Friday, February 21, 2020

THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF MARTHA RAYE

Martha Raye was a larger than life entertainer and comedian. She also lived larger than life. I wanted to do a little research on Martha's seven husbands she had and to look into who they were. They came from all aspects of life...

Husband #1

1. HAMILTON WESTMORE (1918-1973), make up artist - He designed the Barbie doll. married from May 1937 to September 1937

2. DAVID ROSE (1910-1990), orchestra leader - He left Martha Raye for Judy Garland. married from October 1938 to May 1941

Husband # 3

3. NEAL LANG (1906-1981), business man - He owned a chain of hotels in California. married from May 1941 to February 1944

4. NICK CONDOS (1915-1988), actor - He was the father of Martha's only child - a daughter. married from February 1944 to June 1953

Husband #5

5. THOMAS J BEGLEY (1923-1982), dancer - They met while he worked on her variety show. married from April 1954 to October 1956

6. ROBERT O'SHEA (1927-1981), bodyguard - He was a former policeman and her personal body      guard. married from November 1956 to December 1, 1960



7. MARK HARRIS (1949-2018), self promoter - He fought with Martha's daughter over the    conservatorship of Martha Raye as her health faded.  married from September 1991 to her death
 
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3 comments:

  1. EvelynrocksFebruary 22, 2020 at 9:29 AM

    Fascinating! Just through this quick summary it seems she was drawn to some similar men as Garland. Raye had a (at least on screen) louder than life personality; she was also a bread-winner who drew the attention of boys who wanted to be looked after.

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  2. LeahvSeptember 29, 2021 at 11:01 AM

    What a woman! Too bad that the boys saw her for the money 'cause she was a wonderful entertainer!
    It seems to me the last husband, if you can call him that, was the worst though. he just saw the dollars and that's all..
    God Bless you Martha Ray and thank you
    How these people live with themselves All I will never know

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  3. UnknownApril 17, 2022 at 6:58 PM

    Martha was a treasure and great entertainer. I had read that she proposed to her last husband she knew he was gay but was looking for someone to help get her thru her aged years. He did spend lots of her money which I don't look fondly on but I do believe he took care of her until she passed. I also read she was most likely lesbian I can't say for sure but in her day if she was she could not be open about it. I tend to believe maybe she was since she found no man that made her happy. Your missed Martha you were one of the best.

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