Channing-Kullijian Foundation

About Us

California State Research Confirms, Education Inclusive of the Arts

FACT:
When students, K through University, are exposed to the Arts, they do better academically. This is proven according to multiple measures including standardized tests, benchmarks, and SAT scores. FACT:
Students who are engaged in the arts have a better attendance rate than those who are not engaged in the arts.

FACT:
The Arts bring creativity and critical thinking skills to other subjects such as science and math within the schools’ curriculum. FACT:
The cultural diversity of California prospers when the enhancement of society is elevated by the arts.

FACT:
The Arts in all public schools enrich and endure for a lifetime. FACT:
Studies confirm that education with Exposure to "The Arts in Public Education " would raise employment standards in California with greater productivity and higher salaries."

FACT:
There can be no losers. California has the 5th largest economy in the world; wealthier than 97% of the countries in the world. California's children deserve the best education---and the best education includes all the arts. FACT:
Approximately 500,000 artisans are employed in California working in and about many businesses including Hollywood producing motion pictures and television and /or as vendors providing the resources.

FACT:
The California State University system prepares and supplies the vast majority of those who will become our children's teachers. FACT:
Art is and should be available for everyone an elixir for the soul available to inspire the life to those who receive it.

Dr. Merryl Goldberg, Ed.D. Harvard University
Professor at California State University, San Marcos
Founder of Center ARTES

Carol Channing

Carol was born Jan 31, 1921 in Seattle, Washington, the daughter of a prominent newspaper editor, who was very active in the Christian Science movement. At just two weeks of age, her father’s work took the family to San Francisco, where Carol was raised, schooled and eventually found work as a model. She majored in drama and dance and was able to supplement her income by taking parts in the nearby Pocono Resort area.

A recipient of the 1995 Lifetime Achievement Tony Award, Ms. Channing has been a star of international acclaim since a Time magazine cover story hailed her performance as Lorelei Lee in Gentleman Prefer Blondes writing; "Perhaps once in a decade a nova explodes above the Great White Way with enough brilliance to re-illumine the whole gaudy legend of show business." Since her 1948 Broadway debut in Blitzstein's No For An Answer, her Broadway appearances include So Proudly We Hail, Let’s Face It , Lend An Ear (Theatre World Award), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Show Girl, Pygmalion, The Millionairess, The Vamp, Four On A Garden, and Wonderful Town. Making theatrical history, she won the Tony Award in 1964 for her legendary portrayal of Dolly Levi in Jerry Herman’s Hello, Dolly!

Jacqueline Kennedy and her two children made their first public appearance after JFK's death by seeing her perform in Hello, Dolly! and later visited her backstage. She has since played the role in over 5,000 performances, including a smash London engagement at the great Drury Lane Theatre without missing a single performance. She then toured with her own revue, Carol Channing and Her Ten Stout Hearted Men and critically acclaimed tours of Jerry's Girls and Legends, in which she co-starred with Mary Martin.

Ms. Channing's happiest film project was in the role of Muzzy in Thoroughly Modern Millie, which set box office records and earned her an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe Award. Other films include Paid In Full, The First Traveling Saleslady starring opposite Ginger Rogers and giving new comer Clint Eastwood his first on screen kiss, Otto Preminger's Skidoo (which she refuses to see), Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Archie and Mehitabel and Thumbelina.

Ms. Channing has starred in six TV specials, including Broadway at the Hollywood Bowl, Carol Channing’s Los Angeles, Carol Channing and Pearl Bailey on Broadway, George Burns – His Wit and Wisdom and to millions of children worldwide is best known as the White Queen in Alice Through the Looking Glass. Other television credits include (* indicates numerous appearances) popular game shows as *What’s My Line, *I’ve Got a Secret and *Password. Carol’s variety shows encompass *The Dean Martin Show, The Red Skelton Show, The Milton Berle Show, *Rowen & Martin’s Laugh-In, *The Carol Burnett Show, The Muppet Show, *The Rosie O’Donnell Show, *Hollywood Squares, as well as many *Tony and Grammy broadcasts. A partcial list of Carol’s Episodic work consist of Playhouse 90’s Three Men on a Horse, *The Love Boat, Magnum, P.I., The Nanny, Touched by an Angel and The Drew Carey Show.

As one of the most easily recognized and highly imitated voices in the world, Carol’s unique sound has been established as characters and narrative in both TV series and documentaries like JFK: The Day the Nation Cried, The Addam’s Family (voice of Granny), Thumbelina, Free To Be You and Me, *Space Ghost, *Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers and The Brave Little Toaster Goes To Mars. Ms. Channing also cut twenty children's albums of classic stories on Caedmon records, including Winnie The Pooh and Madeline.

Ms. Channing has recorded ten gold Albums and her original cast album of Hello, Dolly! was an all-time best seller in its field, which knocked the Beatles off the charts when it was released in 1964. When not performing in theatre, Ms. Channing has numerously made appearances in most every grand ballroom and concert hall in the country. Among her other acknowledgements is a Best Nightclub Act of the Year Award and Harvard University's Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year Award

In 2003, the octogenarian released of her best selling memoirs, "Just Lucky I Guess" and received the Julie Harris Lifetime Achievement Award from the Actors’ Fund of America. Carol has been touring the nation (from Broadway to the Hollywood Bowl) and abroad with her new one woman show entitled "The First Eighty Years are the Hardest," after the very successful preview given to New York audiences in Nov 2003 that prompted the New York Times to say "Back Where She Belongs: Carol Channing Reminisces . . . The audience jumped to its feet more than once. We were watching a master performer" and Associated Press declared "The audience clearly was there to worship, and Channing did not disappoint." In 2004, Broadway’s "first lady of musical comedy," also received an honorary doctoral degree becoming Doctor Carol Channing at the 44th annual California State University, Stanislaus Commencement ceremony in May 2004 (This is only the third Honorary Doctoral Degree given in CSU Stanislaus 45-year history). In addition, Carol was presented with the Oscar Hammerstein Award for lifetime achievement in musical theatre from the York Theatre Company, in New York.

Carol was recently married to her junior high school sweetheart, businessman Harry Kullijian, after a 70 year separation. She is also a proud mother, her son is a nationally syndicated editorial cartoonist, who has the distinction of being a Pulitzer Prize finalist.

The career of Carol Channing is varied and continuing. She performs with the gusto of a young aspiring actress. However, her heart will remain on stage even though she has recently committed her life to bring a refocus of the Arts in the public educational system of California. Scholarships, teaching and lecturing and performing, hoping to engage the public support for education in the Arts.

Click here to download official biography in PDF format.

Please click here for the Carol Channing web site.