Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Babbitt organized his own band after high school, directing the group in addition to singing and playing saxophone and drums. Later, his work as an announcer and soloist on a radio station in St. Louis caught the attention of bandleader Kay Kyser.[1]
Babbitt was host of an early morning radio show, The Second Cup of Coffee ClubonCBS.[4] It ran 10 years in the 1940s and 1950s. He also co-starred with Mary SmallonBy Popular Demand, a weekly program on Mutual in 1945–1946.[3]
Babbitt's obituary in Variety called him "a television pioneer," noting that "he hosted two long-running musical shows on KTLA-TV in Los Angeles: Bandstand Review and Hollywood Opportunity. He also hosted an NBC program, Glamour Girl,[5] which ran in 1953–1954 and provided "wardrobe advice, beauty treatments and other tips ... designed to make the average woman a glamour girl."[6]
Babbitt retired from showbusiness in 1964 and made money in real estateinOrange County, California. He also managed the Newport Tennis Club and headed public relations for a retirement community, both in Orange County.[7]
After Kyser died, Babbitt went on tour with a new band, using Kyser's name and music. He retired from that in the mid-1990s.[8]
Babbitt died at the age of 90 in Aliso Viejo, California.[2] He and his wife, Betty, were married 69 years. He was survived by her, their sons Michael, Stephen and Christopher, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.[8]
^ abTerrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924–1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN978-0-7864-4513-4. p. 57.
^DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN978-0-7864-2834-2. p. 18.
^"Harry Babbitt". Variety. April 22, 2004. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
^Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN978-0-7864-6477-7. p. 397.
