Alma Kitchell

Alma Kitchell (c. 1893 - November 13, 1996)[1] was an American concert singer[2] who became a pioneer performer in both radio and television.[3]

Alma Kitchell
Alma Kitchell as she was pictured in the March 1930 issue of Radio Revue magazine
Born
Alma Hopkins

Superior, Wisconsin
DiedNovember 13, 1996, age 103
Sarasota, Florida
Alma materCincinnati Conservatory of Music
Spouse(s)Charles Kitchell (? - 1956, his death)
Joseph Yoder (1965 - ?)
Children2 sons

Early years

Born Alma Hopkins[1] in Superior, Wisconsin,[1] Kitchell planned on a career as a pianist, but instructors at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music persuaded her to pursue singing instead.[4]

Concerts

Kitchell debuted at New York City's Town Hall in 1924, singing a mixture of classical airs and folk songs.[1]

An article about her in the June 1948 issue of Radio and Television Mirror reported that Kitchell "became a leading concert singer, and appeared as a soloist with important orchestras and choral organizations from coast to coast. She gave recitals at both Carnegie And Town Halls and was highly praised by the New York Critics."[2] Her obituary in The New York Times reported, "In 1937, she turned down an opportunity to join the Metropolitan Opera in order to stay in broadcasting."[1]

Radio

Kitchell's obituary in Variety noted that her "voice was transmitted by the Amateur Radio Corps of America from an experimental station off the New York Harbor in 1917 — before most Americans knew what radio was."[5] She began performing regularly as a singer on radio in 1927, starting a span of two decades that brought her the appellation "Golden Voice of Radio".[3] An item in the March 1930 issue of Radio Revue said, "This charming NBC contralto delights those who tune in on the Sunday Symphonette with her rich renditions of only the best music."[6]

Kitchell joined the staff of WJZ in New York City as a singer and over time became the hostess of programs aimed at women, a transition made possible by "her curiosity, warm enthusiasm for new things, and friendly personality".[2] Her success in that genre led to speaking engagements for clubs at colleges, women's groups, and other organizations.[2]

In 1938,[7] she created her own program, Brief Case, answering questions about radio that listeners had submitted and explaining behind-the-scenes activity.[8] In 1938, she interviewed prominent women on Let's Talk It Over, "one of the original radio talkshows".[5] At that time, she had already made more than 3,000 broadcasts on NBC.[7]

Kitchell began Pin Money Party on NBC-Red on September 30, 1940. The program advised women about "how to earn money on talents developed in the home".[9]

On June 21, 1943, WJZ launched Woman's Exchange, "a clearing house for the interchange of ideas among the housewives of the vast WJZ coverage area ... to help them in their wartime food and household problems."[10] Kitchell was the hostess.[10] Also in the early 1940s, she was host of Meet Your Neighbor on NBC-Blue.[11]

Beginning in 1944, Kitchell had a syndicated program, Come and Get It, which was described as the "first recorded audience participation show".[12] Seventy-eight 15-minute episodes were distributed by NBC Radio-Recording Division.[12] The program was also broadcast in Canada, with distribution by All-Canada Radio Facilities, Limited.[13]

Television

On June 20, 1939, Kitchell performed in the role of Ruth in an NBC production of The Pirates of Penzance,[14] the first operetta presented on television.[3]

Kitchell left radio to become hostess of In the Kelvinator Kitchen, an NBC program that was described as "typical of a 'homemaker' genre on TV in which a housekeeping skill was demonstrated, often using the sponsor's products."[15] Mary Ellen Snodgrass, in her book, Encyclopedia of Kitchen History, cited the program as "the first commercial network series and first televised cooking show on the air."[16]

In 1948, Kitchell told an interviewer from Radio and Television Mirror magazine that she valued "The highly personalized relationship between the performer and the viewer," adding, "You are not just heard in people's homes — you are there."[2]

Non-performing professional activities

Beginning in 1945, Kitchell served as president of the Association of Women Directors of the National Association of Broadcasters.[17]

Personal life

Kitchell was married to Charles Kitchell,[18] and they had two sons. He died in 1956, and she married Joseph Yoder in 1965.[1]

Death

On November 13, 1996, Kitchell died at her home in Sarasota, Florida. She was survived by two sons, four grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.[1]

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References
  1. Thomas, Robert McG. Jr. (November 17, 1996). "Alma Kitchell, Radio Pioneer, Then a TV One, Dies at 103". The New York Times. New York, New York City. Archived from the original on 14 September 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  2. "Alma Kitchell". Radio and Television Mirror. 30 (1): 51, 85. June 1948. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  3. Sies, Leora M.; Sies, Luther F. (2003). The Encyclopedia of Women in Radio, 1920-1960. Jefferson, N.C.: Mcfarland & Co. p. 161. ISBN 978-0-7864-6439-5.
  4. "Radio Notes". The News-Herald. Pennsylvania, Franklin. December 30, 1929. p. 5. Retrieved September 14, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Alma Kitchell Yoder". Variety. January 12, 1997. Archived from the original on 15 September 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  6. "Rouses Early Morning Music Lovers". Radio Revue. 1 (4): 2. March 1930. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  7. "KOB Gossip". Albuquerque Journal. New Mexico, Albuquerque. October 16, 1938. p. 6. Retrieved September 14, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Halper, Donna (2015). Invisible Stars: A Social History of Women in American Broadcasting. Routledge. ISBN 9781317520177. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  9. "Budget Boosters" (PDF). Broadcasting. October 15, 1940. p. 78. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  10. "(WJZ advertisement)" (PDF). The Broadcast Engineers' Journal. July 1943. p. 28. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  11. "Stamp for the Boy" (PDF). Broadcasting. August 24, 1942. p. 31. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  12. "(NBC Radio-Recording Division advertisement)". Broadcasting. August 28, 1944. p. 111. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  13. "(All-Canada Radio Facilities Limited advertisement)" (PDF). Canadian Broadcaster. July 7, 1945. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  14. Terrace, Vincent (2013). Television Specials: 5,336 Entertainment Programs, 1936-2012, 2d ed. McFarland. p. 303. ISBN 9780786474448. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  15. Schilling, Jim Von (2013). The Magic Window: American Television ,1939-1953. Routledge. p. 89. ISBN 9781136398605. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  16. Snodgrass, Mary Ellen (2004). Encyclopedia of Kitchen History. Routledge. ISBN 9781135455729. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  17. "Production" (PDF). Broadcasting. July 2, 1945. p. 48. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  18. Remsen, Alice (December 26, 1931). "Station Sparks" (PDF). Radio World. p. 19. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
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