21 Facts About Kay Thompson

Kay Thompson was born on Catherine Louise Fink; November 9,1909 – July 2,1998 and was an American author, singer, vocal arranger, vocal coach, composer, musician, dancer, actress, and choreographer.

Kay Thompson became famous for creating the Eloise children's books and for her role in the movie Funny Face.

Kay Thompson's parents were married on November 29,1905, in East St Louis, St Clair County, Illinois.

Kay Thompson's siblings were: Blanche Margaret Hurd, George "Bud" Fink, Jr.

Kay Thompson began her career in the 1930s as a singer and choral director for radio.

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In 1943, Kay Thompson signed an exclusive contract with MGM to become the studio's top vocal arranger, vocal coach, and choral director.

Some many MGM musicals Kay Thompson was the vocal arranger for include Ziegfeld Follies, The Harvey Girls, Till the Clouds Roll By, Good News, and The Pirate.

Kay Thompson only acted in one additional feature film, 1970's Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon, because, according to its star Liza Minnelli, Kay Thompson disliked the slow speed of movie production.

Kay Thompson wrote the songs and Robert Alton did the original choreography for the act.

Kay Thompson, who lived at the Plaza Hotel in New York City, became most notable as the author of the Eloise series of children's books.

The Eloise character was developed by the author based on her childhood imaginary friend and alter ego, with a voice in which Kay Thompson spoke throughout her life, according to her biographer, filmmaker Sam Irvin.

However, in 1964 Kay Thompson was burned out on Eloise; she blocked publication and took all but the first book out of print.

Kay Thompson later recorded for Capitol, Columbia, Decca, and, most importantly, for MGM Records, which issued her only complete album of songs, in 1954.

In February 1956, Kay Thompson wrote and recorded the song "Eloise" at Cadence Records with an orchestra conducted by Archie Bleyer.

Kay Thompson helped land him a regular singing spot on NBC-TV's new late-night series, The Tonight Show, hosted by Steve Allen.

Kay Thompson got her friend Archie Bleyer to add Williams to the roster of artists on his label Cadence Records where she wrote many of the songs he recorded, including the 1958 Top 20 hit "Promise Me, Love".

Kay Thompson later recorded a spoken-word album for Signature Records, Let's Talk About Russia, which detailed her adventures in Moscow.

Kay Thompson served as an adviser to Patti Page's 1957 television series, The Big Record.

Kay Thompson kept busy with nightclub and television performances, as well as overseeing her successful "Eloise" franchise.

Immediately following the death of Judy Garland in 1969, Kay Thompson appeared with goddaughter Liza Minnelli in Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon.

In 1974, Kay Thompson directed a fashion show at the Palace of Versailles, featuring a performance by Minnelli and the collections of Halston, Bill Blass, Oscar de la Renta, and Anne Klein.