Kathryn Morton Godfrey[1] (c. 1915 – February 4, 1981) was an American talk show host on radio and television and sister of entertainer Arthur Godfrey.[2] She was also known professionally as Kathy Morton.[3] Her first name is sometimes seen spelled Katherine.[4]

Early years

A native of Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey,[4] where the family lived in a store,[5] Godfrey was the second-youngest of five children[6] born to Arthur Hanbury Godfrey and Kathryn Morton Godfrey.[7] Her father was an itinerant reporter; her mother played piano in a movie theater and painted china for sale.[5] She attended Hasbrouck Heights High School.[6]

At age 18 she was a hostess at a Schrafft's restaurant in New York and dreamed of being a dining-room hostess on cruise ships.[5]

Career

At age 16, Godfrey began broadcasting at a small radio station in New Jersey. Her career was interrupted in 1931 when she contracted polio and had to spend a year in a hospital. When she recovered sufficiently, she took classes to prepare herself for a return to radio. She had her own program in Rochester, Minnesota, followed by stints on KRDO in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and on KPHO in Phoenix, Arizona.[1] While in Phoenix, she also broadcast on KPHO-TV, at one point having three programs on the two stations.[8]

Godfrey moved to ABC-TV in 1953 to become host of Up for Adoption, which debuted on 20 stations on January 16, 1954.[9] On July 26 of that year, she began a five-minute news program on WPIX television in New York.[10] Also in 1954, she was host of On Your Way, a quiz program on ABC-TV on which she interviewed people who had an urgent need for money to go somewhere. Contestants who answered questions correctly received the money that they needed.[11] Newspaper Enterprise Association columnist Dick Kleiner described the program as "a poor show", the format of which once changed twice in three weeks.[3] Godfrey herself later referred to the show as "the worst."[12]

In 1955, Godfrey was host of The Kathy Godfrey Show, a weekly 25-minute variety program on CBS Radio.[13] That program ended on May 19, 1956, replaced by This Is Kathy Godfrey, a daily interview program, beginning on May 21, 1956, also on CBS.[14] Aimed at busy housewives, the show's guests included Ilka Chase, Babe Didrikson Zaharias, and the postmaster of New York City.[15]

Godfrey moved to Hartford, Connecticut, in 1957 and was host of the news-talk program Connecticut Life[4] and Children's Talent Show on WHCT-TV.[16] In the early 1960s, she was host of Let's Face It on WTXL radio in West Springfield, Massachusetts.[17]

In 1962, G. P. Putnam's Sons published Genius in the Family, a book by Godfrey and her sister, Jean Godfrey. A reviewer for The Arizona Republic described the book as "a delightful account of Godfrey family life" that focuses primarily on the authors' mother.[7]

Personal life

Godfrey married Dr. Robert Ripley, a pediatrician in 1937.[1] At the time of her death, she was married to Thomas J. McCann.[4]

Death

On February 4, 1981, Godfrey died in a Miami hospital after suffering a heart attack. She was 66.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Davidson, Joie (June 4, 1950). "Broadcaster Believs Career, Marriage Mix". Arizona Republic. Arizona, Phoenix. p. 31. Retrieved 7 July 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 "Services tomorrow for Kathy Godfrey, longtime TV host". Arizona Daily Star. Arizona, Tucson. Associated Press. February 9, 1981. p. 2. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  3. 1 2 Kleiner, Dick (July 17, 1955). "Two Sides to Being a Godfrey, Arthur's Sister Discovers". The Pittsburgh Press. Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh. Newspaper Enterprise Association. p. 10 - Section 4. Retrieved 7 July 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Katherine McCannDies in Miami; Former Radio and TV Performer". Hartford Courant. Connecticut, Hartford. February 7, 1981. p. 10. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 Hall, Gladys (October 1955). "This is Kathy Godfrey". TV Radio Mirror. 44 (5): 64–66, 96–98. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  6. 1 2 Wallace, Kenneth G. (January 23, 1954). "Kathy, Another Godfrey". The Record. New Jersey, Hackensack. p. 29. Retrieved 7 July 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. 1 2 DeVries, Julian (May 20, 1962). "Mother Of Godfreys Abounds In Talent". Arizona Republic. Arizona, Phoenix. p. 18 C. Retrieved 7 July 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "NBC-TV Morning Picture Brightens". Billboard. November 14, 1953. p. 4. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  9. ↑ "Rybutol Sets 'Adoption' Seg" (PDF). Billboard. December 26, 1953. p. 6. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  10. ↑ "Kathy Godfrey Back". Variety. July 21, 1954. p. 19. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  11. ↑ Wilson, Maggie (February 4, 1954). "Kathy Godfrey Lauded, Show Panned". Arizona Republic. Arizona, Phoenix. p. 38. Retrieved 7 July 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "Why Arthur and I Are Apart". TV Radio Mirror. 59 (4): 46–47, 72–73. March 1963. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  13. ↑ Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 187. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.
  14. ↑ "New Interview Series With Kathy Godfrey". The Times. Louisiana, Shreveport. May 20, 1956. p. 7 F. Retrieved 7 July 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "This Is Kathy Godfrey". Broadcasting. May 28, 1956. p. 12. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  16. ↑ "Kathy Godfrey To Star In Opening Ceremonies Of New Berlin Theater". Hartford Courant. Connecticut, Hartford. September 16, 1958. p. 21. Retrieved 7 July 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ "(photo caption)". Sponsor. 15 (11): 75. March 13, 1961. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
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