Cass Daley
Encyclopedia
Cass Daley was an American
radio, television and film actress, singer, and comedienne. The daughter of an Irish streetcar conductor, Daley started to perform at nightclubs and on the radio as a band vocalist in the 1940s.
, Daley began singing as a child in front of neighborhood storefronts. Noted for her buck teeth and comical singing style, she sang at clubs as a teen while working as a hat-check girl and electrician. In the 1930s, she began a stage career appearing in the 1936-1937 Ziegfeld Follies
. In the 1940s, Daley
embarked on a movie career, most notably in The Fleet's In
(1942) with Dorothy Lamour
and Betty Hutton
and Crazy House (1943) with Ole Olsen
and Chic Johnson
. As a frequent radio guest, she appeared semi-regularly in 1944 on The Bob Burns Show on NBC. In 1945, she joined the cast of The Fitch Bandwagon, another popular radio show. In 1950, starred in her own radio show The Cass Daley Show.
With radio in decline, she retired to raise her son in Newport Beach
. After her divorce from husband Frank Kinsella, she attempted a comeback in the 1970s appearing in small television, film and stage roles. She was among the stars in the 1972 nostalgia revue Big Show of 1928, which toured the country and played New York's Madison Square Garden
.
at 6303 Hollywood Blvd. Cass Daley was buried along the roadside in Section 8 (the new Garden of Legends), at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
in Hollywood, California.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
radio, television and film actress, singer, and comedienne. The daughter of an Irish streetcar conductor, Daley started to perform at nightclubs and on the radio as a band vocalist in the 1940s.
Career
Born Catherine Dailey in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, Daley began singing as a child in front of neighborhood storefronts. Noted for her buck teeth and comical singing style, she sang at clubs as a teen while working as a hat-check girl and electrician. In the 1930s, she began a stage career appearing in the 1936-1937 Ziegfeld Follies
Ziegfeld Follies
The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
. In the 1940s, Daley
embarked on a movie career, most notably in The Fleet's In
The Fleet's In
The Fleet's In is a movie musical produced by Paramount Pictures, directed by Victor Schertzinger, and starring Dorothy Lamour and William Holden. Although sharing the title of the 1928 Paramount film starring Clara Bow and Jack Oakie, it was not a remake...
(1942) with Dorothy Lamour
Dorothy Lamour
Dorothy Lamour was an American film actress. She is best remembered for appearing in the Road to... movies, a series of successful comedies starring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope .-Early life:Lamour was born Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton in New Orleans, Louisiana, the daughter of Carmen Louise Dorothy...
and Betty Hutton
Betty Hutton
Betty Hutton was an American stage, film, and television actress, comedienne and singer.-Early life:Hutton was born Elizabeth June Thornburg, daughter of a railroad foreman, Percy E. Thornburg and his wife, the former Mabel Lum . While she was very young, her father abandoned the family for...
and Crazy House (1943) with Ole Olsen
Ole Olsen (comedian)
John Sigvard "Ole" Olsen was an American vaudevillian and comedian.Born in Peru, Indiana, he graduated from Northwestern University in 1912 with a degree in music and hit the Vaudeville circuit...
and Chic Johnson
Chic Johnson
Chic Johnson was the barrel-chested half of the Swedish-American comedy team of Olsen and Johnson, known for his strangely infectious, high-pitched laugh.-Background:...
. As a frequent radio guest, she appeared semi-regularly in 1944 on The Bob Burns Show on NBC. In 1945, she joined the cast of The Fitch Bandwagon, another popular radio show. In 1950, starred in her own radio show The Cass Daley Show.
With radio in decline, she retired to raise her son in Newport Beach
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...
. After her divorce from husband Frank Kinsella, she attempted a comeback in the 1970s appearing in small television, film and stage roles. She was among the stars in the 1972 nostalgia revue Big Show of 1928, which toured the country and played New York's Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
.
Death
On March 22, 1975, alone in her apartment, the 59 year-old comedienne apparently fell and landed on her glass coffee table. A shard of glass jammed into her throat and she bled to death before her husband came home and discovered her. For her contribution to the television industry, Cass Daley has a star on the Hollywood Walk of FameHollywood 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...
at 6303 Hollywood Blvd. Cass Daley was buried along the roadside in Section 8 (the new Garden of Legends), at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery, originally called Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery, is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angeles, California. It is located at 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard in the Hollywood...
in Hollywood, California.
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1942 | The Fleet's In The Fleet's In The Fleet's In is a movie musical produced by Paramount Pictures, directed by Victor Schertzinger, and starring Dorothy Lamour and William Holden. Although sharing the title of the 1928 Paramount film starring Clara Bow and Jack Oakie, it was not a remake... |
Cissie | |
| Star Spangled Rhythm Star Spangled Rhythm Star Spangled Rhythm is a 1943 all-star cast musical film made by Paramount Pictures during World War II as a morale booster. Many of the Hollywood studios produced such films during the war, generally musicals, frequently with flimsy storylines, and with the specific intent of entertaining the... |
Mimi | ||
| 1943 | Crazy House | Herself/Sadie Silverfish | |
| Riding High | Tess Connors | ||
| 1945 | Out of This World | Fanny (drummer) | |
| Duffy's Tavern Duffy's Tavern Duffy's Tavern was a popular American radio situation comedy which ran for a decade on several networks , concluding with the December 28, 1951 broadcast.... |
Herself | ||
| Screen Snapshots: Radio Shows | Herself - The Sunday Bandwagon Program | Short subject | |
| 1946 | Unusual Occupations | Herself (Uncredited) | Short subject |
| 1947 | Ladies' Man | Geraldine Ryan | |
| Variety Girl Variety Girl Variety Girl is an all-star movie musical produced by Paramount Pictures. Numerous Paramount contract players and directors make cameos or perform songs, with particularly large amounts of screen time featuring Bing Crosby... |
Herself | ||
| 1951 | Here Comes the Groom Here Comes the Groom Here Comes the Groom is a 1951 musical romantic comedy film starring Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman. Directed and produced by Frank Capra, the film was released by Paramount Pictures.-Plot:... |
Herself | |
| 1954 | Red Garters Red Garters (film) Red Garters is a 1954 film starring Rosemary Clooney, Guy Mitchell, and Jack Carson. It was a musical spoof of Westerns. The director was George Marshall.... |
Minnie Redwing | |
| 1967 | The Spirit Is Willing | Felicity Twitchell | |
| 1970 | The Phynx The Phynx The Phynx is a 1970 comedy film directed by Lee H. Katzin about a rock and roll band named The Phynx and their mission in foreign affairs. The group is sent to the country of Albania to locate hostages.-Cast:*The Phynx... Themselves... |
Herself | |
| Norwood Norwood (film) Norwood is a 1970 film that reunites True Grit co-stars Glen Campbell and Kim Darby, also featuring Joe Namath. It was based on the book of the same title, written by Charles Portis , but updated from the original 1950s setting to 1970.The film marked the final screen appearance of actor Jack... |
Mrs. Remley | ||
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1950 | The Jack Carter Show | Herself | 1 episode |
| The Ed Wynn Show | Herself | 1 episode | |
| 1952 | Stars in Their Eye | Herself | |
| 1954 | The Bob Hope Show | Herself | 1 episode |
| 1955 | The Jimmy Durante Show | Herself | 1 episode |
| 1964 | Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre is an anthology television series, sponsored by Chrysler Corporation, which ran on NBC from 1963 through 1967... |
Patsy Willis | 1 episode |