Jane Morgan Weintraub, singer, nightclub entertainer, Broadway performer and ubiquitous TV presence in 1950s and ’60s, died today of natural causes in Naples, Florida. She was 101.
Her family announced her death: “Our beloved Jane passed away peacefully in her sleep.”
As Jane Morgan, the singer was a popular and ubiquitous presence on television variety shows from the Golden Age of the 1950s, well through the 1960s and even into the early 1970s when she appeared on The Johnny Cash Show, where she answered the Man in Black’s “A Boy Named Sue” with “A Girl Named Cash” (written for the show by Martin Mull).
She is thought to hold the record for female singers appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show – 50 times in all.
Born Florence Catherine Currier in Newton, Massachusetts, on May 3, 1924, Morgan raised by a musical family in Florida and started singing on stage at age 7. In 1948 she was training as a lyric soprano at the Juilliard Conservatory in New York. Singing in nightclubs and small restaurants to help pay her tuition, Morgan was spotted at one such venue by French Society Bandleader Bernard Hilda, who, recognizing her unique talents, took her to sing at clubs in France where she quickly became “The Toast of Paris.”
From there, Morgan’s popularity and career continued to ascend. Having taken Europe, she returned to America, signed with Knapp Records and released a string of hit albums including The American Girl From Paris and All The Way. In all, she would ultimately earn six gold records.
Among her single hits was one that would become a signature tune for her: “Fascination” (1957). The hits would keep coming through the ’50s and ’60, including recordings of such traditional pop standards as “The Day The Rains Came,” “With Open Arms,” “To Love and Be Loved,” “With Open Arms” and “Blue Hawaii,” among many others.
In 1962, Morgan had found a new manager, Jerry Weintraub who would become one of the entertainment industry’s more formidable music managers with clients including Elvis Presley and John Denver. Weintraub would also become a prolific film producer responsible for such hits as The Karate Kid and Ocean’s Eleven.
Morgan married Weintraub in 1965 and she became stepmother to Weintraub’s son Michael. Morgan and Weintraub would add to their family by adopting three daughters, Julie, Jamie and Jody.
Over the course of her career, Morgan performed for Presidents and toured with the popular comedians of the day. She made numerous appearances on television specials and hosted three of her own including The Jane Morgan Hour (1959). A sampling of the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s TV variety shows and specials she appeared on include The Colgate Comedy Hour, Perry Como’s Kraft Music Hall, The Jack Benny Program, The Hollywood Palace, The Dean Martin Show, The Kraft Music Hall and The Jackie Gleason Show. Her recording of “Fascination” has been used in the soundtracks of Diner, The Next Karate Kid, Call The Midwife and Fallout.
Jayne Morgan with Jack Benny at Broadway’s Ziegfeld Theater in New York, 1963
Everett
On Broadway, Morgan appeared in Ziegfeld Follies of 1957, The Jack Benny Show (1963) and, in 1968, Mame.
In 2011, Morgan was the recipient of a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame.
She is survived by her son Michael Weintraub (Maria), daughters Jamie Weintraub and Jody Weintraub, six grandchildren and eight grandchildren. She was pre-deceased by husband Jerry and daughter Julie.
Memorial Services will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the Jane and Jerry Weintraub Center for Reconstructive Biotechnology at UCLA.
