ms. kitt was born in north carolina to a black cherokee woman (hence those stunning cheekbones) and a white man she knew little about. as a young girl she was sent to live with an aunt in harlem. on a goof she auditioned with the katherine dunham dance company and the rest is history. she carried the legacy of josephine baker, singing sultry songs in parisian cabaret shows and mercilessly slaying men with her provocative, feline allure. in the 1970s she had a big success with the african-themed musical kismet! (this was long before the lion king hit the scene). she had been performing regularly at the cafe carlyle in new york the last 17 years. this is a charming spot for the old school nyc set of giblets and pearls.
i grew up seeing her in re-runs of old variety shows and (my favorite) as catwoman in the 1960s batman series. she was in my opinion the coolest catwoman ever. her campy kitten image was perfect for this role and she worked it. in the early 90s she had me rolling as the cosmetics tycoon lady eloise in boomerang with eddie murphy. as she was seducing eddie's character, marcus graham, she was a riot just simply beckoning him into her boudoir, 'maaaaah-kuhssss.' dude had no chance! i just adored her.
ms. kitt was of the era of the true diva. leopard print + lipstick, sequined satin and stilettos. she attributed her flawless complexion to a ritual of slathering on vaseline every night. this was a beauty secret for several generations of black women. (tip! i wouldn't recommend putting petroleum-based anything on your face. we've come a long way since then). of my favorite of her songs, 'santa baby' is a classic around the holidays. she performed this, half naked except for a stole wrap and high heels. and she purred like nobody's business. wicked, mama, mad wicked!
many blessings, ms. kitt.
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