I remember seeing Kitty Carlisle in the movies when I was a kid, so it was great fun to meet her again when she was Commissioner of Cultural Affairs for the State of New York and I was Director of Queens Planning Boards.
Together, with Local 52 and the Screen Actors Guild, we set upon a mission to reopen the Astoria Motion Picture Center. Larry Barr and Sam Roberts of Local 52 and John McGuire of SAG and I worked almost daily to bring motion picture production back to New York City.
Kitty Carlisle Hart, a very gracious and professional state official, thought it was a great idea and together, with Saul Weprin, gave us our first allocation of $300,000, and the rest is history.
The first Christmas at the studio we had a celebration and invited Kitty and Tom Hoving.
We had prepared a surprise for Kitty. Larry and Sam found a reel of Kitty entertaining the soldiers in Europe (World War II). We turned the lights off and put Kitty’s face on the screen, together with curtains and crib, singing about waiting for her soldier to return.
To say that Kitty was surprised is an understatement.
Today at Kaufman and Silvercup Movie & TV productions, New York City realizes five to six billion dollars per annum in economic activity. What a legacy for Kitty.
One day she appeared at my office with a magic wand that must have weighed 100 pounds. What a weapon for culture.
Kitty helped many fledgling cultural groups in Queens to grow and prosper. She made the State Commission a serious factor in the cultural life of the state and city.
She never ceased to amaze me with her energy and smarts. She performed to almost the last moment. About six months ago I met Kitty in a Manhattan restaurant — perfectly groomed and chatty and alive, and wonderful.
Several weeks ago Kitty Carlisle Hart died at the age of 96.
Claire Shulman is former Queens Borough President
