Georgia Carroll (Georgia Carroll)

Georgia Carroll

Actress, Model, and Singer.  Wife of band leader Kay Kyser.  Georgia Carroll was  born in a small town near Dallas, Texas.  Excelling in singing and dancing from a young age, Georgia became a well seasoned performer by the age of seven.  Agent Robert Powers, who discovered her at age 17, gave Georgia her first modeling job, the cover of “Redbook.”  Her face became of part of the 1930a and 40s appearing in several magazines, calenders, and advertisements most notably on cans of Spam.  Her appearances on numerous publications lead to the nickname, “the first supermodel.”  Signed to a contract by Warner Brothers studios in 1941, Georgia Carroll appeared in 14 films, including “The Man Who Came to Dinner,” in 1942. The same year audiences saw her as Betsy Ross in the James Cagney film “Yankee Doodle Dandy.”  She was prominently featured in the 1943 big budget color musical, “Du Barry was a Lady.”  She spoke the first lines in the film, “When Louis XV wasn’t just a sofa in a room.”  She also appeared as Miss January later on in the film.  This endeavor lead to a life long friendship with the film’s star Lucille Ball.  Also in 1943 she appeared with future husband Kay Kyser in the film “Thousands Cheer,” in which she sang, “Should I?” by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown.  By this time “the gorgeous Georgia Carroll” was the featured vocalist in Kyser’s band.  In 1944, she eloped with Kyser.  In 1951, she retired from show business, and her current work on television, to raise the couples’ three children.  She remained married to Kyser until his death in 1985, and spent her remaining years in retirement in Chapel Hill, North Carolina where she died at age 91. (bio by: The Perplexed Historian)  Family links:  Spouse:  Kay Kyser (1905 – 1985)  Children:  Carroll Amanda Kyser (1948 – 1993)* *Calculated relationship Inscription:I’ll Be Looking At The MoonBut I’ll Be Seeing You

Born

  • November, 18, 1919
  • USA

Died

  • January, 01, 2011
  • USA

Cemetery

  • Old Chapel Hill Cemetery
  • USA

2786 profile views