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Curt Massey
Curt Massey, c. 1945
Born	Curt Massey (1910-05-03)May 3, 1910 Midland, Texas
Died	October 21, 1991(1991-10-21) (aged 81) Rancho Mirage, California
Nationality	American
Occupation(s)	Singer, musician
Spouse	Edythe
Children	2

Curt Massey (May 3, 1910 – October 21, 1991) was a musician in the old-time radio era.

Early years

Massey was born in Midland, Texas. He came from a musical family, the best known of whom was probably Louise Massey, a country and western singer. Their father was Henry Massey. As a youngster, he studied violin, trumpet, cornet, and piano. He went on to study music at the Horner Conservatory of Music in Kansas City.

Curt played violin for the family's musical group, Louise Massey and the Westerners.

Radio

Massey had two self-titled music-variety programs. Curt Massey Time was on CBS beginning in 1943; The Curt Massey Show was on ABC beginning in 1949. The latter co-starred Martha Tilton and was sometimes billed as The Curt Massey and Martha Tilton Show or as Alka-Seltzer Time.

Other programs on which Massey was featured included Nash-Kelvinator's Musical Hits, Sheaffer World Parade, Romance in Rhythm, Twilight Trail, The Friday Night Show, The Andrews Sisters Program, Avalon Time, KMBC Brush Creek Follies, Holiday for Music, Plantation Jubilee, and Plantation Party. On January 2, 1956, Massey debuted on KNX radio in Los Angeles with a 25-minute weeknight program. It lasted three months.

In some cases, Massey arranged music for programs in addition to singing and playing instruments.

Television

In October 1956, Massey began a Monday-Thursday program on KRCA-TV in Los Angeles, California. The 6:15 p.m. (Pacific Time) program also featured Martha Tilton and Country Washburn and was broadcast in color at least during Summer 1959. Massey also wrote and sang the theme song for the television series Petticoat Junction.

Recognition

In 1961, Massey received an Emmy Award "for his career in radio and television."

Personal life

Massey and his wife, Edythe, had two sons, Stephen and David.

Death

Massey died October 21, 1991, at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California. He was 81.

Filmography

Film

Television

Screenplay credits

Television composer credits

Soundtrack credits

Partial discography

• If I Had My Way (Columbia 1945)
• You've Got Me Where You Want Me (Columbia 1945)
• Sweetheart of My Dreams (Columbia 1945)
• Candy (Columbia 1945)
• Five Minutes More (Cadet 1946)

References

1. ^ DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-2834-2. Pp. 185-186.
2. "Mabie, Victoria Louise Massey". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
3. ^ "Singer Curt Massey dead at 81". California, San Bernardino. The San Bernardino County Sun. October 22, 1991. p. 35.
4. ^ Massey, Edythe (April 1952). "Curt Massey -- the MAN in my life" (PDF). Radio-TV Mirror. 37 (5): 38–39, 101. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
5. Terrace, Vincent (1981), Radio's Golden Years: The Encyclopedia of Radio Programs 1930-1960. A.S. Barnes & Company, Inc. ISBN 0-498-02393-1. P. 67.
6. ^ Sies, Luther F. (2014). Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition, Volume 1. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-5149-4. Pp. 18, 173.
7. "(Kelvinator advertisement)". Life. August 5, 1946. p. 2. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
8. "Four-Way Pick-Up". Billboard. February 19, 1944. p. 11. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
9. "(radio listing)". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. New York, Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. December 27, 1939. p. 22. Retrieved February 16, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. [REDACTED]
10. "Her Songs Heard On Western Trail". The News-Review. Oregon, Roseburg. The News-Review. October 16, 1939. p. 3. Retrieved February 16, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. [REDACTED]
11. "Radio Highlights". Freeport Journal-Standard. Illinois, Freeport. Freeport Journal-Standard. September 13, 1940. p. 7. Retrieved February 16, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. [REDACTED]
12. "Plantation Party to Feature Girls". The Ogden Standard-Examiner. Utah, Ogden. The Ogden Standard-Examiner. May 19, 1939. p. 12. Retrieved February 16, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. [REDACTED]
13. Cox, Jim (10 January 2014). Musicmakers of Network Radio: 24 Entertainers, 1926-1962. McFarland. p. 309. ISBN 978-0-7864-8962-6. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
14. "Song Wrangler". The News-Review. Oregon, Roseburg. The News-Review. October 31, 1939. p. 3. Retrieved February 16, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. [REDACTED]
15. Ames, Walter (October 29, 1956). "Tucker Has Fun as Crunch; Massey and Crew Back on TV". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. p. Part II - P 10. Retrieved April 21, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. [REDACTED]
16. ^ "Curt Massey". Orlando Sentinel. October 23, 1991. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
17. "Where the Buffalo Roam]". TCM database. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
18. ^ "Massey on MBS Net" (PDF). Billboard. January 20, 1945. p. 63. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
19. "Honor Roll of Hits" (PDF). Billboard. October 5, 1946. p. 20. Retrieved 16 February 2016.

External links

• Curt Massey at IMDb
• Streaming episodes of Alka-Seltzer Time with Curt Massey and Martha Tilton, from The Internet Archive

• 1991 deaths
• 1910 births
• American male violinists
• American television composers
• People from Midland, Texas
• Singers from Texas
• 20th-century American singers
• American radio bandleaders
• 20th-century American composers
• 20th-century American violinists
• 20th-century American male musicians