Rocky patch for Eartha Kitt

Re “Eartha Kitt, 1927 -- 2008,” Obituary, Dec. 26

Most people assume the Hollywood blacklist was a fixture of the 1950s. However, it extended well into the 1970s.

My first job was assisting a veteran agent whose clients included Bob Hope and Eartha Kitt. One day in 1973, he asked me to get some TV bookings for Eartha. I called every comedy, drama and variety show on the air. All had a reason why Eartha “wasn’t right” for their show.

One day, I called my friend who was talent coordinator for “Hollywood Squares.” “Hey buddy,” I said, “Eartha’s available and she’s perfect for the top square on the left.” He laughed, and then told me the truth.

“I love Eartha,” he said, “but if we booked her, we would get too many letters threatening to boycott our cereal sponsors.”

So, for the two years I worked for that agent, I booked Kitt in Hong Kong, Puerto Rico and Mexico City. The Vietnam fallout was long-lasting. The blacklist was alive and well in Hollywood.

Lovely lady Eartha, her head held high, laughed and sang her way through that rocky patch of her career.

Michael Gallant

Encino