Peggy King, a 1950s tv and recording star, passed away Sunday following a fight with Alzheimer’s at the Saunders House Assisted Living center in Wynnewood, Pa. She was 96.
King’s press agent, Alan Eicher, verified her death.
King was a routine on the “George Gobel Show” from 1954-57. Gobel called her “Pretty Perky Peggy King,” a label that stuck for the rest of her profession. She was chosen for an Emmy Award for finest female vocalist in 1955. She carried out “Count Your Blessings” at the 1955 Academy Awards and co-hosted the Emmys in 1958.
King appeared on programs consisting of Bob Hope’s “Chevy Show,” “American Bandstand,” “The Steve Allen Show,” “The Kraft Music Hall with Milton Berle,” “What’s My Line?,” “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,” “The Perry Como Show,” “The Garry Moore Show” and “The Jack Benny Program.” Her significant credits consist of functions on “Maverick” and “Dragnet.”
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In 1952, she signed to an MGM agreement, which caused a cameo in Vincente Minnelli’s “The Bad and the Beautiful,” in which she sang on the soundtrack album. She likewise appeared in “Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy.”
Mitch Miller signed her to a long-lasting agreement with Columbia Records, where she made 2 very popular albums. She had a string of hit songs, and author Arthur Hamilton composed “Cry Me a River” for her however Miller would not let her tape the tune.
King starred with Tab Hunter in the tv musical “Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates.” She likewise starred in a television musical variation of “Jack and the Beanstalk” with Joel Grey, Celeste Holm and Cyril Ritchard. She played a stewardess in the 1957 thriller “Zero Hour!” with Dana Andrews and Linda Danell.
She was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame in 2010 and was amongst the very first celebs bestowed a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. King’s last launched recording was the album “Songs a la King,” launched in 2016. She carried out frequently in the Philadelphia location, New York and Los Angeles as late as 2014.
King was born Feb. 16, 1930, to Floyd Henry King and Margaret Finan in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. She finished from Ravenna High School and sang on radio in Cleveland. She was a routine on “The Mel Torme Show” for CBS and had an effective business jingle for Hunt’s Tomato Sauce.
King is endured by her child, Suzy Rudofker, and son-in-law, Dwain Goforth.
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