Baker, Belle (c. 1895–1957)
Baker, Belle (c. 1895–1957)
American actress, singer, and entertainer. Born Bella Becker in New York, New York, around 1895; died in Los Angeles, California, on April 28, 1957.
Belle Baker first appeared on the stage as a boy in the Jacob Adler production of The Homecoming. Her deep, resonant singing voice and commanding stage presence caught the attention of vaudeville agents, and she soon had star billing at New York's Palace Theatre. Baker's Broadway debut came in 1911 in Vera Violetta, and in 1926 she performed the starring role in the short-lived Betsy, in which she introduced the Irving Berlin song, "Blue Skies." During her vaudeville days, she popularized a number of other songs, including "All of Me" and "My Yiddische Mama," which came to be associated with her friend Sophie Tucker . She also appeared in two movies: The Song of Love (1929) and Atlantic City (1944).
One of Baker's most unusual roles was as the first host of a radio variety program transmitted from a B&O train in 1932. The broadcast from the train, which ran throughout the state of Maryland, helped demonstrate the versatility and mobility of radio broadcasting. Baker played the Palace one last time in 1950. Five years later, she was featured on the television show "This is Your Life."
Barbara Morgan , Melrose, Massachusetts