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Virginia Graham 1912 - 1998

Virginia Graham of New York, New York County, NY was born on July 4, 1912 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois United States, and died at age 86 years old on December 22, 1998 in New York, NY. Virginia Graham was buried at Rosehill Cemetery 5800 N Ravenswood Ave, in Chicago, IL.

Virginia Graham

Virginia Komiss Graham.

New York, New York County, NY 10021

July 4, 1912

Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States

December 22, 1998

New York, New York, United States

Female

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Virginia Graham's History: 1912 - 1998

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07/4

1912

Birthday

July 4, 1912

Birthdate

Chicago, Cook County, Illinois United States

Birthplace

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Ethnicity & Family History

Virginia Graham Famous memorial BIRTH 4 Jul 1912 Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, USA DEATH 22 Dec 1998 (aged 86) Manhattan, New York County (Manhattan), New York, USA BURIAL Rosehill Cemetery and Mausoleum Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, USA Show Map PLOT Komiss family plot - SW corner of Section W MEMORIAL ID 197729329 · View Source MEMORIAL Television Personality. Virginia was a daytime television talk show host from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s. On television, Graham hosted the syndicated programs Food for Thought (1953–1957), Girl Talk (1962–1969) and The Virginia Graham Show (1970–1972), and appeared on many other programs. She was described as "a bright, alert, talkative woman of ripe, tart-edged candor." Another writer said she looked like "Sophie Tucker doing a Carol Channing performance." She attended the University of Chicago, where she majored in anthropology, and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She then studied journalism at Northwestern University, and received a master's degree. After World War II, she wrote scripts for such radio soap operas as Stella Dallas, Our Gal Sunday, and Backstage Wife. She hosted her first radio talk show in 1951. Graham was a panelist on the DuMont panel show Where Was I? (1952-53). She succeeded Margaret Truman in 1956 as co-host of the NBC radio show Weekday, teamed with Mike Wallace. In 1982, Graham played fictional talk show host Stella Stanton in the final episodes of the soap opera Texas. Her book about her husband's death, Life After Harry: My Adventures in Widowhood, became a bestseller in 1988. Harry Guttenberg, who died in 1980, had owned and run a theatrical costume company. Graham, a cancer survivor, was a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. A former smoker, she denounced smoking whenever the opportunity arose. Still, when asked on her program what she would do if she knew the world would end tomorrow, she confessed she would smoke. Bio by: Bobby Kelley Family Members Parents David Komiss David Stanley Komiss 1873–1947 Bessie Komiss Bessie Jane Feiges Komiss 1883–1970 Spouse Harry Guttenberg Harry William Guttenberg 1899–1980 (m. 1935) Siblings Justin Komiss Justin Komiss 1910–1967 Children Lynn Bohrer Lynn Guttenberg Bohrer 1936–2011
Early Life & Education

Miss Graham graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in anthropology at age 18. She later earned her masters in journalism at Northwestern University.
Personal Life & Family

She married theatrical costumer Harry Guttenberg, who died at age 80 in 1980. The two moved to New York, where Miss Graham became a script writer and radio voice of cooking specialist "Betty Baker," a subsidiary of Betty Crocker. In 1947, she and 13 other women started the Cerebral Palsy Foundation.
12/22

1998

Death

December 22, 1998

Death date

Unknown
Cause of death

New York, New York United States
Death location

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Gravesite & Burial

mm/dd/yyyy
Funeral date
Rosehill Cemetery 5800 N Ravenswood Ave, in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois 60660, United States
Burial location
Obituary

TV HOST VIRGINIA GRAHAM DIES Virginia Graham, 86, host of talk shows that ran from the 1950s to 1970s that are considered forerunners of today's daytime television programs, died Dec. 22 at a hospital here after a heart attack. Miss Graham started in radio in the 1930s as host of "Weekday," and was a host on the syndicated "Food for Thought" from 1956 to 1961. She was best known for the nationally syndicated television talk shows, "Girl Talk" on ABC from 1963 to 1969, and "The Virginia Graham Show" from 1970 to 1972. Her "Girl Talk" blended news, entertainment, celebrity interviews and female-oriented features much like the current ABC show "The View." In recent years, she made television appearances on the "Roseanne," "Rosie O'Donnell" and "Tom Snyder" shows. "60 Minutes" correspondent Mike Wallace, who worked with Miss Graham on "Weekday," said he often played tricks to get her laughing during broadcasts. Once, she got her revenge by cursing at him when he believed they were on the air. Technicians, in on the joke, actually were airing a taped piece. "I really thought that I was with somebody who was freaking out," Wallace said. "She was shrewd in a lovely way." Miss Graham also was a frequent substitute host on NBC shows including "Strike It Rich," "The Big Payoff," "Today," and the "Jack Paar Show." The 5-foot-8 Miss Graham once described herself as "a big blonde"--an apt description of the elegant, larger-than-life television personality, who was known for her lacquered hair, red fingernails and no-nonsense attitude. Born Virginia Komiss in Chicago, Miss Graham graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in anthropology at age 18. She later earned her masters in journalism at Northwestern University. She married theatrical costumer Harry Guttenberg, who died at age 80 in 1980. The two moved to New York, where Miss Graham became a script writer and radio voice of cooking specialist "Betty Baker," a subsidiary of Betty Crocker. In 1947, she and 13 other women started the Cerebral Palsy Foundation. Miss Graham also starred in a Chicago production of Neil Simon's "Barefoot in the Park," and wrote several books, including "Life After Harry: My Adventures in Widowhood" and the yet-to-be-published "I Love Antiques But I Don't Want To Be One." Survivors include a daughter, Lynn Bohrer, who has a cable access show in Manhattan; and two grandchildren.

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6 Memories, Stories & Photos about Virginia

Amanda S. Stevenson

16.8k+ favorites

08/20/2022

Virginia Graham by Dong Kingman

I was there for her big night and Dong Kingman was my friend.
AGVA YOUTH FUND'S SHOW BUSINESS SALUTE to VIRGINIA GRAHAM December 4, 1968. HOTEL AMERICANA.
More than a thousand people were there. The book is filled with photographs and letters.
The jokes were so funny I wrote them down in the book. It was a spectacular night.

Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.

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