Young Martha led a gypsy existence, joining the family act on stage at age three. A popular clown with a rubbery face, she was also an impressive singer and dancer. In her twenties, she began appearing in comedy films and traveled overseas during WWII to entertain troops. In the 1950s she was the host of her own top-rated television show.

There were darker sides to her life, particularly in her neglect of her only daughter, her seven rocky marriages, her alcohol and drug use, and her rumor-filled final years. But her enduring love affair with the American military never wavered.

Because of her tireless efforts as both entertainer and "nurse" in the jungles of Vietnam, the Green Berets designated her an Honorary Lieutenant Colonel. She later received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest military honor the United States government bestows upon a civilian, and after her death in 1994 she became the only civilian ever laid to rest among the Green Berets in the Fort Bragg military cemetery.