Warning: Use of undefined constant wpurl - assumed 'wpurl' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/y9gq09f5yym1/public_html/wp-content/plugins/add-to-facebook-plugin/addtofacebook.php on line 50
Eartha Kitt had one of the best voices of all time, and she put it to good use. Many of us know her from her portrayal of Catwoman in the 60s Batman TV series, but Eartha Kitt actually had a very hot career by the time she did Batman, with several hit singles (C’est Si Bon, Santa Baby, etc.), films and acclaimed stage roles.
She was blacklisted, however, after speaking out against the Vietnam war during a White House luncheon hosted by Lady Bird Johnson in 1968. She only played Catwoman in three episodes.
“You send the best of this country off to be shot and maimed,” Kitt told the First Lady. “They rebel in the streets. They will take pot and they will get high. They don’t want to go to school because they’re going to be snatched off from their mothers to be shot in Vietnam.”
Mrs. Johnson burst into tears. Words are more powerful than thrown shoes, however symbolic they may be.
Naturally, it was President Carter who helped heal another wound of Vietnam when he had her visit the White House during his term. She was an activist, and of course, a great performer, as reflected by the outpouring from the world’s press, such as BBC, Time’s detailed remembrance and countless other articles from New York to Tasmania, where she helped save a river.
RIP Eartha Kitt, a Catwoman amongst Catwomen. And that’s saying a lot considering Julie Newmar, Lee Meriweather, Michelle Pfeiffer and Halle Berry are the others. Can you imagine Halle Berry telling Laura Bush what she thought of the WMDs that never appeared?
Eartha Kitt was a great American.
Speaking your mind sometimes comes with it’s own set of consequences, especially when others don’t like your point of view because of their own selfish agendas and motives. She was a brilliant woman, one that will be missed.