Author: Miss Cellania / Source: Neatorama
Today, Eartha Kitt is most known for her songs “C’est si bon” and “Santa Baby” and her turn as Catwoman on the Batman TV series. But her first recording, and her first hit, was “Uska Dara,” which she learned and performed while working in Istanbul. Kitt had already toured Europe as a member of the Katherine Dunham Company, and developed a nightclub act in Paris.
She then spent some time in Turkey.This was the Istanbul Eartha encountered in 1951: a shaky but vibrant, regenerative place; a place that had gone about the business of reinventing itself as arts capital of a post–Ottoman Empire, new Turkish republic. World War II was over by then, the Cold War freshly hatched, and Turkey was fast becoming an American ally. President Truman had recently cemented this alliance through the Truman Doctrine, announcing generous Cold War support to both Turkey…
The post The Surprising Story of Eartha Kitt in Istanbul appeared first on FeedBox.