MOVIE MOJO
Kitt remembered in Atlanta as fierce, sexy, ageless
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Singer, dancer, actress, sex kitten … there were so many ways to describe the inimitable Eartha Kitt.
(“Sex kitten,” in fact, she chose for herself.)
Gregorio Binuya/Abaca Press/MCT
In 2007, the then-80-year-old Eartha Kit strikes a pose as she arrives for a perfume’s launch in New York.
AP file photo
In 1978, the star of the Broadway play ‘Timbuktu’arrives on the shoulders of Mr. Universe Tony Carroll at New York’s Waldorf Astoria hotel.
AP file photo
Kitt, shown in 1967, was one of the actresses who played Catwoman on the ‘Batman’ TV series.
With Kitt’s passing from colon cancer a week ago, at age 81, we asked members of the local theater and film community to offer a few more descriptions.
Pearl Cleage, poet, author and playwright:
“Here’s my top three [Kitt moments]: One — hearing her on the radio singing ‘Santa Baby’ when I was a girl growing up in Detroit and thinking to myself, ‘Wow!’ I was too young to even know what sexy meant, but the power of what she was doing came through so clearly, I didn’t need any more specifics.
“Two — her featured role in the movie ‘Anna Lucasta.’ People who don’t know much about her acting skills should seek out a copy of this classic movie. She’s amazing.
“And finally, her response to Lady Bird Johnson’s inquiry about her feelings about the Vietnam War during a luncheon at the White House. Her direct, fearless, thoughtful anti-war, pro-young people answer was so unexpected, legend has it that the first lady burst into tears. And I’m betting it wasn’t just the politics. It was the power, the force, that made Eartha, Eartha.
“And a bonus story: When I was press secretary to [former Atlanta Mayor] Maynard Jackson during his first term in office, she was in town performing in ‘Timbuktu’ and she came by to meet the mayor. When he came out to greet her, it was the only time I ever saw him star-struck. But how could he resist somebody who could deliver a line like ‘put a little sable/under the tree’ and make you love it!”
Kenny Leon, director and True Colors Theatre founder:
“We’ve lost another great one. I met Eartha working on an off-Broadway show at the Public Theatre. She always had that friendly, flirtatious approach but she never let age have a place in this business”
Kent Gash, director, playwright, choreographer and associate director of the Alliance Theatre:
“I first saw her when I was a kid, on television, as the definitive Catwoman on ‘Batman’! At age 18 I saw her live for the first time on Broadway in Geoffrey Holder’s ‘Timbuktu’ — in which she made her first entrance to thundering African drums; she rode in literally standing on the shoulders of a well-oiled, African-American Adonis. And when she was lowered to the ground, she stepped off of the man and growled, ‘I’M HERRRRRRRRRRRRE!’ And I had my first taste of mass spontaneous combustion!
“Her entire performance was breathtaking and like nothing I’d ever seen before. … Witty, electrifying, hypnotic and impossibly sexy.
“I had the privilege of speaking on her behalf at a luncheon given to honor her at Spelman College. More important than praising her talent, I praised her courage and her service to humanity. She spoke the truth about the Vietnam War and about social and racial injustice. It wasn’t politic but it was right and it was true. For that she, along with Muhammad Ali, will always be my heroes.
“RIP baby. YOU HAVE EARNED IT!”
Afemo Omilami, actor:
“You know, with her, it didn’t matter — stage or film or record or something else — I’ve been nothing but a fan of hers.
“When I was a young guy in a little country city, I saw her on television and she was my Catwoman! I’ve been in love with her ever since. Her and Nina Simone. … Eartha Kitt is somebody who had just a queenly energy. When people approached her, talked about her, it was with all due respect. She just lived with such a dignity. … And with her passing she leaves us with a responsibility to do our part in this life to deliver the most excellent part of ourselves.”
Rhonda Baraka, screenwriter:
“Interestingly enough, I can’t say that I ever really thought of Eartha Kitt as a ‘black actress.’ And that is by no means a slight. If anything it simply means that through her roles and her overall persona, she managed to carve a niche for herself as a perennial sex symbol that defied stereotypes.
“The thing that always struck me most about her was that she seemed to define herself: She decided she was beautiful, and the world agreed. She decided she was sexy and no one disputed her. She definitely measured herself by her own yardstick and possessed what appeared to be unbridled confidence. We all should be so lucky.”
— AJC writer Wendell Brock contributed to this article.
