Catherine Conn grew up in a world whose underpinnings were Victorian. She was of a time and a state of mind when it was believed possible to jump into American society through the free pass of stardom, as if such enchantment would automatically rob the world of its prejudices. Denial was often a necessary tool for advancement, even in the theatre: names were changed, accents Anglicized. The composer Arthur Schwartz, who spoke with a distinctly British accent, told his son, Jonathan, "We're not Jewish, we're in show business." Getting out of a taxi once, Kitty Carlisle's mother was asked by a curious driver, "Is your daughter Jewish?" "She may be, but I'm not" was the reply.

That infamous anecdote comes from a 1992 New Yorker profile of Kitty Carlisle Hart, who has passed away at the age of 96. Hart was a singer, actress, game show personality, an ardent (and largely victorious) advocate of arts funding in New York, a long-time spouse of a homosexual, and the reigning queen of plucky, country-touring, cabaret-loving dames.