The Rise, Fall, and Rise Again of Eartha Kitt

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  • Опубліковано 25 лис 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 1 тис.

  • @KazRowe
    @KazRowe  2 роки тому +199

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    • @therawebster3285
      @therawebster3285 2 роки тому

      @Kaz Rowe "Seer- ah- No Debergerac. Serrano is a pepper.💖🙌I love your content so much!!

    • @b1merio
      @b1merio 2 роки тому +1

      @@therawebster3285 In Kaz's defense, Cyrano was pretty spicy :P

    • @therawebster3285
      @therawebster3285 2 роки тому

      @@b1merio True! Have you seen the previews for the latest (queer!!) adaptation??

    • @therawebster3285
      @therawebster3285 2 роки тому

      ua-cam.com/video/lPjERPq10Fg/v-deo.html

    • @Mountain_Biking_Vampire_Which
      @Mountain_Biking_Vampire_Which 2 роки тому +1

      Have anyone else not been recommended or getting notifications for their videos

  • @damascus9876
    @damascus9876 2 роки тому +6445

    "Why should I be upset about her being embarrassed that's HER PROBLEM." -I CHOKED. GET EM EARTHA!!!

    • @notlurking2128
      @notlurking2128 2 роки тому +256

      I literally burst out laughing what an absolute gem

    • @memorian8472
      @memorian8472 2 роки тому +159

      That clip always makes me cackle. I want to use that line so badly irl

    • @MK-hh1vo
      @MK-hh1vo 2 роки тому +145

      The look on her face when she said that is the true definition of *fierce* ! Pay attention models and pop stars!

    • @geekfreak2000
      @geekfreak2000 2 роки тому +30

      27:05

    • @pearlygirl88
      @pearlygirl88 2 роки тому +39

      She was absolutely brilliant.

  • @stares_mthrfckrly
    @stares_mthrfckrly 2 роки тому +2943

    “I wasn’t blacklisted, I was whitelisted.”
    Truly powerful words.

    • @OriginalCreatorSama
      @OriginalCreatorSama Рік тому +78

      I googled it. The wikipedia page for Whitelist describes it as:
      "A whitelist, allowlist, or passlist is a mechanism which explicitly allows some identified entities to access a particular privilege, service, mobility, or recognition i.e. it is a list of things allowed when everything is denied by default. It is the opposite of a blacklist, which is a list of things denied when everything is allowed by default."
      tl;dr
      Whitelist: you have *no privilege except* what's on this list.
      Blacklist: you have *all your privileges except* what's on this list.
      And she was whitelisted for being a successful black woman. That's so much more fucked up than the words let on!

    • @deloreswillis9224
      @deloreswillis9224 7 місяців тому +1

      Heyyy yayyyy indeed

    • @ElizabethMcCormick-s2n
      @ElizabethMcCormick-s2n 5 місяців тому

      From a truly powerful woman!

  • @damascus9876
    @damascus9876 2 роки тому +4276

    That conversation between her and the former president WAS SO FRUSTRATING. Eartha looked pissed, but she handled that so much better than I would have.

    • @NoiseDay
      @NoiseDay 2 роки тому +333

      I could retroactively feel how angry she must have been, also because she knew she had to hold back at this fancy lady's dinner party with the freaking president's wife. It takes true courage to speak up in such an oppressive environment.

    • @findingbeautyinthepain8965
      @findingbeautyinthepain8965 2 роки тому +295

      If she did anything to show she was upset (other than not smile) they would have said, “Look how uncivilized and angry black women are.” It’s hard being a black woman today. But being one of the first famous black women, and literally being the only black woman many white people had ever seen or heard speak is on a whole other level. I can not imagine the pressure of an entire race needing you to succeed in order for them to have similar opportunities in the future.

    • @riotbreaker3506
      @riotbreaker3506 2 роки тому +3

      She should have put him in a box, and put that box inside another box, then smashed it with a hammer. It would have been brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.

    • @fern2336
      @fern2336 2 роки тому +23

      i love her so much.

    • @aquaabouttogetfunky
      @aquaabouttogetfunky 2 роки тому +3

      Wait who said this? Had to be Trump 💀

  • @briansmith9439
    @briansmith9439 2 роки тому +3844

    In 1999 I was living on Fountain Avenue in Hollywood and was out for a walk. As I passed a small lounge on Cahuenga Blvd just south of Hollywood I heard what could only be Eartha Kitt's voice. I stood there transfixed and when that song was over and she started chatting, curiosity got the best of me; I cracked the door open and there she was, entertaining less than a hundred people in a very small venue. It was so small that she saw the door open; she interrupted her monologue with "Come on in darling, I won't bite unless you want me to. There's a seat right here." I was floored and had a front-row seat and was entertained like never before. Only in Hollywood.

    • @memorian8472
      @memorian8472 2 роки тому +321

      This honestly sounds like something out of a dream, I still wouldn't believe that this happened if it were me, I'd be pinching myself all day.

    • @kkilljoy3588
      @kkilljoy3588 2 роки тому +127

      That’s phenomenal. And here I thought I was an old dog compared to most folks kickin around on UA-cam (I don’t feel or consider myself old in reality, only in comparative UA-cam terms), but you must be at least my age if not a little older. I could’ve theoretically been in your shoes (as in I was barely old enough to have been) but I don’t think I would’ve appreciated Eartha Kitt yet, but also I didn’t grow up watching her as some did.
      Thanks for sharing an amazing story, and major props for being iconic enough to have appreciated an icon in 1999.

    • @manifestationsofasort
      @manifestationsofasort 2 роки тому +17

      Aw, how lovely!

    • @derekkrumel1407
      @derekkrumel1407 2 роки тому +22

      😭 that's amazing

    • @gaywizard2000
      @gaywizard2000 2 роки тому +19

      what a great story!!!

  • @OfficialROZWBRAZEL
    @OfficialROZWBRAZEL 2 роки тому +3497

    Ladybird Johnson hated Eartha and destroyed her career for even trying to actually address the problems she wanted to use as an excuse to throw parties in a grounded, informed way...how can someone have more power than most of us will in our entire lives and *still* be so pathetic?

    • @Green4CloveR
      @Green4CloveR 2 роки тому +5

      Ladybird was a See You Next Tuesday and hope she is chocking on our raw sewage whereever she is down there!

    • @damascus9876
      @damascus9876 2 роки тому +316

      Ladybird was casually sipping that insecure-a-tea at that luncheon.

    • @findingbeautyinthepain8965
      @findingbeautyinthepain8965 2 роки тому +360

      I don’t personally think that’s why Ladybird hated Eartha. I personally think Ladybird was green with envy that this mixed race woman, who came from nothing, built herself a life of freedom that wealthy white women couldn’t even dream of having in the 60’s. It may seem like Ladybird had it good to most people, but in reality, her only purpose was to be a shiny trophy wife and further her husband’s career. Her every move was scheduled and controlled by the White House. Being born wealthy meant she would have been raised to believe her only purpose was to marry as high as possible and then do whatever her husband told her to. Ladybird wished she was Eartha. She probably had no idea why she hated her, so she probably convinced herself it’s because Eartha was black, orphaned, from poverty, sexy, and so called “uncivilized.”

    • @sophiatalksmusic3588
      @sophiatalksmusic3588 2 роки тому +240

      "Just because there's a war going on doesn't mean we can't be civilized"
      I had to pause the video just to process the AUDACITY of that statement.

    • @findingbeautyinthepain8965
      @findingbeautyinthepain8965 2 роки тому +183

      @@sophiatalksmusic3588 Same! I felt like Ladybird was just waiting for any moment to insert a backhanded, snarky comment about being civilized. Like her response didn’t even match the statement said before it. Does she honestly think Eartha didn’t know what the words civilized and uncivilized were really codes for?

  • @damascus9876
    @damascus9876 2 роки тому +2911

    "So she was stalked by the CIA after challenging Johnson during the Vietnam War..." *I swear you could hear a record scratch at that moment* They did WHAT NOW?!?

    • @bellablue5285
      @bellablue5285 2 роки тому +106

      I want to say there's a drunk history ep that gets into it, if it is what I'm thinking of (luncheon associated with schooling maybe, and the imbalance between what was being done for white kids vs non-white); I'm not that far into the video yet to confirm
      Edit: I'm a bit off on the context of the forum, but yep, same event

    • @Gayoinion
      @Gayoinion 2 роки тому +5

      Full prc behavior

    • @avantgauche
      @avantgauche 2 роки тому +3

      The giovernment did it to anyone they considered left leaning go look up CO-INTEL-PRO

    • @cesarcastillo7129
      @cesarcastillo7129 2 роки тому +66

      They also stalked John Lennon

    • @NastyWoman1979
      @NastyWoman1979 2 роки тому +41

      Oh yes!!! Another opinionated, intelligent outspoken woman who was frightened by women.
      There are quote a few great videos here on UA-cam and I believe a biography regarding the subject.

  • @silversam
    @silversam 2 роки тому +1503

    Love Eartha Kitt so much. Publicly she was the embodiment of "Do not harm, take no sh!t" and gave *4 generations* some of the most iconic performances they'd ever see. Thanks for this!

  • @chelseawhite7117
    @chelseawhite7117 2 роки тому +822

    To Kaz’s point about her becoming fiercely independent from any particular man, my favorite quote of hers is: “a man has always wanted to lay me down, but he never wanted to pick me up”. What a power in recognizing herself as being valuable outside of the presence of a man especially through the middle and end of the 20th century, when no one else empowered her but her

    • @RosesTeaAndASD
      @RosesTeaAndASD Рік тому +18

      I'm gonna hold onto that saying.

    • @toidIllorTAmI
      @toidIllorTAmI Рік тому +10

      I read that quote at the perfect time! 34:14 "a man comes into my life and I have to compromise?"

    • @cherylcampbell9369
      @cherylcampbell9369 Рік тому +8

      I have a similar saying: they want to help themselves to me, but never to help me.

    • @deloreswillis9224
      @deloreswillis9224 7 місяців тому

      Omgoodness I literally will 4 ever remind myself about these valuable quotes‼️ luv them RIP MY SISTER🙏🏿

  • @celery8059
    @celery8059 2 роки тому +1100

    Holy fuck she’s actually the most badass person alive. Dealing with so much hardship , and coming out not only on top, but using her position in the industry to do good! We can only strive to be just like her.

    • @hummus_exual
      @hummus_exual 2 роки тому +71

      “Most badass person *alive* “
      Uhh... I have bad news for you...

    • @KingNexusMOCs
      @KingNexusMOCs Рік тому +6

      She's not alive, dude..

    • @theflyingspaget
      @theflyingspaget Рік тому +9

      ​@@KingNexusMOCs*to live

    • @deloreswillis9224
      @deloreswillis9224 7 місяців тому +3

      Certainly 1 of my SHEROES❤❤❤❤❤

  • @mystery1317
    @mystery1317 2 роки тому +573

    The way she CACKLED at the idea of compromising for a man took me out 😂
    The bit about her leaving the world screaming gave me chills tho. Great video!

  • @PixieLovesItAll
    @PixieLovesItAll 2 роки тому +1293

    "You adopted me when nobody else did." out of the blue after hearing her story made me absolutely BURST into tears with a bite of dinner in my mouth, oh my god. The humility and strength in the face of so much cruelty and pain, what an incredible person.

    • @catebrooks6779
      @catebrooks6779 Рік тому +7

      Came here to say, essentially, this. 😢😢😢😢🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤❤

  • @NoiseDay
    @NoiseDay 2 роки тому +1471

    Eartha and her daughter talking about how her traumatic experiences made her who she was and how she shouldn't have to let go or forget really spoke to me. Especially the part where these experiences can act as a sort of fuel for her activism and proof of her strength. I don't want to wallow in my past, but I don't want to forget it either. I want to bring it with me and bring it to light so that other people can know what it's like to suffer in ways they haven't or to feel less alone knowing there's someone out there who has suffered just as they have.

    • @missjoshemmett
      @missjoshemmett 2 роки тому +40

      People ask me the same question. Yes, I forgive, but I never forget.

    • @casadilla111
      @casadilla111 2 роки тому +24

      My philosophy that’s helped me deal with my own trauma is that bad things happen to good people so that good people can lead everyone else through the darkness later. I try every day to help people using my experiences to connect with and better help them.

    • @SmallBobby
      @SmallBobby Рік тому +1

      @@casadilla111 ❤❤

  • @ms_cartographer
    @ms_cartographer 2 роки тому +495

    The based Ms. Eartha Kitt destroys the useless Becky Ladybird with facts and logic.

  • @PineCellar
    @PineCellar 2 роки тому +599

    Thank you for covering Eartha Kitt. She was an absolute legend on stage and screen, but I had no idea about her anti-war and LGBTQIA+ activism or the rejection she faced by being mixed and Black. As a mixed person, I related deeply with her words and adore her even more.

    • @remigal899
      @remigal899 Рік тому +3

      Lmao why did you say mixed and black

    • @remigal899
      @remigal899 Рік тому +4

      @@PineCellar you don’t have to watch a video to know what being mixed and what being black is. It is obvious she was half black…what was the point of saying black after mixed…Was is a grammar error? Lmao

    • @PineCellar
      @PineCellar Рік тому +52

      @@remigal899 I really don't know what point you are trying to make. She experienced discrimination for both attributes.

    • @user-DrKritz115
      @user-DrKritz115 Рік тому +1

      @@PineCellar dont bother, remigal has an anime pfp, the motherfucker probably never touches grass lmao

    • @PineCellar
      @PineCellar Рік тому +28

      @@user-DrKritz115 Yeah, I had a feeling they were trying to dig for something that isn't there. I too have noticed that the correlation between anime pfp and loser irl is pretty right on like 95% of the time

  • @fugithegreat
    @fugithegreat 2 роки тому +509

    Did Ladybird Johnson invite Eartha to that luncheon just to keep an eye on her or humiliate her? What an awful situation to be in, but Eartha was the model of strength and common sense. I love how she stared down the president as he stuttered and mumbled in retreat, because she had ideas and he didn't.

    • @Kay-kg6ny
      @Kay-kg6ny Рік тому +18

      Yeah it really feels like the invitation in and of itself was a trap right from the start. Ladybird or Biddiefowl or whatever clearly wanted a chance to either make Eartha show up and be quiet in a room full of old white women or create an excuse to black ball her

    • @SmallBobby
      @SmallBobby Рік тому +7

      @@Kay-kg6ny biddiefowl 😂

    • @さくら-l8t
      @さくら-l8t 8 місяців тому +6

      If there’s one thing men like him fear, it’s women who actually know what their talking about.

  • @arianafox365
    @arianafox365 2 роки тому +826

    The way you described her screaming as she passed made me cry. Such an incredible woman. Emperors new Groove is one of my all time favorite animated movie. Thank you for this amazing video.

    • @voyance4elle
      @voyance4elle Рік тому +31

      Can't imagine how her daughter must be haunted by that moment. Wow..

    • @Dusty_Den
      @Dusty_Den Рік тому +14

      ​@@voyance4ellesince she screamed back giving her permission to go, I really hope that it's a cathartic memory 😭

  • @auroraborealass
    @auroraborealass Рік тому +127

    the fact that she played Yzma in the Disney TV Show really shows how amazing she was... she didn't feel like she was 'too good' for a role despite being a goddamn legend. Eartha Kitt is amazing.

    • @ElizabethMcCormick-s2n
      @ElizabethMcCormick-s2n 5 місяців тому +4

      Too good? Yzma wouldn't be Yzma without Eartha's signature voice!

  • @Palehotdog
    @Palehotdog Рік тому +73

    “Neither does their sexuality threaten me” ugh I just love this woman ❤ truly ahead of her time. Rip icon ✨ truly missed

  • @yellowcougar18
    @yellowcougar18 2 роки тому +276

    Her performance in Empereror's New Groove is even more amazing when you consider what a complete nightmare that production was. Everything from rewrites, to director firings, to complete plot changes.... just nightmarish.

    • @RosesTeaAndASD
      @RosesTeaAndASD Рік тому +15

      Almost "1995 Island of Dr Moreau" production level fiasco

    • @toidIllorTAmI
      @toidIllorTAmI Рік тому +10

      I hope she was out of the drama and was being paid well for it 🤞

    • @MonicaG_
      @MonicaG_ Рік тому +2

      ​​@j.c.5895 OMG thank you so much for letting everyone know about this song! I just watched it right now, I freakin love it!
      Long Live Eartha Kitt, Que Viva Eartha Kitt❤❤❤💃🏾🎼🎶🎙

  • @bellablue5285
    @bellablue5285 2 роки тому +435

    For the longest time I only knew of Eartha Kitt from her time as Catwoman, only as an adult did I learn more about her. Phenomenal woman who went through hell, and I'm somewhat gobsmacked to see how unwavering she was before the President (maybe it's me, that would be pretty terrifying personally).
    I'm so glad more generations were able to be introduced to her as Yzma, it was so nice to hear her voice again after seeing her as a kid in Batman.

    • @bellablue5285
      @bellablue5285 2 роки тому +13

      Also had to go looking to understand the watermarks, good grief you went through a battle as well it sounds. Hopefully your Oz vid was able to stay up and monetized this time (and by hopefully re-ringing the bell yt will be kind enough to tell me when you post)

    • @lokizmom9843
      @lokizmom9843 2 роки тому +21

      I noted with satisfaction, that Johnson walked away from that conversation. Point goes to Eartha.

    • @partycitydumpster
      @partycitydumpster Рік тому +13

      Especially with how physically imposing Johnson would intentionally make himself, towering over people when he talked to them. Like nuh uh you are not going to intimidate Eartha Kitt.

  • @satinsleeves
    @satinsleeves 2 роки тому +68

    "A man comes into my life and I have to compromise? *raucous laughter*" TELL EM EARTHA

  • @daisybell5884
    @daisybell5884 4 місяці тому +6

    Today I was at a family funeral. I met a man there, a gay man who was close friends with the butch daughter of the deceased. He told us wonderful stories of the dead woman and how accepting she’d been. Somehow Eartha Kitt came up in conversation. He showed us a picture on his phone of himself and some friends with her in a gay bar in Massachusetts in 1989. He said that even then, she was magic. And that she was so accepting; that she played a gig in a gay bar in the aids crisis because she was that caring for the queer community, it made me choke up. What a fantastic woman, what a fantastic performer

  • @AB-sm1qf
    @AB-sm1qf 2 роки тому +255

    I have always been a fan of Eartha Kitt since I saw her in The Nanny. She was singing in that show and I was mesmerized about how such an older lady could be so sexy. She was so charming. I loved her work ethic and charisma. Seeing her content never fails to make me smile. She’s fascinating and that’s what I think we should all strive to be. She’s a mood on how to live life unapologetically. Also as a POC I felt seen by her just living, she wasn’t angry, she wasn’t anything unpleasant, she was just human. Thank you for creating this. It elevated an already great day for me. I also adore your interior design, your nook looks like a jewel box.

    • @bmwjourdandunngoddess6024
      @bmwjourdandunngoddess6024 2 роки тому +12

      What’s wrong with her being angry? It’s clear she was very angry about all the misogynoir she had to deal with, she had to smile on purpose.

    • @AB-sm1qf
      @AB-sm1qf Рік тому +16

      @@bmwjourdandunngoddess6024 There is nothing wrong with being angry however unfortunately it was still nice to see. I know I shouldn’t have to mention it but I’m tired of black women being shown as meaner, more unfeminine or aggressive. I liked how Eartha mastered a way of showing outright anger but in the “femme manner” that was palatable to society and making that anger eons more effective. She had a very elegant way of projecting her anger is what I meant. She hid nothing but said it in a way that had one doing a double take after you know. I find the best way to express your feelings is to do it in a way where you leave your audience thinking about you long after and she had that. Far more effective than blowing up like a nuclear bomb.

    • @lindadeal3344
      @lindadeal3344 Рік тому

      Did you see her movie with Nat"King"Cole. She broke his ❤️ and redeemed her self in the end!

  • @Lynzae
    @Lynzae 2 роки тому +331

    She was hilarious in Boomerang! Eartha was discriminated against because she wasn't dark enough and because she wasn't light enough either. Her and Julie Newmar are my 2 favorite Catwomen!

    • @u-neekusername4430
      @u-neekusername4430 2 роки тому +8

      Yes! I was just going to post about that movie, she was so good!

    • @SKRIDDLE1
      @SKRIDDLE1 2 роки тому +16

      Maaaaaarcussssss daaaaarrrrrliiing.
      ::whispers:: I don’t have any panties on…

    • @Whocares158
      @Whocares158 Рік тому

      Racism will always exist.
      Humans are very stubborn.

    • @_ohcaptain
      @_ohcaptain Рік тому

      @@SKRIDDLE1 this is the comment i was looking for lmao thank you, friend 😂

  • @sabrinalocke2846
    @sabrinalocke2846 2 роки тому +142

    I absolutely love eartha. I had no clue what lady bird did to her but I’m not suprised. They hate to see a powerful black woman winning, and one that’s critical of politics as well. That’s so infuriating. She is someone I’ve looked up to all my life

  • @MadDragon-lb7qg
    @MadDragon-lb7qg 2 роки тому +159

    I remember the news breaking that Eartha had died. I was at my parent's home for Christmas and was walking from the sitting room, when it came on the BBC news that she had left us, I stopped dead in my tracks and walked backwards into the room again. I swear I stood in the doorway for about 10 minutes trying to get my head around the fact she had gone. My 9 year old Daughter loves Yzma as a character and my late mother was a fan as well. Rest in Power Eartha, you won't be forgotten in this family, that's for sure!

  • @sofialima4521
    @sofialima4521 2 роки тому +152

    Being a woman with something to say is one of the easiest ways to upset a whole lot of people. Anyways, can't believe I took so long to watch this. I knew nothing about Eartha except that iconic interview and wow, it was like something clicked in my mind the minute I saw it, I'd never seen a woman so free. Such a tough life, and an incredible story!

  • @benlittleforest
    @benlittleforest 2 роки тому +27

    One time I was working as a cashier in an ice cream store and I was playing Eartha Kitt and this older woman came in and said "who's this artist she's lovely" and I said "Eartha Kitt"
    and the lady responded "oh she was so promising but she was rude to Ladybird Johnson at the Whitehouse so..."
    And I looked at this woman talking to me and though "I bet Eartha did something epic at the White House" and after the woman left I looked it up and fell further in love with Eartha than ever before.

  • @austinj.decareaux8830
    @austinj.decareaux8830 2 роки тому +81

    Eartha Kitt is so captivating. Her voice, her eyes, her story. I remember when I first discovered her I spent the whole day just watching her old 50s performances and interviews throughout the decades.

  • @sanogoadamagyram8166
    @sanogoadamagyram8166 2 роки тому +270

    Eartha Kitt is certainly one ofbthe of the most incredible human beings to ever grace this earth and I hope she is loved where she is now!

    • @lokizmom9843
      @lokizmom9843 2 роки тому +8

      Well of course she is. Eartha is probably having rallies for angels equal rights while God just shakes his head and says, "It's fine. Let Eartha be Eartha, she has earned that right."

    • @witchplease9695
      @witchplease9695 2 роки тому +5

      @@lokizmom9843 "angels equal rights" Uh, I'd like to think if there's a heaven the angels dont discriminate against each other. Weird comment...

    • @Likelyfairy
      @Likelyfairy 2 роки тому

      @@witchplease9695 yeah 😂 i thought they’d be too busy doing other things

    • @lindadeal3344
      @lindadeal3344 Рік тому

      The angels eagerly welcomed her and she is very happy and learning ❤️ and the higher dimensions are welcoming her to their midst as a masterful way!!

  • @haileybalmer9722
    @haileybalmer9722 2 роки тому +80

    I couldn't tell you what I knew Eartha Kitt from. I felt like I always knew her. I'm always astounded to hear about what a kind person she was. She simply would not let the world grind her down. What an icon.

  • @theocnetwork1521
    @theocnetwork1521 2 роки тому +87

    I’m legit in tears ..😢this tribute / biography is so beautiful. Eartha is an Icon

  • @jules_111
    @jules_111 Рік тому +15

    As a pale multiracial girl, I always felt like I related to Eartha’s loneliness due in part from her mixed heritage. The more I learn, the more enamored I am by who she was as a person. Great video! In Eartha we TRUST! ❤

  • @christabelle__
    @christabelle__ 2 роки тому +130

    Despite knowing most of this... I still teared up at the end. She was well and truly a musical genius, and a pure-hearted soul with nothing but acceptance for everyone in the world.... except perhaps, herself. She pushed herself much too hard... for all of us. May she finally rest in peace!

  • @artisticalex1206
    @artisticalex1206 Рік тому +22

    I used to be obsessed with her as a kid. And I was introduced to her by Yzma and then realized that she was the original singer in Santa Baby. It’s sad Eartha was beaten until she bled as a kid and living with her aunt was no better, but she overcame all that. It also makes me mad LBJ tried to ruin her life and reputation after her honest opinion. She was a role model for me in fifth grade and even though people made fun of me for liking her, her music helped me through life and I’m still a proud fan of Eartha’s. I also used one of her quotes as my senior quote my senior year.

  • @MarvelousMissC
    @MarvelousMissC 2 роки тому +266

    I’ve loved Eartha and her work for so many years, and it’s especially wonderful to still be learning new things about her. This is such a phenomenal retrospective of her life. Thank you so much for sharing it with us. ❤ ( P.S. If you ever - and I mean *ever* - need someone to babble on about her time in a strange little musical called Shinbone Alley, I’m your person.)

  • @kojinaoftheinvertedeye810
    @kojinaoftheinvertedeye810 2 роки тому +34

    Omg I didn’t even realise that Eartha’s childhood was that bad by Lord I can’t even imagine such hardship.

  • @nnmr-rf2ui
    @nnmr-rf2ui 2 роки тому +23

    I feel like Eartha was very correct with feeling like some people just had it out for her... she was clearly an easily enviable person. I'm so saddened other people's insecurity affected her life so negatively.

  • @NekoJesusPie
    @NekoJesusPie 2 роки тому +39

    I adore Eartha. I’m a Batman fan, I love her music. She spoke like 4 or 6 languages and performed in them with such talent I can’t even comprehend how she had suck skill.
    One of the most charming entertainers I can think of.
    It must have been so strange to meet such an enchanting individual in person. There’s no doubt that she must have lived surrounded by folks crippled by awe and jealousy and that contributed to her struggles.

  • @lizabee484
    @lizabee484 2 роки тому +167

    One of my favorite people on this earth is my friend Alexandra, who, by this point dozens of children in my area, is frequently referred to (at her own request) as “Mom.” As a young bi, enby bean struggling to find their footing in the theater and gay communities, she seemed to immediately note my anxiety and take me under her wing as an older trans woman. This is something I will be forever grateful for. She helped me through some of the toughest years of my life, and it was through her support and just being an incredible example of a person who had overcome so much bullshit and refused to let her trauma exclusively define her life, that I was able to throw my shoulders back and be proud of my identity as part of the “alphabet mafia.” Alexandra was the one who really introduced me to Eartha Kitt through her truly incredible impersonations, the stand outs being the hysterical ones of Yzma.
    She once told me that Eartha Kitt was her role model, a figure who represented skill, talent, and confidence that she strove to emulate. Alexandra has become my “Eartha” in that she represents those same traits to me, albeit being more of a private than public figure, and certainly I do not want to put her on a pedestal as some sort of symbol. She is a human being, (as is/was Eartha), she also just represents the kind of strong, confident, caring person I strive to be in my life.
    …I don’t really know what my point was with all of this… but this video made me think of my friend. And I think more people deserve to know about how awesome she is, if only just a little. She’s made a big difference in my life, and a bunch of others’ too. I hope I made at least that much clear. ^^;

  • @randomkeir
    @randomkeir 2 роки тому +59

    You can hear the empathy in Kaz’s voice in discussing Eartha’s childhood. Making this one affected you. I sincerely thank you for putting this out there.

  • @stace_d
    @stace_d 2 роки тому +45

    Eartha Kitt was absolutely magical, wonderful, gorgeous, witty, funny and so underrated. Thanks for making a video like this. More people should celebrate her life and career

  • @lexiwexiwoo
    @lexiwexiwoo 2 роки тому +47

    Gah, I adore this woman. I had forgotten how much I knew about her, but she's such a damn powerhouse. I refuse to talk about her in the past tense because she truly inspires me. Being all she is and standing her ground despite the way even the government tried to make her shrink.

    • @justinthyme8340
      @justinthyme8340 2 роки тому

      "I had forgotten how much I knew about her.." ok

  • @knockshinnoch1950
    @knockshinnoch1950 2 роки тому +13

    In the early 60s the Supremes were appearing on the same bill alongside Eartha. A young very ambitious Diana Ross approached Eartha gushing "Miss Kitt EVERYONE says I look just like you and sound just like you!" Eartha's reply? "How simply marvellous that must be for you darling".

  • @atdgehrifj3705
    @atdgehrifj3705 2 роки тому +22

    I love the way Lyndon Johnson in his response to Earths seemed to imply that teaching the next generation right and wrong is a woman’s responsibility and nothing he should think about as president, when as Eartha highlighted most parents have to work😅😂

  • @mfuentes4961
    @mfuentes4961 2 роки тому +80

    OMG!!! Eartha Kitt is such a LEGEND! I’m so happy that you made this video!😄😄😄

  • @jadaraines
    @jadaraines 2 роки тому +171

    I have been WAITING for this video. I adore Eartha and have read her autobiography cover to cover. Her story is so inspiring. ❤️

    • @adampeters7947
      @adampeters7947 Рік тому +1

      Check out her daughter's book, 'Eartha and Kitt'

  • @goldenorchidpeach
    @goldenorchidpeach 5 місяців тому +2

    I always admired Eartha Kitt. They don't make them like they used to. Thank you for posting this video❤

  • @chaiguy2930
    @chaiguy2930 2 роки тому +44

    After your Wizard of Oz video, I watched some footage of Eartha playing the Wicked Witch of the West on stage, there will never be another Eartha Kitt. ❤

    • @thEannoyingE
      @thEannoyingE 2 роки тому +2

      I had no idea she played that role.

    • @chaiguy2930
      @chaiguy2930 2 роки тому +4

      @@thEannoyingE She did in the 1998 production and National Tour of the Wizard of Oz (along with Jo Ann Worley and Roseanne Barr and Mickey Rooney as the Wizard. Fabulous performances!)

  • @sophiatalksmusic3588
    @sophiatalksmusic3588 2 роки тому +32

    Not only was she a talented actress and singer; she was also a talented writer. Every excerpt from her autobiography you cited was written so beautifully.

  • @maryeckel9682
    @maryeckel9682 2 роки тому +31

    Catwoman was my introduction to Eartha; then I saw how she was persecuted, and she became a hero of mine and remained so all her life. What a woman! Thank you so much for this great deep dive on the one and only Eartha Kitt!

    • @mirandagoldstine8548
      @mirandagoldstine8548 Рік тому

      For me it was Yzma. How I wish we could’ve gotten an Emperor’s New Groove world in Kingdom Hearts (my first being an Atlantis world). More kids would’ve gotten exposed to her via Kingdom Hearts.

  • @rivertoepler8526
    @rivertoepler8526 2 роки тому +40

    I did The Emperor’s New Groove for a forensics duo and researched her extensively for my Yzma voice. She’s simply spectacular and I’m really glad that someone’s covering her, especially Kaz. Great video!!

  • @roberthansen9294
    @roberthansen9294 2 роки тому +30

    I adored Eartha Kitt . Even my wonderful husband saw her live first and new faces and then at the palace. He said she was incredible. I love her recordings. I love her outspokenness. I’ve even heard Kit Shapiro speak about her mom I just think she’s incredible night. thank you for this gift.

  • @bombus5385
    @bombus5385 2 роки тому +198

    Your content keeps getting more and more refined and well-curated, and this loving detailing of one so beloved and deserving of such coverage is no exception

  • @ReleaseTheQuackers
    @ReleaseTheQuackers 2 роки тому +34

    Eartha Kitt has been and always will be my fave Catwoman!!! Julie Newmar was good, but Eartha had that purr and growl that brought Catwoman to life. She is proof that no matter how beat down, neglected and betrayed a person can suffer, one should NEVER give up and should reach beyond that pain to bring light and joy into the world.

  • @a.j.wildes4467
    @a.j.wildes4467 2 роки тому +61

    Everyone in my family has always been absolutely in love with Eartha. Even if sometimes there were remnants of casual racism in their speech, my grandparents had nothing but admiration and respect for her. I can understand why now.

  • @671Battlemage
    @671Battlemage Рік тому +5

    Eartha Kitt gave my childhood Yzma and that movie gave me a stupid amount of comfort.
    The more I learn about Eartha, the more sad I am knowing a woman as courageous and talented as her is gone from us. I figured her life was never easy but hearing the details of what she lived through and lived with is inspiring to hear.
    I hope her daughter sees this vid and considers sharing her thoughts on ur commentary

  • @1jotun136
    @1jotun136 2 роки тому +9

    I had the great pleasure of meeting her in 1983 after a fabulous performance at the Magic Moment in Sarasota FL. I had the vinyl of In Person at the Plaza and I wanted very much for her to sign it. She invited me and my date back to her dressing room, graciously autographed the album and then insisted on sharing her snack plate. She talked to us for quite some time, asking us questions and telling the story of why there was a gap in between between the second to last and last songs on that album.
    She was an absolute delight and her dignity tempered with her sense of humor changed my life.

  • @anthonyhayes1267
    @anthonyhayes1267 Рік тому +6

    It's been said that Fred Rogers, Bob Ross, and Steve Irwin respectively embody kindness to yourself, other people, and animals. Eartha Kitt managed to embody all three.

    • @kcbh24
      @kcbh24 5 місяців тому

      This comment doesn't make sense to me, yet. Mister Rogers educated people on loving themselves, others, and animals, amongst other lessons. Bob Ross famously cared for many animals throughout his life, and encouraged people to love and challenge themselves and share their art with the world. Steve Irwin loved and adored animals but he also was incredibly kind and passed on so many gifts to his children. All of these people embody those traits just like Eartha Kitt. I encourage you to find out more about these figures.

  • @Loafsandfishes
    @Loafsandfishes 2 роки тому +14

    Her laugh is everything 😂❤ what a beautiful inspiring woman!!

  • @elmfao1824
    @elmfao1824 2 роки тому +19

    The videos of her performance in the voice acting booth as Yzma never fail to put a smile on my face, regardless how often I see them.

  • @shanecadden7914
    @shanecadden7914 2 роки тому +12

    Eartha Kitt is one of those people I look to whenever I am feeling depressed, and she always inspires something in me to keep going and try just a little bit harder. I love her so much.

  • @abandonedplane
    @abandonedplane 2 роки тому +31

    I'd always heard she was an interesting person, but never looked into her myself. She was really right, what she said about depression. Having dealt with it, severely (med dx-ed; MDD), basically all my life, and having had a particularly hard time recently (while simultaneously on my longest sobriety streak in over a decade- which isn't a boast; it's effing hard), I needed this.

    • @cuucnsbfl9913
      @cuucnsbfl9913 Рік тому +2

      Joe Says: I wish you Great Joy, Serenity, and Peace. We NEED role models like Eartha Kitt! 👍

  • @binbadende
    @binbadende Рік тому +3

    I always found Eartha Kitt pretty cool, when I noticed her in Batman or as singer. But wow, what an monumental human being she was. Thanks for telling this story.

  • @MoonlightAoAO
    @MoonlightAoAO 2 роки тому +22

    Eartha Kitt has also always been my favourite and it began in childhood roles like Holes and The Emperor’s New Groove. An amazing woman I wish I had met!!! Thank you for bringing her legacy to young and older folks alike :) ♥️♥️♥️💞

  • @headbox2003
    @headbox2003 2 роки тому +59

    Amazing biography, and an amazing human being. Treated shamefully, but rose far above what the worst of humanity could offer.
    And absolutely deserving of far more recognition than she currently garners.
    Thank you so much for sharing.

    • @aeonarin
      @aeonarin 2 роки тому +3

      My favorite Eartha song is My Discarded Men. Recommend.

  • @SkwithOv
    @SkwithOv 2 роки тому +23

    she was truly something else... what an inspiring person

  • @Kennephone
    @Kennephone Рік тому +1

    I only knew Eartha by name before watching this. What a sad tale of someone who would literally never harm a fly, and to add insult to injury, she dies on christmas.

  • @KZesty
    @KZesty 2 роки тому +6

    Eartha has more class in one finger than all of the people who tried to disrespect her. What an honor it has been to learn about her.

  • @fjs5059
    @fjs5059 5 місяців тому +1

    The first time I saw her was in that one episode of the Nanny taking place in Paris, and I was really intruiged by her. The voice and the aura was incredible, even when that gig in that episode and show was just for a few minutes. I later learnt more about her, and I liked her more and more the more I saw and heard of her. She was so incredible, so brave, and honest, always fighting but also chose empathty and kindness towards others with the same experience instead of bitterness and rightousness. Rest in peace, Eartha. You did excellent, and we miss you.

  • @videovoidtv
    @videovoidtv 2 роки тому +8

    She was one hell of a woman and a fighter. Impressive woman and an amazing Catwoman. To this day every Catwoman draws a little from Ms. Kit.

  • @ohdannyboy4727
    @ohdannyboy4727 Місяць тому +1

    She was a real human being. A real one. I love that woman with all my heart.

  • @teresacooper2724
    @teresacooper2724 2 роки тому +17

    A woman of wit, charm, talent and, above all, guts. Looking at the picture of Eartha and LBJ she might be looking up at him but she feels so much taller and aware than he was.

  • @nymeria941
    @nymeria941 2 роки тому +12

    I got to see Eartha Kitt as the fairy godmother in the Cinderella musical as a child, and it left a big impression on me. I knew some about her life, but this video taught me a lot! Thanks for making it.

  • @pipermeh3350
    @pipermeh3350 Рік тому +3

    Love Eartha so much. She made me laugh with her cameo in Living Single (amazing underrated show starring poc) and I was always impressed by how much she was always doing no matter how old she was.

  • @michaelrowe1907
    @michaelrowe1907 2 роки тому +5

    Another wonderful documentary. As a child of mixed race growing up in Australia in the 6os we believed everything the U.S.A. said we followed into war. We even had a Prime Minister who said " We go all the way with LBJ." Ertha Kitts stance was pivotal and one of many reasons that inspired the Women's movement here to form Save Our Sons (sos) which helped change Australia's thinking , pulling out of Vietnam in 1973.

  • @EddoFoxy
    @EddoFoxy 2 роки тому +29

    I watched this while doing my makeup, but I had to stop because I was actually brought to tears by her story. I always liked her, but I never knew her story, and it really really impacted me. Thanks for making this video Kaz!

  • @angelaspears4457
    @angelaspears4457 2 роки тому +19

    I never dreamed how difficult her life had been given her ability to captivate on screen and her amazing singing. I respect her 10x's more now. Tha throughout it all she remained kind and only grew more kind is amazing.

  • @kindofcl
    @kindofcl 2 роки тому +23

    I didn't know much about Eartha Kitt before this and I'm so glad to learn about how amazing she was

  • @lilahedgie
    @lilahedgie 2 роки тому +16

    I grew up with reruns of the Batman tv show and always loved her. I read Thursday's Child in high school and while I don't remember every detail, parts of it have stayed with me. Eartha Kitt has always been one of my heroines. Thank you for making this lovely video about her and bringing her extraordinary life to a wider audience.

  • @vonbat
    @vonbat 2 роки тому +18

    Kaz, thank you for this incredible look into an incredible woman's life. I was introduced to Eartha by my dad, who had grown up with her hits, hearing them from his mother. He passed away in August which has left a huge hole in my life, but watching this video was such a comfort because it has reminded me to go and listen to the queen Eartha again and be reminded of all the fond memories we shared with her music and films. Thank you again for this wonderful tribute.

  • @ars0on
    @ars0on 2 роки тому +7

    I LOVE EARTHA KITT SM

  • @EllieHellBelle
    @EllieHellBelle Рік тому +1

    I listened to Eartha Kitt as the guest speaker at the Candlelight Processional. Her vigor and passion was a spotlight that I’ve carried throughout much of my life. I love her.

  • @ZendikarMage42750
    @ZendikarMage42750 2 роки тому +19

    Yzma is by far my favorite character in any film and my family and I will routinely quote her lines whenever there's a remotely applicable situation to. It was super cool learning more about Eartha

  • @ir2264
    @ir2264 2 роки тому +7

    Of all people, of course you’d one day cover Eartha Kitt. Thank you for showing some well deserved love on one of the most interesting talents and historic figures in modern history. Wherever she is now, I’m sure she’d have something witty to say on the matter.

  • @Bluebelle51
    @Bluebelle51 2 роки тому +35

    THANK YOU !!!
    Eartha Kitt has been one of my heroes my entire life and I am so grateful for this video, introducing her activism and talent to people much younger than I

  • @s.hiessl149
    @s.hiessl149 Рік тому +2

    just a few weeks ago i dove deep into eartha kitt’s music. i recognized the name from rupaul’s drag race, where some contestants inpersonated her and not only did i thoroughly enjoy her music, but i absolutely love the way she pronounces things. it’s entrancing to listen to her, even if she’d simply be giving you a list of groceries and that’s the unique quality that she brought to this world. she had the ability to completely entrap you in her words and i am so glad that she used this ability to do good. rip eartha kitt, rip eartha may. we all miss you ❤

  • @historiansrevolt4333
    @historiansrevolt4333 2 роки тому +7

    If you've never heard it, The Wild Party from 2000 is one of my favorite Kitt performances. You can just hear her having fun, while killing it.

    • @Hair8Metal8Karen
      @Hair8Metal8Karen 2 роки тому

      She always seemed to have the most fun in her performances, she threw herself into her roles wholeheartedly.

  • @jmichaelbell5434
    @jmichaelbell5434 Рік тому +2

    How blessed I am to have seen her perform. Twice. Once at Carlyle Hotel, NYC, and Heinz Hall, Pittsburgh.

  • @arualblues_zero
    @arualblues_zero 2 роки тому +30

    I-C-O-N-I-C Eartha Kitt! Thank you for this amazing video 🖤

  • @jpotter2086
    @jpotter2086 Рік тому +1

    Grew up watching Batman in syndication in th elate '70s, it was on every afternoon. Eartha was the best catwoman, but over the past 40yrs, I've learned she was so much more. Thanks for this review, Kaz.

  • @Aros4
    @Aros4 Рік тому +4

    I came here from watching James Dean’s video, which was interesting but very heartbreaking. When you mentioned you’d done an Eartha video I had to watch it and my God, I already knew a lot of the more general stuff like career wise and her exile but going more indepth in this video made me love her more. I feel my day brightened too because I feel like a lot of these more tragic pop icons seem to have their lives cut short or continue sad as time passes on. Of course those stories are valid and important but its always nice to hear a story where the person dies of old age surrounded by love, and having a satisfactory life despite the turmoil. I feel inspired by her today to live my life unequivocally me

  • @invisiblelemons7633
    @invisiblelemons7633 2 роки тому +8

    Oh my god I have been infatuated by Eartha Kitt for a year now. I have probably watched every single video with her name in the title on UA-cam. I might need to watch this instead of doing my essay tonight. Thank you for spreading her story

  • @colleenchristi8245
    @colleenchristi8245 2 роки тому +30

    The "mighty algorithm" recommended one of your videos to me a few weeks ago and I've been working my way steadily through your entire channel since then. I certainly should have noted before now how entertaining, thoughtful and truly interesting and engaging both you and your content are. This vid is a prime example; you cover subjects, people and periods in history I tend to enjoy/know a modest amount about but I always leave your vids not only deeply entertained, but having learned a thing or two. So thanks very much!

  • @lokizmom9843
    @lokizmom9843 2 роки тому +12

    This is a very powerful video. Every issue she rallied against, every stereotype she rejected-these are all still relevant today. I don't know how you made it through without crying, I certainly didn't.

  • @-beee-
    @-beee- Рік тому +5

    Wow, what an incredible person. I knew she was incredible but WOW. The racism and sexism she faced are also so painful to hear. Thank you for amplifying her story and her ideas.

  • @maleficara
    @maleficara 2 роки тому +11

    I love her so much and still think about her quite often. Her performances in Batman stuck out to me even as a little bitty child watching them as reruns. Yzma is iconic. Thank you for covering this, it was so lovely to see her again.

  • @darinarnold6976
    @darinarnold6976 2 роки тому +6

    she’s really one of the most iconic figures of the 20th century, definitely part of my top 10. her life story is absolutely captivating, just like she was in life and continues to be today

  • @pastpatour
    @pastpatour 11 місяців тому +1

    I was legit crying at the end. What a wonderful woman.