Foggy Melson | Carol Channing Interview (November 22, 1994) @foggymelson | Uploaded September 2023 | Updated October 2024, 1 day ago.
Carol Elaine Channing (January 31, 1921 – January 15, 2019) was an American actress, comedian, singer and dancer who starred in Broadway and film musicals. Her characters usually had a fervent expressiveness and an easily identifiable voice, whether singing or for comedic effect.
Channing originated the lead roles in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in 1949 and Hello, Dolly! in 1964, winning the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the latter. She revived both roles several times throughout her career, playing Dolly on Broadway for the final time in 1995. She was nominated for her first Tony Award in 1956 for The Vamp, followed by a nomination in 1961 for Show Girl. She received her fourth Tony Award nomination for the musical Lorelei in 1974.
As a film actress, she won the Golden Globe Award and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Muzzy in Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967). Her other film appearances include The First Traveling Saleslady (1956) and Skidoo (1968). On television, she appeared as an entertainer on variety shows. She performed The White Queen in the TV production of Alice in Wonderland (1985), and she had the first of many TV specials in 1966, titled An Evening with Carol Channing.[1]
Channing was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1981 and received a Lifetime Achievement Tony Award in 1995.[2] She continued to perform and make appearances well into her 90s, singing songs from her repertoire and sharing stories with fans, cabaret-style. She was one of the "legends" interviewed in the award-winning documentary, Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There.[3] She released her autobiography Just Lucky I Guess in 2002, and Larger Than Life was released in 2012, a documentary film about her career.[4]
Early life
Channing was born in Seattle, Washington, on January 31, 1921,[5] the only child of Adelaide (née Glaser; 1886–1984) and George Channing (1888–1957). Her father, who was born George Christian Stucker, was multiracial (African-American and Euro-American) and changed his surname due to religious reasons before Carol's birth. He became a Christian Science practitioner, editor, and teacher.[6][7] George Channing's mother, Clara, was African-American, and his father, George Stucker, was the son of German immigrants. Carol's maternal grandparents, Otto Glaser, and Paulina Ottmann, were both of German-Jewish origin.[8][9] A city editor at The Seattle Star, George Channing took a job in San Francisco and the family moved to California when Channing was two years old.[6][7]
Carol Elaine Channing (January 31, 1921 – January 15, 2019) was an American actress, comedian, singer and dancer who starred in Broadway and film musicals. Her characters usually had a fervent expressiveness and an easily identifiable voice, whether singing or for comedic effect.
Channing originated the lead roles in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in 1949 and Hello, Dolly! in 1964, winning the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the latter. She revived both roles several times throughout her career, playing Dolly on Broadway for the final time in 1995. She was nominated for her first Tony Award in 1956 for The Vamp, followed by a nomination in 1961 for Show Girl. She received her fourth Tony Award nomination for the musical Lorelei in 1974.
As a film actress, she won the Golden Globe Award and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Muzzy in Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967). Her other film appearances include The First Traveling Saleslady (1956) and Skidoo (1968). On television, she appeared as an entertainer on variety shows. She performed The White Queen in the TV production of Alice in Wonderland (1985), and she had the first of many TV specials in 1966, titled An Evening with Carol Channing.[1]
Channing was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1981 and received a Lifetime Achievement Tony Award in 1995.[2] She continued to perform and make appearances well into her 90s, singing songs from her repertoire and sharing stories with fans, cabaret-style. She was one of the "legends" interviewed in the award-winning documentary, Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There.[3] She released her autobiography Just Lucky I Guess in 2002, and Larger Than Life was released in 2012, a documentary film about her career.[4]
Early life
Channing was born in Seattle, Washington, on January 31, 1921,[5] the only child of Adelaide (née Glaser; 1886–1984) and George Channing (1888–1957). Her father, who was born George Christian Stucker, was multiracial (African-American and Euro-American) and changed his surname due to religious reasons before Carol's birth. He became a Christian Science practitioner, editor, and teacher.[6][7] George Channing's mother, Clara, was African-American, and his father, George Stucker, was the son of German immigrants. Carol's maternal grandparents, Otto Glaser, and Paulina Ottmann, were both of German-Jewish origin.[8][9] A city editor at The Seattle Star, George Channing took a job in San Francisco and the family moved to California when Channing was two years old.[6][7]
