Sally Starr (TV hostess)

Sally Starr
Born
Alleen Mae Beller

(1923-01-25)January 25, 1923
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
DiedJanuary 27, 2013(2013-01-27) (aged 90)
Berlin, New Jersey, U.S.
OccupationEntertainer
Years active1935–2006

Alleen Mae Beller (January 25, 1923 – January 27, 2013), also known as Sally Starr, was a prominent 1950s and 1960s celebrity television personality. Using a cowgirl persona, she appealed to local TV audiences of several generations of children through American radio, Broadway stage, movies and as a recording artist for more than sixty years. Fans remained loyal in the Philadelphia metropolitan area (referred to locally as the Delaware Valley), and embraced her cowgirl personality as part of their own family identity, and sometimes referred to her as "Aunt Sally" or "Our Gal Sal."[1][2][3]

Her numerous personal appearances at events were an attraction for both children and adults.[4] In paying tribute to her following her death, popular Philadelphia disc jockey Jerry Blavat, said of Starr:[5]

"She was someone who was pure. Her persona was always Sally Starr. She understood the importance of being a personality on and off the air. She was always in costume. She represented the true style of what it was to be a personality."

But Starr was not only considered to be a character personality, she was also a well-rounded performer. The first top-rated female disc jockey in the country, she worked as an announcer, writer and producer while also appearing on stage and in movies, establishing herself as a pioneer in the history of early broadcast television and radio in the United States.[6]

  1. ^ Mullane, J.D. "My one, bright shining morning with Our Gal Sal." Willingboro, New Jersey: Burlington County Times, January 28, 2013.
  2. ^ "Sally, Happy, Chief Entertain Kids." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 15, 1963, p. 247 (subscription required).
  3. ^ Lauer-Williams, Kathy. "Sally & Other Early TV Stars." Allentown, Pennsylvania: The Morning Call, February 23, 2013, p. Life 1 (subscription required).
  4. ^ Mitchell, Christina. "Sally Starr rides into the sunset: She was beloved for decades after TV career ended." Camden, New Jersey: Courier-Post, January 28, 2013, pp. 1A, 5A (subscription required).
  5. ^ Darrow, Chuck. "Everybody's Gal Sal: Boomer icon dies at age 90." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Daily News, January 28, 2013, p. 3 (subscription required).
  6. ^ "Sally Starr, famed TV host, dies at 90". Retrieved January 27, 2013.