Remembering 1950s singer/actress Peggy King

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

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David Bianculli (0:15)

This is Fresh Air, I'm David Bianculli. Today, Peggy King, a singer and actress who got her start singing in big bands in the 1950s and had a string of hits, a contract with MGM, and was a popular fixture on many TV variety shows. She died late last month at the age of 96

Here she is in 1951 with Ralph Flanagan and his orchestra.

Peggy King signed a long-term contract with Columbia Records and recorded two best-selling albums, Wish Upon a Star and Girl Meets Boy. In 1952, MGM signed her to a movie contract. She was often told at MGM she looked and sounded like Judy Garland, something King disputed. She made a singing cameo in the film The Bad and the Beautiful. And she became a regular on the TV variety shows starring Mel Tormé and George Goble. She made guest appearances on other TV programs, like Dragnet. In 1955, on that show, she played a nightclub singer who may have encountered a suspect.

SPEAKER_3 (2:05)

Good, sure a pretty song.

Peggy King (2:07)

Well, thank you very much. It's a new song written by a fellow named Arthur Hamilton.

SPEAKER_3 (2:10)

Yes, very nice.

Peggy King (2:11)

Now, what's this about a man I'm supposed to have seen?

SPEAKER_3 (2:14)

Well, we told you there was a shooting at 14th and Flower. The man in the neighborhood recognized you and he tells us that the suspect ran right by you, is that right?

Peggy King (2:22)

Gee, I don't remember.

Just a minute. Oh, no, I remember. Yeah, he ran out of the store, almost knocked me down. Didn't even stop to say anything.

SPEAKER_3 (2:31)

Did you get a good look at him?

Peggy King (2:32)

Well, he ran into me.

SPEAKER_3 (2:35)

Can you tell us anything about him?

Peggy King (2:36)

Well, I'm afraid not. I didn't pay any attention. Something that happens you don't think about, you know.

SPEAKER_3 (2:41)

Yes, ma'am. Would you know the man if you saw him again?

Peggy King (2:44)

I don't think so. The whole thing happened so fast.

SPEAKER_3 (2:47)

There's nothing about him that you remember.

Peggy King (2:49)

No, unless it was his eyes.

SPEAKER_3 (2:51)

Ma'am?

Peggy King (2:52)

Well, his eyes, like he was looking right through you.

David Bianculli (2:57)

Peggy King also toured with the USO. Here she is with Bob Hope in 1956, performing for the troops during a stop in Alaska.

SPEAKER_3 (3:07)

What are you going to sing for us?

Peggy King (3:08)

Well, Bob, I thought I'd do that. Terribly pretty numbers from My Fair Lady. I'm going to come to the stage.

SPEAKER_3 (3:13)

Well, the stage is yours.

Peggy King (3:15)

Thank you. But I thought that since it's such a nice, intimate number, I wondered if I could go down there and sing it.

SPEAKER_3 (3:20)

Into the audience?

Peggy King (3:21)

Yeah. You mean down in that snake pit?

SPEAKER_3 (3:30)

She must be bucking for section 8

Peggy King (3:32)

Go, Peggy.

David Bianculli (3:55)

Peggy King stopped performing in 1961 and moved to Philadelphia with her husband to raise their family.

In the 1980s, after her children were grown, she returned to show business with renewed vigor. She sang with the Philly Pops Orchestra, the All-Star Jazz Trio, and with other musicians. She performed in theaters and nightclubs and had stints in New York City at Michael's Pub and the Metropolitan Room. And she recorded new albums of standards, songs by Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, the Gershwins, and Rodgers and Hart.

In tribute, we're going to listen to Peggy King's Fresh Air Concert from 1983 She was about to release her album Rain Sometimes. At the piano was Michael Ebeni, who was featured on and wrote the arrangements for the album.

Terry Gross (4:45)

It's a great pleasure now to welcome and introduce singer Peggy King and pianist Michael Ebeni. Thank you.

David Bianculli (4:55)

Thank you.

Peggy King (4:56)

Thank you, Terry, for not saying that you weren't born when I was singing before. I appreciate that very much. They all laughed at Christopher Columbus when he said the world was round.

Michael Abene (5:17)

They all laughed at Wilbur and his brother when they said that man could fly. They told Marconi wireless was a phony.

Peggy King (7:02)

Thank you. Thank you, that was from a film called Shall We Dance. I think Fred Astaire sang that song. You'll find that I do a lot of songs that Fred Astaire sang. I love his singing. People look at me like I'm crazy, but I love his phrasing. I love what he does with the lyric. For a man with absolutely no voice, he's always been one of my favorite singers. And when I met him, I told him that, and he said, I said, oh, Mr. Astaire, I really love your singing. He said, you mean my dancing? And I said, no, I mean your singing. And he said, God bless you, Peggy King. This is, I won't tell you the name, we'll just surprise you. This is a very, this is the oldest song we're doing. It's from 1928