Kitty Carlisle Hart, 96, was an actress and singer who appeared with the Marx Brothers in the movie classic “A Night at the Opera,” became an elegant television fixture on the quiz show “To Tell the Truth” and remained a society grande dame and cabaret star until her death April 17 at her home in Manhattan. She had pneumonia.
Mrs. Hart’s theatrical portfolio included Cole Porter’s “Kiss Me, Kate” and Benjamin Britten’s modern opera “The Rape of Lucretia.” She was perhaps best known to TV audiences as a witty panelist on the CBS quiz show “To Tell the Truth” from 1956 to 1967, and later in syndicated versions of the program.
But it was in New York that she became an enduring icon of social standing and artistic clout, not only onstage but also as the longtime chairwoman of the New York State Council on the Arts and the widow of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Moss Hart.
Believe it or not, as a kid I loved to watch “To Tell The Truth” and “What’s My Line?”. I had no idea who Kitty Carlisle was, but I never forgot her anyway.
