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Kay Medford

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Actress

The Resume

    (September 14, 1919-April 10, 1980)
    Born in New York City, New York
    Birth name was Margaret Kathleen Regan
    Portrayed Rose Brice on Broadway in 'Funny Girl' (1964-67) and in the film adaptation (1968)
    Acted in 'Swing Shift Maisie (1943),' 'The Undercover Man (1949),' 'Guilty Bystander (1950),' 'Mr. Walkie Talkie (1952),' 'Jamboree (1957),' 'Rat Race (1960),' 'Ensign Pulver (1964),' 'A Fine Madness (1966),' 'The Busy Body (1967),' 'Angel in My Pocket (1969),' 'Fire Sale (1977)' and 'Windows (1980)'
    Appeared on Broadway in 'Paint Your Wagon' (1951-52), 'Lullaby' (1954), 'Almost Crazy' (1955), 'Wake Up, Darling' (1956), 'A Hole in the Head,' 'Carousel' (both 1957), 'Handful of Fire' (1958), 'Bye Bye Birdie' (1960-61), and 'Don't Drink the Water' (1966-68)

Why she might be annoying:

    She acted in the hot mess that was 'Butterfield 8.'
    She was typecast in overbearing, often ambiguously Jewish, mother roles (despite not being Jewish herself).
    Ironically, she never married and had no children.
    Her role and screen time was downgraded in the film version of Funny Girl, and she was completely left out of the film's sequel (the less enjoyable 'Funny Lady').
    She originated the role of Dick Van Dyke's mother on Broadway in 'Bye Bye Birdie,' but, when it came time to make the film version, she lost out to Maureen Stapleton.

Why she might not be annoying:

    She was orphaned as a teenager.
    She began her career entertaining at summer resorts in the Catskill Mountains doing celebrity impersonations.
    She had small roles in the classics 'Random Harvest' and 'The Picture of Dorian Gray.'
    She was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for 'Funny Girl.'
    She was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for the film version of 'Funny Girl.'
    She was a recurring player in sketches for The Dean Martin Show usually as the overbearing mother.
    She had roles as the mother on the shows 'To Rome with Love,' 'That's Life,' and 'On Our Own.'
    Critic Bob Thomas complained that her best scenes in Funny Girl ended up on the cutting room floor, and argued that Barbra's performance 'could have been enhanced by more interplay' with Medford and the other supporting players.

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 10 Votes: 0% Annoying