Barbara Whiting Smith
Encyclopedia
Barbara Whiting Smith was an actress in movies and on radio
and television
, primarily in the 1940s and 1950s. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
.
to Eleanor and Richard Whiting, she was the daughter of Richard A. Whiting
, the composer
who wrote classics such as "Hooray for Hollywood" and "Till We Meet Again".
, a movie based on her popular radio show by the same name. This was followed by nine other starring roles until she married Gail Smith and retired. On television, she hosted the show Those Whiting Girls on CBS
, along with her sister, Margaret Whiting
.
Other film credits include:
She died due to cancer, in Pontiac, Michigan
, aged 73, in 2004.
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, primarily in the 1940s and 1950s. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
.
Background
Born in Los AngelesLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
to Eleanor and Richard Whiting, she was the daughter of Richard A. Whiting
Richard A. Whiting
Richard Armstrong Whiting was a composer of popular songs including the standards, "Hooray for Hollywood", "Ain't We Got Fun?" & "On the Good Ship Lollipop"....
, the composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
who wrote classics such as "Hooray for Hollywood" and "Till We Meet Again".
Career
Her movie career began with the 1945 film, Junior MissJunior Miss
Junior Miss is a collection of semi-autobiographical stories by Sally Benson first published in The New Yorker. Between 1929 and the end of 1941, the prolific Benson published 99 stories in The New Yorker, some under her pseudonym of Esther Evarts...
, a movie based on her popular radio show by the same name. This was followed by nine other starring roles until she married Gail Smith and retired. On television, she hosted the show Those Whiting Girls on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, along with her sister, Margaret Whiting
Margaret Whiting
Margaret Whiting was a singer of American popular music and country music who first made her reputation during the 1940s and 1950s.-Youth:...
.
Other film credits include:
- Centennial SummerCentennial SummerCentennial Summer is a 1946 film directed by Otto Preminger. The musical, that stars Jeanne Crain and Cornel Wilde, is based on a novel by Albert E. Idell.It was produced in response to the hugely successful MGM musical Meet Me in St. Louis...
(1946) - Home, Sweet Homicide (1946)
- Carnival in Costa RicaCarnival in Costa RicaCarnival in Costa Rica is an American musical film directed by Gregory Ratoff and written by Samuel Hoffenstein, John Larkin, and Elizabeth Reinhardt. It was released in Technicolor by Twentieth Century Fox...
(1947) - City Across the River (1949)
- I Can Get It for You WholesaleI Can Get It for You Wholesale (film)I Can Get It for You Wholesale is a 1951 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Gordon. The screenplay by Abraham Polonsky is based on Vera Caspary's loose adaptation of the 1937 novel of the same title by Jerome Weidman.-Plot:...
(1951) - Beware, My LovelyBeware, My LovelyBeware, My Lovely is a suspense film produced by Collier Young/Ida Lupino's production company The Filmakers.-Plot:The film is set in 1919 or 1920 in an unnamed small town. A widow impulsively hires handyman to look after her house...
(1952) - Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder (1952)
- Dangerous When WetDangerous When WetDangerous When Wet is an Technicolor Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical starring Esther Williams, Fernando Lamas, and Jack Carson, directed by Charles Walters, and featuring an animated swimming sequence starring Williams with the famous cat-and-mouse duo, Tom and Jerry.-Plot summary:Katie Higgins is...
(1953) - Paris Follies of 1956Paris Follies of 1956Paris Follies of 1956 is a 1955 American film directed by Leslie Goodwins.The film is also known as Fresh from Paris in the USA .- Cast :*Forrest Tucker as Dan Bradley*Margaret Whiting as Margaret Walton...
(1955)
Life After Career
Barbara lived a quiet life, dedicated to her son Richard. She could often be found feeding the squirrels while singing and dancing around her kitchen.Death
Barbara had been treated for breast cancer and other forms of cancer.She died due to cancer, in Pontiac, Michigan
Pontiac, Michigan
Pontiac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan named after the Ottawa Chief Pontiac, located within the Detroit metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 59,515. It is the county seat of Oakland County...
, aged 73, in 2004.