[NJARC] Sally Starr 1993-2003

[TrainBee at aol.com]

For those who grew up in the Philadelphia media market, you probably  
remember Sally Starr.  NBC 10 had this on their site.

Joe  Devonshire


Legendary local TV personality Sally Starr passed away  Sunday morning. She 
was 90-years-old. 
Born Alleen Mae Beller in Kansas City,  Missouri on January 25, 1923, Starr 
was a major figure in Philadelphia  television, radio and stage for over 50 
years.

Credit: Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia

Starr got her first taste in show business at the age of 12, when she  and 
her sister Mildred debuted on the CBS radio program “Blush Creek Follies,”  
as the “Little Missouri Maids.”

Starr sang and performed country music throughout her young adult life.  By 
the end of the 1940’s, she became the regional voice of the Pepsi-Cola  
Company and did all their commercial spots, leading to a full-time gig in  
radio.

During the 1940’s Starr married Jesse Rogers and the two performed on  
radio programs such as “Hayloft Hoe-Down” which was produced in the old Town  
Hall in Center City. Sally also formed the band, “The Saddle Buddies” who  
performed in various clubs in the area.

Having already mastered radio and the stage, Starr’s next stop was  
television. On October 3, 1955, Sally Starr became the hostess of “Popeye  Theater,”
 on WFIL-TV (now WPVI) which eventually became Philadelphia’s highest  
rated children’s program. During the show, Starr presented half-hour western TV  
shows, cartoons, Three Stooges comedies, live acts and special features. 
Sally  also had a country music radio program on Philly’s WJMJ.

In 1965, Starr entered the world of film, playing the role of Belle  Starr 
in “The Outlaws is Coming” which was the last feature film made by the  
Three Stooges at Columbia Pictures in Hollywood. She went on to act in several  
other movies and hosted several other radio shows.

In addition to her career in entertainment, Starr also contributed to  
several charities, which helped thousands of handicapped and disadvantaged  
children.

Starr became so popular in the area that her fans staged the largest  mail 
protest in WPVI-TV’s history when she lost her program in 1971, according  
to the Broadcast Pioneers. After leaving Channel 6, Starr produced and hosted 
 local TV shows on Channel 29 and 65. She was so loved by her fanbase that 
they  even helped her financially after her home in Florida was destroyed in 
a fire in  1987. Starr eventually moved back to the area and hosted a three 
hour radio show  in Vineland, New Jersey for many years before retiring in 
2006.

Starr received the ultimate honor in 1995 when she was inducted into  the 
Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame.

Starr died Sunday morning, just two days after she turned 90-years-old.  
Officials have not yet determined how she died.