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llpjEditied by BEVAN HANNAN, PH^8Q22j66'/|
By HELEN SEIDEL
EARTHA Kitt has been on
stage with Orson Welles,
starred as the evil Cat Wom
an in the original Batman, sung at
some of New York's hottest clubs,
received an Oscar nomination, and
written a three-volume autobiogra
phy. But when it comes to talking,
politics seems to be Kitt's favourite
subject.
During a single interview she can
manage to discuss freedom of
speech, the recent Los Angeles ri
ots, the coming United States pre
sidential elections, America's
declining economic status, taxes,
unemployment — and her career.
Asked at the end of the interview if
there is anything else she would like
to discuss, Kitt is silent for a mo
ment and then launches herself in
to a further discussion about
politics. The woman seems tireless
on the subject.
Explaining this tendency, Kitt
said, "I am asked questions on
these things and I don't see any
reason to be afraid of giving opin
ions. We don't live in a world
which says we should not talk
about these things, even though
your agents and representatives
will say that because they say it's
dangerous.
"But then that's hypocritical be
cause we are not supposed to be
afraid of our governments. We arc
supposed to be living in a free,
democratic world, aren't we? So if
they ask a question you are entitled
to your opinions and you arc not
supposed to be afraid of giving
those opinions.
"... if people won't speak out,
naturally, you will always be op
pressed because a government will
always think that the people are
happy in their status. And as long
as we keep quiet about how unhap
piness... then you are just putting
your head in the sand," Kitt said.
"And like Nixon said the silent
majority wins because the silent
majority is not saying anything so,
naturally, the government takes ad
vantage of the silent majority be
cause they don't know what you're
feeling or they don't care about
what you're feeling because you are
not speaking your mind truthfully.
And the problems will remain and
get worse."
Long-time Kitt followers will
know that her habit of speaking out
has not always been good for Kitt's
career.
In 1968, Kitt — already known
as a person with a keen interest in
youth and unemployment — was
invited to a forum at the White
House, where the President,
Lyndon Johnson, was consulting
Americans about youth problems.
Kitt went straight to the point: the
overwhelming problem for Ameri
can youth was the Vietnam war.
Johnson was angered by such a
frank response and after that Kitt
found that the doors of the enter
tainment world began to close on
her. It wasn't until Jimmy Carter
came to power that she was wel
comed again to the White House.
But her bluntness had not dimin
ished. On her return to the White
House, Kitt told reporters that she
did not vote for Carter.
Kitt believes that a sense of
humour got her through the after
math of the Johnson episode.
"Because what goes up has to
come down sometimes. So life is
not a constant down. And if you
have a sense of humour and a sense
of positivencss of life something
positive will always happen," she
said.
IT WAS also this attitude and a
feeling that you have to help
yourself that got Kitt through her
childhood and gave her her first big
break as a vocalist and dancer in
the Katherine Dunham Troupe.
When Eartha Mae Kitt was four
her mother remarried — and gave
away her daughter to a Negro fami
ly. Bought up in South Carolina,
Kitt was treated virtually as a slave.
"My whole life has been very
funny as far as I'm concerned. It's
been an up-and-down world and
it's amazing that somebody who
doesn't have any parents or any
unit, so to speak, like a family, has
been able to make it without citing
to the world 'You owe me a living?'
and going in the opposite direction,
but use the manure of life that was
inflicted upon her in order to ele
vate herself."
For Kitt, these experiences, and
many others, decide what songs she
sings. Describing how she chooses
her music, Kitt said, "You get a
song that you are familiar with, that
you relate to emotionally... If they
have anything to do with some
thing that I am related to from my
experiences in life."
This includes songs like Just an
Old Fashioned Girl, the sultry
C'est si Bon and, more recently,
her disco circuit number, Where is
My Man?, which, as Kitt explained
to a journalist on its release, was
about where was the man in her
life. Where is My Man? has also
been the song which has seemed to
garner Kitt a new, young genera
tion of followers.
"The interest in the music has
always been there, I suppose, but it
is a matter of getting acquainted
with a younger generation," Kitt
said.
"Something like Where is My
Man?' would bring the attention to
them who didn't know anything
about me before except through
Batman."
But Kitt is increasingly turning
her attention to acting. She recently
finished making Boomerang with
Eddie Murphy, which she de
scribed as a film about "what goes
around comes around".
Asked why she has dccidcd to
concentrate on acting, Kitt said,
"Because I want to be at home
more often and I think the theatre
and acting seems to becoming more
prevalent [for me]. Not because
I've actually sat down and decided
these things, but it's just happen
ing."
When Kitt says she wants "to be
at home more" what she is actually
saying is that she wants to spend
more time with her growing family.
Kitt is now the proud grandmother
of 18-month-old Jason Shapiro.
"1 want to spend more time with
my grandson," she explained. Kitt
has now been in the public's eye for
just over 4 years and it has been a
long battle but she is not stopping
to rest now. The third volume of
her autobiography is on the
shelves. After her Australian tour
and performances in Canada, Kitt
is moving on to New York to per
form in Family Feud as "an aunt
like character".
Then there is her work for Kitts
town — a venture aimed at "getting
kids off the streets and have them
concerned about going to college".
Kitt is also about to set up a camp
in New Jersey "for children to learn
what the value of doing things for
themselves is". No, there is no time
to stop now.
Summing up her life to this
point, Kitt said, "And after all is
said and done, the ups and downs
and the pros and cons of my life, it
is very gratifying that I'm still
here."
And you know that Kitt doesn't
just mean that she is still living but
that, against the odds, she has made
her life worthwhile.
Eartha Kitt will perform at the
Canberra Theatre, Civic, on Satur
day. Bookings on 243 5711.
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