Sophie Tucker
Sophie Tucker | |
---|---|
Born | Sofia Kalish January 13, 1886 |
Died | February 9, 1966 Manhattan, New York, United States[2] | (aged 80)
Other names |
|
Occupations | |
Years active | 1903–1965 |
Spouses | Louis Tuck
(m. 1903; div. 1913)Al Lackey
(m. 1928; div. 1934) |
Children | 1 |
Sophie Tucker (born Sofia Kalish; January 13, 1886[3][4] – February 9, 1966) was an American singer, comedian, actress, and radio personality. Known for her powerful delivery of comical and risqué songs, she was one of the most popular entertainers in the U.S. during the first half of the 20th century. She was known by the nickname "the Last of the Red-Hot Mamas".[5][3]
Early life and education
Tucker was born Sofiya "Sonya" Kalish (
At a young age, she began singing at her parents' restaurant for tips.[10][11] Between taking orders and serving customers, Tucker recalled that she "would stand up in the narrow space by the door and sing with all the drama I could put into it. At the end of the last chorus, between me and the onions, there wasn't a dry eye in the place."[citation needed]
In 1903, around the age of 17, Tucker eloped with Louis Tuck, a beer cart driver, from whom she later derived her professional surname. When she returned home, her parents arranged an Orthodox wedding for the couple. In 1905, she gave birth to a son, Albert.[3] However, shortly after Albert was born, the couple separated, and Tucker left the baby with her family and moved to New York City.[2]
Career
After she left her husband,
Stage
In 1907, Tucker made her first theater appearance, singing at an amateur night in a vaudeville establishment.[2] The producers thought that the crowd would tease her for being "so big and ugly." Early in her career, Tucker appeared in blackface as a minstrel singer, but she disliked this work and would sabotage the act by revealing that she was white at the end of the show, first removing a glove to reveal her white hand, then by pulling off her wig and exposing her blonde hair.[13] Tucker also began integrating "fat girl" humor, which became a common thread in her acts. Her songs included "I Don't Want to Get Thin" and "Nobody Loves a Fat Girl, But Oh How a Fat Girl Can Love."[14]
In 1909, Tucker performed with the Ziegfeld Follies. Though she was a hit, the other female stars refused to share the spotlight with her, and the company was forced to let her go. This caught the attention of William Morris, a theater owner and future founder of the William Morris Agency. Two years later, Tucker released "Some of These Days" on Edison Records, written by Shelton Brooks. The title of the song was used as the title of Tucker's 1945 biography.[6]
In 1921, Tucker hired pianist and songwriter Ted Shapiro as her accompanist and musical director, a position he would keep throughout her career. Besides writing a number of songs for her, Shapiro became part of her stage act, playing piano on stage while she sang, and exchanging banter and wisecracks with her in between numbers. Tucker remained a popular singer through the 1920s and became friends with stars such as Mamie Smith and Ethel Waters, who introduced her to jazz. Tucker learned from these women and became one of the early performers to introduce jazz to white vaudeville audiences.[citation needed]
In 1925, Jack Yellen wrote "My Yiddishe Momme", a song which became strongly identified with her and was performed in cities which had a significant Jewish audience. Tucker said "Even though I loved the song and it was a sensational hit every time I sang it, I was always careful to use it only when I knew the majority of the house would understand Yiddish. However, you didn't have to be a Jew to be moved by 'My Yiddishe Momme'." The song was banned in Nazi Germany.[15]
Popularity
By the 1920s, Tucker's success had spread to Europe, and she began a tour of England, performing for King
Tucker was strongly affected by the decline of vaudeville. Speaking about performing in the final show at
In 1929, she made her first movie appearance in Honky Tonk. During the 1930s, Tucker brought elements of nostalgia for the early years of the 20th century into her show. She was billed as "the Last of the Red Hot Mamas" as her hearty sexual appetite was a frequent subject of her songs, unusual for female performers of the day after the decline of vaudeville.[14]
The cartoon The Woods Are Full of Cuckoos caricatures Tucker as Sophie Turkey.
American Federation of Actors
In 1938, Tucker was elected president of the American Federation of Actors, an early actors' trade union.[14] Originally formed for vaudeville and circus performers, the union expanded to include nightclub performers and was chartered as a branch of the Associated Actors and Artistes.[18]
In 1939, the union was disbanded by the American Federation of Labor (AFL) for financial mismanagement. However, Tucker was not implicated in the proceedings. The AFL later issued a charter for the succeeding American Guild of Variety Artists, which remains active.[19]
Later days
In 1938–1939, she had her own radio show, The Roi Tan Program with Sophie Tucker, broadcast on CBS for 15 minutes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. She made numerous guest appearances on such programs as
Tucker continued to perform for the rest of her life. In 1962, she performed in the
Personal life
Tucker was married three times. Her first marriage was to Louis Tuck, a beer cart driver, with whom she eloped in 1903. The marriage produced Tucker's only child, Albert. In 1906 the couple separated, and Tucker left Albert with her family, supporting them with money from her singing jobs in New York.[2] They were divorced in May 1913. Albert was raised by his maternal aunt, Annie. Annie and Sophie had a close relationship and kept in touch with weekly letters.[22]
Her second marriage to Frank Westphal (1917–20), her accompanist, and her third marriage to Al Lackey (1928–34), her manager, both ended in divorce and produced no children.[14] She blamed the failure of her marriages on her being too adjusted to economic independence. She said "Once you start carrying your own suitcase, paying your own bills, running your own show, you've done something to yourself that makes you one of those women men like to call 'a pal' and 'a good sport,' the kind of woman they tell their troubles to. But you've cut yourself off from the orchids and the diamond bracelets except those you buy yourself."[2]
Tucker died of lung cancer and kidney failure on February 9, 1966, aged 80, in her Park Avenue apartment. She continued working until her death, playing shows at the Latin Quarter just weeks before. She is buried in Emanuel Cemetery in Wethersfield, Connecticut.[23]
Works
Theatre
- Louisiana Lou (1911–1912) (Chicago and U.S. national tour)
- Earl Carroll's Vanities of 1924 (1924) (Broadway)
- Leave It to Me! (1938) (Broadway and U.S. national tour)
- High Kickers (1941–1942) (Broadway and U.S. national tour)
Film
- Honky Tonk (1929)
- Gay Love (1934)
- Paramount Headliner: Broadway Highlights No. 1 (1935, short subject)
- Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937)
- Thoroughbreds Don't Cry (1937)
- Follow the Boys (1944)
- Sensations of 1945 (1944)
- Screen Snapshots: The Great Showman (1950, short subject)
- Screen Snapshots: Hollywood's Great Entertainers (1953, short subject)
- The Heart of Show Business (1957, short subject)
- The Joker Is Wild (1957)
Radio
- BBC radio (September 2, 1963)[24]
Recordings
- "Life Begins at Forty", by Jack Yellen and Ted Shapiro, recorded by Tucker in 1937.[25]
Compilations
- Greatest Hits (1967) (Decca DL 4942)
- Sophie Tucker: Origins of the Red Hot Mama, 1910–1922 (Archeophone, 2009)[3]
Influences
Tucker's comic and singing styles are credited with influencing later female entertainers, including Mae West, Rusty Warren, Carol Channing, Totie Fields, Joan Rivers, Roseanne Barr, Ethel Merman, "Mama" Cass Elliot of the Mamas & the Papas, and Bette Midler, who has included Tuck as one of her stage characters. She also influenced Miami-based radio and television host-cum-singer Peppy Fields, sister of noted pianist Irving Fields, whom Variety and Billboard magazines called the "Sophie Tucker of Miami".[26]
Probably the greatest influence on Tucker's later song delivery was Clarice Vance (1870–1961). They appeared many times on the same vaudeville bill. Sophie made her first recordings in 1910, and Clarice made her final records in 1909. Clarice had perfected and was known for her subtle narrative talk-singing style that Sophie later used to her advantage when her vocal range became increasingly limited. At the time that Clarice Vance was using the narrative style, it was unique to her among women entertainers.[6]
Legacy
Tucker is briefly mentioned in the lyrics of the song "Roxie" from the musical Chicago ("And Sophie Tucker'll shit I know/To see her name get billed below/Foxy Roxie Hart") and was cited as the main influence for the character Matron "Mama" Morton.[27][28][29]
A popular music revue, Sophie Tucker: The Last of the Red Hot Mamas, developed by Florida Studio Theatre (FST) in Sarasota, Florida, celebrates Tucker's brassy and bawdy behavior, songs, and persona. Developed in-house by artistic director Richard Hopkins in 2000, it has enjoyed several productions across the country, including theatres in New York City, Chicago, Atlanta, and Toronto. Kathy Halenda, who originated the role of Tucker in the production, returned to FST for a limited engagement of The Last of the Red Hot Mamas in March 2012.[30]
William Gazecki produced the 2014 documentary The Outrageous Sophie Tucker.[31][32]
During the Beatles' appearance at the Royal Variety Performance on November 4, 1963, Paul McCartney introduced the song "Till There Was You" as having been recorded "by our favourite American group, Sophie Tucker."[33] McCartney likewise introduced the song "I Want to Hold Your Hand" on the Ed Sullivan Show, February 16, 1964 in the same manner.
See also
References
- ISBN 9780786415779. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Jewish Women in Comedy: Sophie Tucker". Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Rosen, Judy (August 28, 2009). "A Century Later, She's Still Red Hot". The New York Times. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
- ^ "All Hamburg Passenger Lists, 1850–1934 results for Abuza". Ancestry.com. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
- ^ "Sophie Tucker, The Last of the Red-Hot Mamas". January 13, 2020.
- ^ a b c Ecker, Sue and Lloyd. "Sophie Tucker biodata". Archived from the original on September 15, 2008. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
- ISBN 9781847140012.
- ^ "Sophie Tucker Biography". A+E Television Networks, LLC. Archived from the original on May 20, 2013. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
- ^ Passenger list. "Ancestry.com". Ancestry.com.
- ^ Dunne, Susan (November 20, 2014). "Hartford's Vaudeville Star Sophie Tucker Subject Of New Book". Hartford Courant. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
- ^ "Today in History - January 13: The Last of the Red Hot Mamas". Library of Congress. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
- ^ "Von Tilzer – Gumm Collection" (PDF). Library of Congress. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
- ^ "Sophie Tucker: Everybody loves a fat girl". BBC News. February 8, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Sophie Tucker". About.com. Archived from the original on July 18, 2013. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
- ^ Kremer, William (February 8, 2016). "Sophie Tucker: Everybody Loves a Fat Girl". BBC News. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
- ^ CD liner notes. Chart-Toppers of the Twenties, 1998, ASV.
- ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
- ^ Stewert, Estelle May (1936). Handbook of American Trade-Unions. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
- ^ "The Theatre: Sophie Spanked". Time. July 24, 1939. Archived from the original on June 2, 2008. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
- ^ Sophie – Broadway Musical. Winter Garden Theatre. (Apr 15, 1963 – Apr 20, 1963). IBDb.com
- ^ Ed Sullivan Show. October 3, 1965, YouTube
- ^ Cohn, Robert A. "Co-authors Say Sophie's Story Needed No Embellishment". St. Louis Jewish Light. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
- ISBN 9780786415779.
- ^ "BBC Radio 4 –Desert Island Discs, Sophie Tucker". BBC. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
- ^ Mark my words: great quotations and the stories behind them - Page 431 0760735328 Nigel Rees - 2002 PITKIN, William American teacher (1878–1953) 3 Life Begins at Forty. Title of book (1932), in which...Helping it along was a song with the title by Jack Yellen and Ted Shapiro (recorded by Sophie Tucker in 1937). The phrase seems to have..."
- OCLC 798122630.
- ^ Watkins, Maurine Dallas (1924). Chicago. p. 41.
- ^ "What's On". Leeds City Council. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
- ^ Chicago - The Musical. Kander, John. Lyrics: Roxie. (Original Broadway Cast), Genius.com
- ^ Handelman, Jay. "FST celebrates construction and supporters at gala". Sarasota Herald Tribune. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
- ^ Dargis, Manohla (July 23, 2015). "Review: 'The Outrageous Sophie Tucker' Recalls a Jazz Powerhouse". The New York Times. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
- ^ "The Outrageous Sophie Tucker: A Film Review". Jewish Women's Archive. November 19, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ^ ""Till There Was You" History". Dave Rybaczewski. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
External links
- Official website
- Works by Sophie Tucker at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about Sophie Tucker at Internet Archive
- Sophie Tucker at IMDb
- Sophie Tucker at the Internet Broadway Database
- Sophie Tucker discography at Discogs
- Sophie Tucker's entry in the JWA Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia (Jewish Women's Archive)
- Sophie Tucker's earliest recordings (1910–1922)
- Sophie Tucker at Find a Grave
- Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame. "Sophie Tucker Tribute Film". Archived from the original on December 12, 2021 – via YouTube.
- Sophie Tucker cylinder recordings, from the UCSB Cylinder Audio Archive at the University of California, Santa BarbaraLibrary