Herbert Stothart and Harry Ruby, with lyrics by Bert Kalmar, for the 1928 musical "Good Boy". It was chosen as one of the Songs of the Century in a survey made by the RIAA in which 200 people responded...
" . Then it was back to the Palace, as a headliner for $5,000 a week. She rejoined her friends from vaudeville, The Three X Sisters (formerly The Hamilton Sisters and Fordyce) for one night. In a 1935 live stage performance, she harmonized with their unique banter to a novelty tune, "The Preacher and the Bear".
Kane had excellent diction, intonation and timing, learned during her apprenticeship in vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
. Her songs have a strong word focus, and capitalize on her coquettish voice. She blended several fashionable styles of the late 1920s. These included scat singing
Scat singing
In vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. Scat singing gives singers the ability to sing improvised melodies and rhythms, to create the equivalent of an instrumental solo using their voice.- Structure and syllable choice...
, a kind of vocal improvisation, and also blending singing and speech. Sprechgesang
Sprechgesang
Sprechgesang and Sprechstimme are musical terms used to refer to an expressionist vocal technique between singing and speaking. Though sometimes used interchangeably, sprechgesang is a term directly related to the operatic recitative manner of singing , whereas sprechstimme is...
("speech-song") was fashionable at this time in Germany's Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
in both nightclubs and in serious music.
Kane recorded 22 songs between 1928 and 1930. After 1930 and up to 1951, she recorded four sides for Columbia in addition to the "Three Little Words" soundtrack single recording of "I Wanna Be Loved by You"
She also recorded four songs that comprise a 1954 MGM 45Ep entitled, "The Boop Boop a Doop Girl".
Cult following
As she took on the status of a singing sensation, there were Helen Kane dolls and Helen Kane look-alike contests, appearances on radio and in nightclubs. This cult following reached its peak in late 1928 and stayed there until early 1929.Kane's height (only 5 feet tall) and slightly plump figure attracted attention and fans. Her round face with big brown eyes was topped by black, curly hair; her voice was a baby squeak with a distinct Bronx dialect.
Films
In mid-1929, Paramount PicturesParamount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
signed Kane to make a series of musicals at a salary as much as $8,000 a week (equivalent to over $160,000 in 2009).
Her films were:
- 1929: Nothing But the TruthNothing But the Truth (1929 film)Nothing But the Truth is a sound comedy film starring Richard Dix. The film was remade as Nothing But the Truth starring Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard.-Plot summary:...
a comedy starring Richard DixRichard DixRichard Dix was an American motion picture actor who achieved popularity in both silent and sound film. His standard on-screen image was that of the rugged and stalwart hero.-Early life:... - 1929: Sweetie a college musical, which starred Nancy CarrollNancy CarrollNancy Carroll was an American actress.-Career:She was christened Ann Veronica Lahiff in New York City. Of Irish parentage, she and her sister once performed a dancing act in a local contest of amateur talent. This led her to a stage career and then to the screen. She began her acting career in...
, Jack OakieJack OakieJack Oakie was an American actor, starring mostly in films, but also working on stage, radio and television.-Early life:...
and Stanley Smith - 1929: Pointed HeelsPointed Heels__notoc__Pointed Heels is an early sound musical film from Paramount Pictures starring William Powell, Helen Kane, Richard "Skeets" Gallagher, and Fay Wray. This movie was originally filmed in color sequences by Technicolor, but today those color sequences only survive in black-and-white...
, which starred William PowellWilliam PowellWilliam Horatio Powell was an American actor.A major star at MGM, he was paired with Myrna Loy in 14 films, including the popular Thin Man series in which Powell and Loy played Nick and Nora Charles...
and Fay WrayFay WrayFay Wray was a Canadian-American actress most noted for playing the female lead in King Kong... - 1930: Paramount on ParadeParamount on ParadeParamount on Parade is a all-star revue released by Paramount Pictures, directed by several directors including Edmund Goulding, Dorothy Arzner, Ernst Lubitsch, Rowland V. Lee, A. Edward Sutherland, Victor Heerman, Lothar Mendes, Otto Brower, Edwin H...
, an all-star extravaganza - 1930: Dangerous Nan McGrewDangerous Nan McGrewDangerous Nan McGrew is a 1930 American comedy starring Helen Kane and Victor Moore.-Story:Helen Kane takes lead role and stars as Dangerous Nan Mcgrew, an entertainer in a travelling medicine show run by her boss. Muldoon one of the members of the medicine show is a fugitive who is on the run from...
, with Stuart ErwinStuart ErwinStuart Erwin was an American actor. Erwin began acting in college in the 1920s, first appearing on the stage, then breaking into films in 1928 in Mother Knows Best...
, Frank MorganFrank MorganFrank Morgan was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of the title character in the film The Wizard of Oz.-Early life:...
, and Victor MooreVictor MooreVictor Frederick Moore was an American actor of stage and screen, as well as a comedian, writer, and director.-Personal life:... - 1930: Heads Up! , starring Buddy Rogers and Victor MooreVictor MooreVictor Frederick Moore was an American actor of stage and screen, as well as a comedian, writer, and director.-Personal life:...
- 1931: A Lesson in Love, a musical short film
It should be noted that although Helen was not the "star" of most of her pictures (with Dangerous Nan McGrew being the one exception) she was so popular that in the case of "Sweetie," her name appeared over the title on the marquee when the movie premiered at the New York Paramount (although Nancy Carroll was the true star). Helen provided all the fun and she and Jack Oakie
Jack Oakie
Jack Oakie was an American actor, starring mostly in films, but also working on stage, radio and television.-Early life:...
taught the college kids, "The Prep Step," a big hit along with "He's So Unusual." Another hit from this picture was Nancy Carroll
Nancy Carroll
Nancy Carroll was an American actress.-Career:She was christened Ann Veronica Lahiff in New York City. Of Irish parentage, she and her sister once performed a dancing act in a local contest of amateur talent. This led her to a stage career and then to the screen. She began her acting career in...
's, "My Sweeter Than Sweet."
In the opening credits of Pointed Heels, Helen's name is equal with William Powell
William Powell
William Horatio Powell was an American actor.A major star at MGM, he was paired with Myrna Loy in 14 films, including the popular Thin Man series in which Powell and Loy played Nick and Nora Charles...
on the same line in large letters just below the title with Fay Wray
Fay Wray
Fay Wray was a Canadian-American actress most noted for playing the female lead in King Kong...
and the rest in smaller letters underneath. She had equal billing with Buddy Rogers in Heads Up! and it is their faces which appeared in all the ads. And in Dangerous Nan McGrew, Helen received top billing in the film's credits.
Fleischer v. Kane
In 1930, Fleischer StudiosFleischer Studios
Fleischer Studios, Inc., was an American corporation which originated as an Animation studio located at 1600 Broadway, New York City, New York...
animator Grim Natwick
Grim Natwick
Myron "Grim" Natwick was an American artist, animator and film director. Natwick is best known for drawing the Fleischer Studio's most popular character, Betty Boop.-Background:...
introduced a caricature of Helen Kane, with droopy dog ears and a squeaky singing voice, in the Talkartoons
Talkartoons
Talkartoons is the name of a series of 42 animated cartoons produced by the Fleischer Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures between 1929 and 1932.-History:For the Fleischer brothers, the transition to sound was relatively easy...
cartoon Dizzy Dishes
Dizzy Dishes
Dizzy Dishes is a animated short film created by the Fleischer Studios in 1930 as part of the Talkartoon series. It is famous as a debut cartoon of Betty Boop.-Plot:...
. "Betty Boop
Betty Boop
Betty Boop is an animated cartoon character created by Max Fleischer, with help from animators including Grim Natwick. She originally appeared in the Talkartoon and Betty Boop film series, which were produced by Fleischer Studios and released by Paramount Pictures. She has also been featured in...
", as the character was later dubbed, soon became popular and the star of her own cartoons. In 1932, Betty Boop was changed into a human, the long dog ears becoming hoop earrings.
In May 1932, Kane filed a $250,000 suit against Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
and Max Fleischer
Max Fleischer
Max Fleischer was an American animator. He was a pioneer in the development of the animated cartoon and served as the head of Fleischer Studios...
, charging unfair competition and wrongful appropriation in the Betty Boop
Betty Boop
Betty Boop is an animated cartoon character created by Max Fleischer, with help from animators including Grim Natwick. She originally appeared in the Talkartoon and Betty Boop film series, which were produced by Fleischer Studios and released by Paramount Pictures. She has also been featured in...
cartoons. The trial opened that year with Helen Kane and Betty Boop
Betty Boop
Betty Boop is an animated cartoon character created by Max Fleischer, with help from animators including Grim Natwick. She originally appeared in the Talkartoon and Betty Boop film series, which were produced by Fleischer Studios and released by Paramount Pictures. She has also been featured in...
films being viewed only by the judge. No jury was called., Bonnie Poe
Bonnie Poe
Bonnie Poe was an American actress, best known for providing the voice for the Fleischer Studios animated character Betty Boop beginning in 1933. She was also the initial voice for the character Olive Oyl in that studio's series of Popeye cartoons...
, Kate Wright, Margie Hines
Margie Hines
Margie Hines is an American film actress. She is best known for her work as a voice artist at Fleischer Studios, where she voiced Olive Oyl in the Popeye the Sailor cartoons from 1938 to 1943....
, and most notably Mae Questel
Mae Questel
Mae Questel was an American actress and vocal artist best known for providing the voices for the animated characters, Betty Boop and Olive Oyl. She began in vaudeville, and played occasional small roles in films and television later in her career, most notably the role of Aunt Bethany in 1989's...
were all summoned to testify.
The case dragged on for more than two years before the judge ruled against Kane, claiming her testimony did not prove that her singing style was unique and not an imitation itself; a little-known African American singer known as "Baby Esther" had been cited by the defense as "booping" in song.
Later years
With the hardships of the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
biting, the flamboyant world of the flapper
Flapper
Flapper in the 1920s was a term applied to a "new breed" of young Western women who wore short skirts, bobbed their hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered acceptable behavior...
was over, and Kane's style began to date rapidly. After 1931 she lost the favour of the movie makers, who chose other singers for their films. She appeared in a stage production called Shady Lady in 1933, and made appearances at various nightclubs and theatres during the 1930s.
In 1950, she dubbed Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer.She was initially signed at age 16 by Warner Bros., but her career got off to a slow start. When her contract was not renewed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave her a small, but significant part in the film Three Little Words , then signed her to...
, who performed "I Wanna Be Loved By You" in the MGM musical biopic of songwriters Bert Kalmar
Bert Kalmar
Bert Kalmar was a Jewish American lyricist.He was born in New York, New York. He ran away from home at the age of 10 to become a magician at a tent show, and retained an interest in magic all his life. He never got much of an education, but decided to make a career in show business...
and Harry Ruby
Harry Ruby
Harry Ruby was a Jewish American songwriter and screenwriter.After failing in his early ambition to become a professional baseball player,...
: Three Little Words
Three Little Words (film)
Three Little Words is a 1950 American musical film biography of the Tin Pan Alley songwriting partnership of Kalmar and Ruby and stars Fred Astaire as lyricist Bert Kalmar, Red Skelton as composer Harry Ruby, along with Vera-Ellen and Arlene Dahl as their wives, with Debbie Reynolds in a small but...
. She did not appear in the film's credits.
She appeared on several TV shows in the 1950s and 1960s, principally Toast of the Town, later known as The Ed Sullivan Show. Kane's final public appearance was on the Sullivan Show on St. Patrick's Day 1965.
In addition, she was given overdue tribute in the early 1950s on This is Your Life
This Is Your Life
This Is Your Life is an American television documentary series broadcast on NBC, originally hosted by its producer, Ralph Edwards from 1952 to 1961. In the show, the host surprises a guest, and proceeds to take them through their life in front of an audience including friends and family.Edwards...
with Ralph Edwards
Ralph Edwards
Ralph Livingstone Edwards was an American radio and television host and television producer.-Early career:Born in Merino, Colorado , Edwards worked for KROW-AM in Oakland, California while he was still in high school...
. It brought a tearful reunion with Helen's old friend, actress Fifi D'Orsay
Fifi D'Orsay
-Biography:Born Marie-Rose Angelina Yvonne Lussier in Montreal, Quebec, as a young typist, filled with the desire to become an actress, she went to New York City. There, she found work in The Greenwich Village Follies after an audition in which she sang the song "Yes, We Have No Bananas' in French...
, and a lifelong fan who once sent her money when she was down on her luck. Renewed interest in Helen brought her a one-record contract with MGM Records
MGM Records
MGM Records was a record label started by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946, for the purpose of releasing soundtrack albums of their musical films. Later it became a pop label, lasting into the 1970s...
and appearances on I've Got a Secret
I've Got a Secret
I've Got a Secret is a panel game show produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman for CBS television. Created by comedy writers Allan Sherman and Howard Merrill, it was a derivative of Goodson-Todman's own panel show What's My Line?...
and You Asked for It
You Asked For It
You Asked for It is a popular human-interest show created and hosted by Art Baker. Initially titled The Art Baker Show, the program originally aired on American television between 1950 and 1959...
. She sang on all of these TV shows.
Personal life
In November 1924, Helen Schroeder married department store buyer Joseph Kane and took his last name professionally. The marriage was over by 1925, ended in 1928, and Helen went to Mexico to get a final divorce in December 1932.In February 1933 she married an actor, Max Hoffman, Jr. After six months he deserted her and Helen filed for divorce. The divorce was finalized in May 1935.
In 1939 she married Dan Healy, whom she had worked with in Good Boy in 1928. They opened a restaurant in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, "Healy's Grill." She remained married to Healy for the rest of her life. However, the marriage was childless.
Helen Kane battled breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
for more than a decade. She had surgery in 1956 and eventually received two hundred radiation treatments as an outpatient at Memorial Hospital.
She died on September 26, 1966 at age 62, in her apartment in Jackson Heights, Queens
Jackson Heights, Queens
Jackson Heights is a neighborhood in the Northwestern portion of the borough of Queens in New York, New York, United States. The neighborhood is part of Queens Community Board 3...
(New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
). Her husband of 27 years was at her bedside. Her remains were buried in the Long Island National Cemetery
Long Island National Cemetery
Long Island National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in Suffolk County, New York. Its mailing address is Farmingdale. It is within the CDPS of Wyandanch, in the Town of Babylon, and Melville in the Town of Huntington...
.
Discography
| Single | Release Date | Remarks | |
| 1 | "Get Out and Get Under the Moon" | July 16, 1928 | |
| 2 | "That's My Weakness Now That's My Weakness Now "That's My Weakness Now" was written by, Sam H. Stept and Bud Green, in 1928. This became their first hit song together, having been made popular by singer Helen Kane that same year.... " |
July 16, 1928 | |
| 3 | "I Wanna Be Loved by You I Wanna Be Loved by You "I Wanna Be Loved by You" is a song written by Herbert Stothart and Harry Ruby, with lyrics by Bert Kalmar, for the 1928 musical "Good Boy". It was chosen as one of the Songs of the Century in a survey made by the RIAA in which 200 people responded... " |
September 20, 1928 | from the musical Good Boy |
| 4 | "Is There Anything Wrong in That?" | September 20, 1928 | |
| 5 | "Don't Be Like That" | December 20, 1928 | |
| 6 | "Me and the Man in the Moon" | December 20, 1928 | |
| 7 | "Button Up Your Overcoat Button Up Your Overcoat "Button Up Your Overcoat" is a popular song. The music was written by Ray Henderson, the lyrics by B.G. DeSylva and Lew Brown. The song was published in 1928, and was first performed later that same year by vocalist Ruth Etting. However, the most famous rendition of this song was recorded early in... " |
January 30, 1929 | from the musical Follow Thru Follow Thru (musical) Follow Thru is a musical comedy with book by B. G. DeSylva and Lawrence Schwab, lyrics by B. G. DeSylva and Lew Brown, music by Ray Henderson.... |
| 8 | "I Want to Be Bad" | January 30, 1929 | from the musical Follow Thru Follow Thru (musical) Follow Thru is a musical comedy with book by B. G. DeSylva and Lawrence Schwab, lyrics by B. G. DeSylva and Lew Brown, music by Ray Henderson.... |
| 9 | "Do Something" | March 15, 1929 | from the movie Nothing But the Truth Nothing But the Truth (1929 film) Nothing But the Truth is a sound comedy film starring Richard Dix. The film was remade as Nothing But the Truth starring Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard.-Plot summary:... |
| 10 | "That's Why I'm Happy" | March 15, 1929 | |
| 11 | "I'd Do Anything for You" | June 14, 1929 | |
| 12 | "He's So Unusual He's So Unusual "He's So Unusual" is a song from the late 1920s performed by Helen Kane, who was the inspiration for the Betty Boop character. The song was written by Al Sherman, Al Lewis and Abner Silver. Released on June 14, 1929, "He's So Unusual" was featured in the motion picture, Sweetie. Shapiro,... " |
June 14, 1929 | from the movie Sweetie |
| 13 | "Ain'tcha?" | October 29, 1929 | from the movie Pointed Heels Pointed Heels __notoc__Pointed Heels is an early sound musical film from Paramount Pictures starring William Powell, Helen Kane, Richard "Skeets" Gallagher, and Fay Wray. This movie was originally filmed in color sequences by Technicolor, but today those color sequences only survive in black-and-white... |
| 14 | "I Have to Have You" | October 29, 1929 | from the movie Pointed Heels Pointed Heels __notoc__Pointed Heels is an early sound musical film from Paramount Pictures starring William Powell, Helen Kane, Richard "Skeets" Gallagher, and Fay Wray. This movie was originally filmed in color sequences by Technicolor, but today those color sequences only survive in black-and-white... |
| 15 | "I'd Go Barefoot All Winter Long" | March 18, 1930 | |
| 16 | "Dangerous Nan McGrew" | April 12, 1930 | from the movie Dangerous Nan McGrew Dangerous Nan McGrew Dangerous Nan McGrew is a 1930 American comedy starring Helen Kane and Victor Moore.-Story:Helen Kane takes lead role and stars as Dangerous Nan Mcgrew, an entertainer in a travelling medicine show run by her boss. Muldoon one of the members of the medicine show is a fugitive who is on the run from... |
| 17 | "Thank Your Father" | April 12, 1930 | from the musical Flying High Flying High (musical) Flying High is a musical comedy with book by B. G. DeSylva, Lew Brown, and John McGowan, lyrics by B. G. DeSylva and Lew Brown, music by Ray Henderson.... |
| 18 | "I Owe You" | April 12, 1930 | from the movie Dangerous Nan McGrew Dangerous Nan McGrew Dangerous Nan McGrew is a 1930 American comedy starring Helen Kane and Victor Moore.-Story:Helen Kane takes lead role and stars as Dangerous Nan Mcgrew, an entertainer in a travelling medicine show run by her boss. Muldoon one of the members of the medicine show is a fugitive who is on the run from... |
| 19 | "Readin' Ritin' Rhythm" | July 1, 1930 | from the movie Heads Up! |
| 20 | "I've Got It (But It Don't Do Me No Good)" | July 1, 1930 | from the movie Young Man of Manhattan Young Man of Manhattan Young Man of Manhattan is a 1930 film made by Paramount Pictures, directed by Monta Bell, and starring Claudette Colbert, Norman Foster, Ginger Rogers and Charles Ruggles... |
| 21 | "My Man Is on the Make" | July 2, 1930 | from the movie Heads Up! |
| 22 | "If I Knew You Better" | July 2, 1930 | from the movie Heads Up! |
| 23 | "I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat I Tawt I Taw A Puddy Tat "I Tawt I Taw A Puddy Tat" is a novelty song composed and written by Alan Livingston, Billy May and Warren Foster. It was sung by Mel Blanc, who provided the voice of the bird, Tweety and of his nemesis Sylvester.... " |
between 1950–51 | with Jimmy Carroll & His Orchestra |
| 24 | "Beanbag Song" | between 1931–51 | with Jimmy Carroll & His Orchestra |
| 25 | "Hug Me! Kiss Me! Love Me!" | between 1931–51 | with George Siravo & His Orchestra |
| 26 | "Aba Daba Honeymoon Aba Daba Honeymoon Aba Daba Honeymoon is a popular song that was written and published by Arthur Fields and Walter Donovan in 1914. Known through its chorus, "Aba daba daba daba daba daba dab, Said the chimpie to the monk; Baba daba daba daba daba daba dab, Said the monkey to the chimp," the first recording of Aba... " |
between 1931–51 | with George Siravo & His Orchestra |
| 27 | "I Wanna Be Loved by You I Wanna Be Loved by You "I Wanna Be Loved by You" is a song written by Herbert Stothart and Harry Ruby, with lyrics by Bert Kalmar, for the 1928 musical "Good Boy". It was chosen as one of the Songs of the Century in a survey made by the RIAA in which 200 people responded... " |
c. 1950 | from the movie Three Little Words Three Little Words (film) Three Little Words is a 1950 American musical film biography of the Tin Pan Alley songwriting partnership of Kalmar and Ruby and stars Fred Astaire as lyricist Bert Kalmar, Red Skelton as composer Harry Ruby, along with Vera-Ellen and Arlene Dahl as their wives, with Debbie Reynolds in a small but... |
The release dates of recordings 1 to 22 are derived from the cover notes of the CD Helen Kane - Great Original Performances - 1928 to 1930 (RPCD 323)http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000AWB2
In 1954, MGM records issued the last Helen Kane recordings as a 45-rpm Ep X1164 called "The Boop-Boop-A-Doop Girl!", orchestra directed by Leroy Holmes, and the songs are "When My Sugar Walks Down the Street", "When I Get You Alone Tonight, Do Something" (from Nothing But the Truth) and "That's My Weakness Now".
Sources
- New York Times, Helen Kane Dead; Boop-A-Doop Girl, September 27, 1966, p. 47.