Ray Heatherton

Ray Heatherton (June 1, 1909 – August 15, 1997) was an American singer, Broadway musical theatre performer, and a New York City television personality in the early days of the medium.

Early career Ray Heatherton was born in the New York City suburb of Orange, New Jersey (some sources indicate Jersey City) and was first introduced to music upon joining a boys' choir at his church. He sang with the choir until his family moved to another of the city's suburbs, the Long Island village of Floral Park before moving to nearby Rockville Centre.

During his high school years, he continued to find outlets for his singing talents, performing with bands at various local functions and winning a radio talent contest sponsored by the manufacturer of radio sets, Atwater Kent. His first appearance on Broadway was in The Garrick Gaieties, a revue which opened at the Guild Theatre on June 4, 1930, three days after his 21st birthday. During this time, Heatherton also attended Columbia University.

Broadway shows, recordings and pre–World War II television

Heatherton appeared in the musicals Anniversary Waltz, The Desert Song, and Babes in Arms, in which he played the role of Val LaMar the character about whom "My Funny Valentine" was sung .

Heatherton was commissioned and rose to the rank of Captain. He served as Special Services officer of the 9th Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point North Carolina as well as Guam and Okinawa.

Early television and The Merry Mailman Returning from the service, he worked in radio and began his full-time television career as the host, performer and interviewer of Heatherton House, a weekday-morning talk/variety series. Heatherton House was one of the first daytime programs on ABC's newly opened New York flagship station WJZ (now WABC), Channel 7. The minor local-TV assignment, which was not shown on the fledgling network's other stations, only lasted from April to June 1949.

Heatherton's next TV series, The Merry Mailman, was a more successful endeavor. In October 1949, independent station WOR Channel 9, the last of New York's seven VHF TV outlets, signed on the air. Station executives decided that one of the new venture's first showcases should be a quality children's program, and contacted Heatherton to audition as the host of a show that would appeal to the younger TV viewers. The successful audition launched the long-running show that he created and shaped with radio and TV producer-director (and future major film producer) Sandy Howard. The Merry Mailman, based upon a character performed by Heatherton on one of his 1938 children's records, debuted on WOR-TV Monday evening, October 16, 1950. Their two children, Dick and Davenie Johanna (Joey), both made their careers in show business—Dick as a performer, director and consultant and Joey as an actress, singer and dancer who became a major television star in the 1960s.

In July 1975, Ray and Joey had a brief moment of network glory with their own CBS-TV variety program, Joey and Dad. Times had changed and variety shows, as well as Joey's once-hot career fell victim to changing tastes, while Ray was seen on TV at the time as the commercial spokesman for Tropicana Orange Juice. However, for four weeks, July 6–27, they were the stars of the Sunday 7:30-8:30 p.m. summer replacement for Cher's variety hour. Comedy performers Pat Paulsen, Henny Youngman and Bob Einstein were supporting regulars and, by summer-show standards, the program received relatively good notices and ratings. In a nostalgic moment on the first show, Ray put on the Merry Mailman uniform and performed his familiar "I Am the Merry Mailman" theme song.

Heatherton's last regular TV series was another talk/variety show, this time aimed at "mature" adults and senior citizens, A New Day's Dawning. The series was seen locally in New York on New York City Board of Education's TV station WNYE Channel 25 and in national syndication between 1983 and 1985. Dick Heatherton who, from the mid-1970s to the late 1980s was a drive-time DJ on one of New York's top FM stations, WCBS, worked on his father's final TV effort by signing on as the show's producer.

On Thursday night, October 11, 1984, Ray Heatherton appeared for the last time on WOR-TV, Channel 9 during the station's evening-long celebration of its 35th anniversary on the air. Four years later, on Thursday, September 29, 1988, he made his final TV appearance on a very similar program, WPIX-TV, Channel 11's day-long celebration and retrospective of its 40 years on the air, "WPIX at 40". Following this last appearance, Ray Heatherton began showing signs of Alzheimer's disease. He retained the positions he held since the mid-1980s on the boards of directors of the Long Island Lighting Company (LILCO) and the Garden City Hotel, but he no longer served by the early 1990s.

In 1993, Heatherton was admitted to the Actors' Fund Home in Englewood, New Jersey, where he spent the last four years of his life. Despite the debilitating effects of the disease, he still made appearances and greeted fans at some local functions nearby. Ray Heatherton died two and a half months after his 88th birthday.