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Katie Kelly, 81 (May 2018), 1980s NYC Harpo-haired/big eyeglasses/bow-tied entertainment reporter, WNBC's 'Live at Five'
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That Derek
Nov 20, 2019, 11:58:17 PM11/20/19
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https://www.omaha.com/columnists/kelly/nebraska-native-katie-kelly-former-new-york-city-tv-celebrity/article_6757cd45-d7bd-5166-bce7-d045980c7e77.html
Nebraska native Katie Kelly, former New York City TV celebrity, dies in Omaha at 81
By Michael Kelly / World-Herald staff writer May 10, 2018
It wasn’t so much her little-town blues that sent Katie Kelly from the Cornhusker State to old New York. But as in the lyrics to “New York, New York,” maybe it was her vagabond shoes.
The former TV entertainment reporter died Friday at age 81 from Alzheimer’s disease.
Kelly was born in Omaha but grew up in the central Nebraska town of Albion, population then about 2,000. After college and trips to Europe, she rode a bus to Manhattan.
It wasn’t so much her little-town blues that sent Katie Kelly from the Cornhusker State to old New York. But as in the lyrics to “New York, New York,” maybe it was her vagabond shoes.
The former TV entertainment reporter died Friday at age 81 from Alzheimer’s disease.
Kelly was born in Omaha but grew up in the central Nebraska town of Albion, population then about 2,000. After college and trips to Europe, she rode a bus to Manhattan.
In the 1980s, she became widely known through her entertainment reviews on New York television, which led to brief network jobs, including “The Today Show” and “Entertainment Tonight.”
In the early 1990s, she returned home and bought a 320-acre Knox County ranch.
She later donated it to the Nature Conservancy. In 2002, she purchased an old Victorian home in Omaha near Hanscom Park and became active in the Field Club Neighborhood Association.
“She just loved Nebraska and loved animals and wildlife,” said Sara McClure, director of development for the Nature Conservancy of Nebraska. “She was always cheerful and happy-go-lucky.”
Kelly was married briefly but divorced long ago, and had no children. She requested that no memorial service be held.
She also bequeathed $1 million to the Nature Conservancy. Warren Conner of Omaha, a longtime friend who held power of attorney for her health care, said the rest of her estate also will go to charity.
“Katie was brilliant,” Conner said. “I liked her intellect, and just enjoyed talking with her.”
More than a TV talker, she earned a journalism degree from the University of Missouri and worked as a researcher and reporter for Time magazine and the New York Post. She authored five books, including “The Wonderful World of Women’s Wear Daily” (1972) and “A Year in Saigon” (1992).
In New York, she was widely recognized around town in part because of her trademark TV look — bow tie, large glasses and wild, curly hair. She even rated films not with the usual stars, but with bow ties.
But she gave up her celebrity, went to Vietnam, teaching and then writing about Amerasians, offspring of Vietnamese mothers and American fathers. She subtitled her book, “How I Gave Up My Glitzy Job in Television to Have the Time of My Life Teaching Amerasian Kids in Vietnam.”
Then she returned home.
“Katie told me she had always intended to come back to Nebraska,” said Conner, a former Methodist minister. “She gave up her TV career to go to Vietnam and was responsible for bringing 20-some Amerasian kids to America.”
McClure, of the Nature Conservancy, said Kelly loved her northeast Nebraska land. But after living in New York, “I imagine life on a farm was a little quiet for her.”
So the former resident of the Big Apple moved to the Big O. She stayed active, including with a group called the “Hot Flash Dancers.” And she continued her love of travel.
After McClure once couldn’t reach her by phone, Kelly later responded with, “Oh, I decided to go to Paris.”
When she first reached New York, she took a job as a secretary at CBS before becoming a writer and TV commentator.
Once filling in on the “Regis and Kathie Lee Show,” she teamed with talk-show host Dick Cavett, a native of Gibbon, Nebraska. They interviewed then-Nebraska Gov. Bob Kerrey.
She was active in the Nebraska Society of New York, and in later Omaha years hosted folks who had lived in New York.
Nebraska native Katie Kelly, former New York City TV celebrity, dies in Omaha at 81
By Michael Kelly / World-Herald staff writer May 10, 2018
It wasn’t so much her little-town blues that sent Katie Kelly from the Cornhusker State to old New York. But as in the lyrics to “New York, New York,” maybe it was her vagabond shoes.
The former TV entertainment reporter died Friday at age 81 from Alzheimer’s disease.
Kelly was born in Omaha but grew up in the central Nebraska town of Albion, population then about 2,000. After college and trips to Europe, she rode a bus to Manhattan.
It wasn’t so much her little-town blues that sent Katie Kelly from the Cornhusker State to old New York. But as in the lyrics to “New York, New York,” maybe it was her vagabond shoes.
The former TV entertainment reporter died Friday at age 81 from Alzheimer’s disease.
Kelly was born in Omaha but grew up in the central Nebraska town of Albion, population then about 2,000. After college and trips to Europe, she rode a bus to Manhattan.
In the 1980s, she became widely known through her entertainment reviews on New York television, which led to brief network jobs, including “The Today Show” and “Entertainment Tonight.”
In the early 1990s, she returned home and bought a 320-acre Knox County ranch.
She later donated it to the Nature Conservancy. In 2002, she purchased an old Victorian home in Omaha near Hanscom Park and became active in the Field Club Neighborhood Association.
“She just loved Nebraska and loved animals and wildlife,” said Sara McClure, director of development for the Nature Conservancy of Nebraska. “She was always cheerful and happy-go-lucky.”
Kelly was married briefly but divorced long ago, and had no children. She requested that no memorial service be held.
She also bequeathed $1 million to the Nature Conservancy. Warren Conner of Omaha, a longtime friend who held power of attorney for her health care, said the rest of her estate also will go to charity.
“Katie was brilliant,” Conner said. “I liked her intellect, and just enjoyed talking with her.”
More than a TV talker, she earned a journalism degree from the University of Missouri and worked as a researcher and reporter for Time magazine and the New York Post. She authored five books, including “The Wonderful World of Women’s Wear Daily” (1972) and “A Year in Saigon” (1992).
In New York, she was widely recognized around town in part because of her trademark TV look — bow tie, large glasses and wild, curly hair. She even rated films not with the usual stars, but with bow ties.
But she gave up her celebrity, went to Vietnam, teaching and then writing about Amerasians, offspring of Vietnamese mothers and American fathers. She subtitled her book, “How I Gave Up My Glitzy Job in Television to Have the Time of My Life Teaching Amerasian Kids in Vietnam.”
Then she returned home.
“Katie told me she had always intended to come back to Nebraska,” said Conner, a former Methodist minister. “She gave up her TV career to go to Vietnam and was responsible for bringing 20-some Amerasian kids to America.”
McClure, of the Nature Conservancy, said Kelly loved her northeast Nebraska land. But after living in New York, “I imagine life on a farm was a little quiet for her.”
So the former resident of the Big Apple moved to the Big O. She stayed active, including with a group called the “Hot Flash Dancers.” And she continued her love of travel.
After McClure once couldn’t reach her by phone, Kelly later responded with, “Oh, I decided to go to Paris.”
When she first reached New York, she took a job as a secretary at CBS before becoming a writer and TV commentator.
Once filling in on the “Regis and Kathie Lee Show,” she teamed with talk-show host Dick Cavett, a native of Gibbon, Nebraska. They interviewed then-Nebraska Gov. Bob Kerrey.
She was active in the Nebraska Society of New York, and in later Omaha years hosted folks who had lived in New York.
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