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An encore of my interview with Kaye Ballard

This appeared in the Los Angeles Daily News where I was an entertainment columnist for several years. The story ran in 2008:

Kaye Ballard’s brash comedy instincts and powerful singing voice are still in such fine form that, at age 81, she headlined “Palm Springs Follies!” last fall to sellout crowds throughout the two-month run.

“I’ve done it twice and now I have something else cooking,” says Ballard, the stage and television star who once graced the cover of Life magazine and starred with Eve Arden in “The Mothers-In-Law,” the NBC sitcom that ran from 1967-69.

Ballard has always had a big personality and been quick with a quip. When she arrived at the Palm Springs International Film Festival on opening night earlier this month, she cracked: “I’m very happy to be here – I’m happy to be anywhere.”

With roots in vaudeville and burlesque, the Cleveland native got bitten by the acting bug at age 5. She began performing professionally while still in high school.

She became a big name in nightclubs in the 1950s and ’60s, performing at The Bon Soir and The Blue Angel in New York. She was a frequent guest on the talk-show circuit, sitting down with Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, Steve Allen, Perry Como, Mike Douglas, and Merv Griffin.

In addition to ”The Mothers-In-Law,” her better-known television credits include playing one of the ugly stepsisters in the original television production of “Cinderella” that starred Julie Andrews and as part of the cast of “The Doris Day Show.”

She also made several movies (“The Girl Most Likely,” “A House Is Not a Home,” “Which Way to the Front” and “The Ritz”) and was a smash on Broadway (“The Golden Apple,” “Carnival,” “Wonderful Town,” and “Pirates of Penzance”).

Ballard has also toured as Mama Rose in “Gypsy” Dolly”Gypsy” and Dolly Levi in “Hello, Dolly!” and appeared in productions of “Funny Girl” “Quartet” – the female version of “The Odd Couple” – and “Nunsense.”

With all those credits, it is still ”The Mothers-In-Law” that gets her the most attention after all these years.

“I still get letters from all over the world world, which is a joke because that’s 30 years ago,” Ballard said, shaking her head and smiling.

So what keeps her going?

“Loving life. That’s it. I’ve never been bored, thank you God,” she said, laughing.

Ballard, a resident of Rancho Mirage, keeps up with the times times, which is apparent when you check out the front page of KayeBallard.com.

“There must be a reason you Googled my name and found this site in the first place, so whatever it is, I hope you find what you’re looking for. I also hope you’ll sign my guest book so I can keep you updated if anything NEW should happen in my life.”

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