Betty Walker
Encyclopedia
Betty Walker was a Jewish-American comic who performed primarily during the 1950s and 1960s. She was born Edith Seeman in Elizabeth, New Jersey
to Latvian
immigrants.
almost always doing her telephone act, wherein she delivered a monologue
to her unseen friend "Ceil" at the other end of the line. She is not to be confused with non-Jewish actress/comedienne Nancy Walker
, who appeared on the television shows Rhoda
and The Mary Tyler Moore Show
as Rhoda's mother, Mrs. Morgenstern. She made guest appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
, The Merv Griffin Show
, The Mike Douglas Show
and The Steve Allen Show
, on the radio, and in film, most notably in Exodus
in 1960.
Walker also released several comedy albums including:
Elizabeth, New Jersey
Elizabeth is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 124,969, retaining its ranking as New Jersey's fourth largest city with an increase of 4,401 residents from its 2000 Census population of 120,568...
to Latvian
Latvians
Latvians or Letts are the indigenous Baltic people of Latvia.-History:Latvians occasionally refer to themselves by the ancient name of Latvji, which may have originated from the word Latve which is a name of the river that presumably flowed through what is now eastern Latvia...
immigrants.
Life and career
Over the course of her career, Betty appeared numerous times on television,almost always doing her telephone act, wherein she delivered a monologue
to her unseen friend "Ceil" at the other end of the line. She is not to be confused with non-Jewish actress/comedienne Nancy Walker
Nancy Walker
Nancy Walker was an American actress and comedienne of stage, screen, and television. She was also a film and television director...
, who appeared on the television shows Rhoda
Rhoda
Rhoda is an American television sitcom, starring Valerie Harper, which ran for five seasons, from 1974 to 1978 airing in 109 episodes. The show was a spin-off from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, in which Harper between the years 1970 and 1974 had played the role of Rhoda Morgenstern, a spunky,...
and The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977...
as Rhoda's mother, Mrs. Morgenstern. She made guest appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under the Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night....
, The Merv Griffin Show
The Merv Griffin Show
The Merv Griffin Show is an American television talk show, starring Merv Griffin. The series ran from October 1, 1962 to March 29, 1963 on NBC, September 20, 1965 to September 26, 1969 in first-run syndication, from August 18, 1969 to February 11, 1972 at 11:30 PM ET weeknights on CBS and again in...
, The Mike Douglas Show
The Mike Douglas Show
The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that aired in syndication from 1961 to 1982, distributed by Westinghouse Broadcasting and for much of its run, originated from studios of two of the company's TV stations.The program featured light banter with...
and The Steve Allen Show
The Steve Allen Show
The Steve Allen Show is an American variety show hosted by Steve Allen from June 1956 to June 1960 on NBC, from September 1961 to December 1961 on ABC, and in first-run syndication from 1962 to 1964....
, on the radio, and in film, most notably in Exodus
Exodus (film)
Exodus is a 1960 epic war film made by Alpha and Carlyle Productions and distributed by United Artists. Produced and directed by Otto Preminger, the film was based on the 1958 novel Exodus, by Leon Uris. The screenplay was written by Dalton Trumbo, which represented the breaking of the Hollywood...
in 1960.
Walker also released several comedy albums including:
- Hello, Ceil It’s Me!!!
- Love and Laughter
- Aunt Lena and Her Entire Family Circle (1979)
- You Don’t Have to be JewishYou Don’t Have to be JewishYou Don't Have to be Jewish is a 1965 comedy album written by Bob Booker and George Foster, the team behind the 1962 comedy album The First Family. The album features a variety of Jewish actors, including Lou Jacobi, Betty Walker, Jack Gilford, Joe Silver, Jackie Kannon, Bob McFadden, Frank Gallop,...
/ When You’re in Love the whole World is Jewish (featured) - Spike Jones’s Strictly for Music Lovers (featured)
External links
- Lessons in Laughter: Betty Walker in Comedy CollegeComedy CollegeComedy College is a radio programme produced by Minnesota Public Radio and distributed by American Public Media.Each show is dedicated to a specific comedian or team of comedians. Garrison Keillor is executive producer, Tiffany Hanssen producer. The hosts of the show are Steve Martin, Rita Rudner,...