Kitty Carlisle Hart died yesterday, she was 96.
She was a truly remarkable woman and as much of a dominant structure in NYC as the Empire State Building. Not long before her death, she was declared a Living Landmark by the state. She was married to the famed director, writer, producer Moss Hart in 1946.
Besides being an actor and a singer, in 1971 Nelson Rockefeller appointed her vice chairperson of the New York State Council for the Arts. She became chairperson in 1976 and it was in this role that she had her greatest impact on the arts. She was a frequent guest on the game show "To Tell the Truth." and had a starring role in the film "A Night at the Opera" with the Marx Brothers.
I had the privilege of meeting Kitty on two seperate occasions . She wore a Chanel suit (one salmon colored, one candy apple red) both times in a room full of dark suits. Needless to say she knew how to stand out! Gracious and kind and having a beautiful singing voice well into her nineties she was a star in the truest sense. She was also known for her famous hairstyle that she had for most of her career.
