Katharine Raht

Katharine "Kay" Raht (May 8, 1901 – December 2, 1983) was an American character actress of radio, stage and screen, best known as the longtime radio voice of Mrs. Alice Aldrich, mother of Henry Aldrich, in the radio show The Aldrich Family.

Early life and career Born and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Raht was the daughter of Kate Mears Edmiston and prominent wool manufacturer Charles Augustus Raht, and the granddaughter of mining engineer Julius Eckhardt Raht. where she earned both her Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees, in 1923 and 24, respectively.

Following her graduation, Raht spent the better part of the 1920s and thirties teaching French at Foxcroft School in Middleburg, Virginia and at the University of Chattanooga, including roles in Frederick Jackson's The Long Night and actor/director John Cromwell's Alice.

The Aldrich Family In 1938, what began as a small, non-speaking role in the Broadway production of Thornton Wilder's Our Town, upgraded eventually to understudy—and, later still, replacement— for Evelyn Varden, as Mrs. Julia Gibbs, led in turn to a successful audition for what, over nearly a decade and a half, became Raht's signature role as Aldrich Family matriarch Alice Aldrich. (Mrs. Aldrich is the wife of Sam, mother of Henry and Mary, and, most notably, the family member whose "stentorian" summons—"Hen-ry-y-y-y?! Hen-ry Aldrich!"—opens each episode, eliciting the equally iconic response, "Coming, Mother," from the show's young protagonist.

One irony regarding the show is that neither Raht nor her Aldrich spouse House Jameson—these being the most frequently featured of Aldrich Family parents (and the ones who, as a result, received parenting-related correspondence indeed, Raht had never married. Commending both her work and that of fellow cast member Ruth White—as "the formidable and caustic Mrs. Benjamin Duke"—was the Cleveland Plain Dealer's William F. McDermott, who then noted that "in the similar role of Aunt Mary Drexel, Katharine Raht moves with the authority of a battleship in a fleet of rowboats." Likewise noting that similarity was Boston Globe critic Cyrus Durgin, whose observation is tinged with regret. Katharine Raht as old Aunt Mary Drexel is well-matched with Ruth White as the sharp-spoken and domineering Mrs. Duke. A pity the two could not have had a whole scene of venomous conversation with each other.

An amusing—albeit initially concerning—Millionaire sidelight, pitting the typically indomitable Raht against a whole new 'breed' of female adversary, is recounted by entertainment writer Dorothy Kilgallen. uring rehearsals in New York an alligator handbag tied to a stick had served as a substitute for the real thing so often that the actress quite forgot she would eventually be confronted by a genuine 'gator. When Abigail, a six-foot long, 200-pound, utterly repulsive creature writhed on stage on cue, Miss Raht delivered her line, "Don't you dare!", gulped, and fainted dead away.

Personal life and death An only child who lost her mother at age nine and her father twenty years later, In addition, Raht did at least briefly reside with fellow stage and radio actress Dorothy Sands. Self-described "partner" and "head" on their respective 1940 U.S. Census form entries, the roommates did eventually collaborate professionally on at least one substantial project, when, in April 1943, both Raht and Sands were added to the regular cast of the NBC serial Snow Village Sketches.

Raht died in December 1983 at age 82 in her home town of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Westinghouse Theatre "The Shadowy Third" 1952 Robert Montgomery Presents Mrs. Grady (as Katherine Raht) "Appointment in Samara" 1953 Rocky King, Detective 1953 The Web "Death Has Nine Lives" 1954

Customer "The Cleveland Story" 1954 (as Katharine Baht) "The Case of the Berkshire Fires" 1954 The Mail Story "Dead Letters" 1954 Armstrong Circle Theatre "Trapped" 1955 Ethel and Albert Ep. 4.2 1955

Ep. airing June 27, 1955 1955 Ep. airing June 28, 1955 1955 Ep. airing June 29, 1955 1955 Ep. airing June 30, 1955 1955 Ep. airing July 1, 1955 1955 The Goldbergs Mrs. Fuller (as Katherine Raht) 1955 Ford Star Jubilee "This Happy Breed" 1956 Robert Montgomery Presents Aggie (as Katherine Raht) "All Expenses Paid" 1956 Hallmark Hall of Fame Sister Inez "Cradle Song" 1956 The Goldbergs Genevieve Lubitsch "Molly's Fish" 1956 The Dupont Show of the Month Mrs. Chauvenet (as Katherine Raht) "Harvey" 1958 Hallmark Hall of Fame Anne Marie (as Katherine Raht) "A Doll's House" 1959 Children of Strangers Mrs. Fuller 1959 The Play of the Week "The Grass Harp" 1960 Hallmark Hall of Fame Sister Inez "Cradle Song" 1960 Frontiers of Faith Matron "The Priest" 1966 Winter of the Witch Mrs. Butterwaite 1969