Kaye Ballard, the boisterous comedian and singer who appeared in Broadway musicals and nightclubs from New York to Las Vegas and starred with Eve Arden in the 1960s TV sitcom "The Mothers-In-Law," died at her home in Rancho Mirage, Calif., of kidney cancer Monday. She was 93.
"The Mothers-In-Law" aired from 1967 to 1969. It marked a high point in a career that began when Ballard was 12 and lasted into the 21st century. She was on hand last week when a documentary on her life and career premiered at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
Ballard made a mark in every form of show business except movies. Her high-octane personality may have been too potent for the big screen of that era and its more restrictive portrayals of women.
Ballard's first real break came when she was singing in a Detroit nightclub, the Bowery. Comedy bandleader Spike Jones dropped in one night and quickly drafted the exuberant young singer into his musical contingent. For two years, she toured with Jones' troupe, singing, playing the flute and tuba and engaging in the band's antics. She also sang with the bands of Vaughn Monroe and Stan Kenton.
Ballard began working on TV in the early 1950s, performing on network variety programs including "The Mel Torme Show" and those of Ed Sullivan and Perry Como. She also became a favorite of talk show hosts, making repeat appearances with Jack Paar, Merv Griffin and Johnny Carson.
She was born Catherine Gloria Ballota to Italian immigrant parents in Cleveland, Ohio, on Nov. 20, 1925.
Associated Press
Longshot long shot nets big bucks
A little bit of puck luck put a lot of bucks in the pocket of a Minnesota State University student whose long shot on the ice between periods of a Mavericks home game last week earned her a cool $30,000. Morgan Ward stood in her winter boots behind the far blue line Friday night on the team's home ice in downtown Mankato, gripped the stick and let the puck slide from more than 110 feet and through a gap in a tiny net barely bigger than the puck itself.
