Ethel Smith
Ethel Smith (November 22, 1902 – May 10, 1996) was an American organist who played primarily in a pop style on the Hammond organ.
Born Ethel Goldsmith, she performed from a fairly young age and traveled widely, after studying both music and several languages at Carnegie Tech. She became proficient in Latin music while staying in South America, and it is the style of music with which she is now most associated. She was a guitarist as well as an organist, and in her later years occasionally played the guitar live for audiences, but all her recordings were on the organ. She ultimately recorded dozens of albums, mostly for Decca Records.
Smith performed in several Hollywood films such as George White's Scandals (1945) and Melody Time (1948). She was married to Hollywood actor Ralph Bellamy from 1945 to 1947, at the height of her fame, and their acrimonious divorce made headlines. She never had children.
Her rendition of 'Tico Tico' became her best-known hit. She performed it in the MGM film Bathing Beauty (1944), after which her recording reached the U.S. pop charts in November 1944, peaked at #14 on January 27, 1945, and sold nearly two million copies worldwide.
"Down Yonder" was her second national hit, reaching #16 on October 27, 1951.
Smith's recording of 'Monkey on a String' became the theme song for Garfield Goose and Friends, a popular children's television show in Chicago that ran from 1952 until 1976.
From Wikipedia (en), the free encyclopedia
Known For | Acting |
---|---|
Most Rating | 8.393 |
Birthday | 1902-11-22 |
Place of Birth | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA |
Also Known As | Ethel Goldsmith, |
1944
Bathing Beauty
5.7/28
After breaking up with her fiancé, a gym teacher returns to work at a women's college, but a legal loophole allows him to enroll as one of her student...
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Bathing Beauty
1945
Twice Blessed
6/1
Stephanie and Terry are identical twins who have been raised separately since their parents divorced seven years earlier. Each envies the lifestyle of...
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Twice Blessed
1948
Melody Time
6.2/294
In the grand tradition of Disney's great musical classics, Melody Time features seven timeless stories, each enhanced with high-spirited music and unf...
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Melody Time
1946
Easy to Wed
6.2/9
When a newspaper accuses a wealthy socialite of being a homewrecker, she files a multi-million-dollar libel lawsuit. The publication's frazzled head e...
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Easy to Wed
1955
Music Land
6/1
Walt Disney animation animated cartoon musical compilation ("The BIG Parade of MIRTH and MELODY"; "Offering hits re-released from 'Make Mine Music' an...
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Music Land
1945
George White's Scandals
5.333/3
Two couples work through their issues in this backstage Broadway musical.
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George White's Scandals
1946
Cuban Pete
5/1
Unable to complete the deal by telephone, advertising executive Roberts sends his assistant Ann to Cuba to lure a Cuban band, led by Desi Arnaz, on to...
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