Who Am I? March 3, 2019
I was born in Brooklyn at the tail end of 19th century, the youngest of a brood of 10 kids. “Mama Rose”, emigrated from Germany and my dad, Morris (sometimes called Maurice) was a clothing manufacturer from Bialystok. I attended high school on Nostrand Avenue in Bed-Stuy. That old ‘hood of mine is actually enjoying a revival nowadays and is slowly becoming gentrified. For a time I attended Hunter College.
I had a husky contralto voice and made my first mark in vaudeville and, later on, on Broadway and in the film industry. Earlier in my career I worked as a model posing for fashion ads and for artists. I had a gig for an Austrian painter who specialized in painting sultrily posed women that would appear on postcards. Some of his creations may still be available on the internet or at fairs. I got a job in vaudeville with the B.F.Keith and the Keith Albee Circuit at a propitious time because I met many other rising stars that became my lifelong friends. The Hudson Theatre located in what was to become Union City was a popular venue for us. In fact, I met my first husband in vaudeville when he was employed as the “straight man” feeding lines to comedian Ed Wynn. I also appeared for 3 seasons in the Ziegfeld Follies. I was a tall blue-eyed blonde who could joke and wisecrack and that fact certainly helped advance my film career. During the “silent era” I appeared in 38 films and I was lucky enough to make a smooth transition to talkies where I added another 28 films to my C.V. I was often typecast as the “other woman” or a villain.
I appeared on screen with the likes of Myrna Loy, Mary Astor, Norma Talmadge, Joan Crawford, Will Rogers, Norma Shearer, Joan Blondell and Charles Ruggles. My second husband was a well-known actor. We had what would be called today a “lavender marriage.” I was bi-sexual and had romances with some of the major screen stars of the day. My husband, though he sometimes played macho parts, was openly gay, something verboten in the Hollywood of my era. We hosted lavish and sometimes hedonistic parties at our home in Beverly Hills which we decorated in an all-white color scheme. We mounted mirrors on the entire lower floor. My husband claimed he married me because I was “a good scout with a good heart.”
Kay Francis and I were known as a “clothes horses.” Designers and manufacturers designed special outfits for me hoping my fans would emulate my style and buy their wares. My wardrobe back in the 1930’s was estimated to cost $1 million! It included ermine wraps, chinchilla coats, beaver coats, silver and blue foxes, sable scarves and the list goes on and on. Fans wanted to copy my hats and jewelry as well.
I was a supporter of the General Israel Orphan’s Home and attended several benefits on their behalf. Too early in life I became fatally ill when it was discovered that I had aggressive abdominal cancer tumors. I grew frail and my body began to wither away. I passed away while still in my mid- 30’s. Hundreds attended my funeral at Temple Emanuel in Manhattan and many thousands more came to my graveside interment at Brooklyn’s Washington Cemetery. That’s me in my prime in the photo below.
(1a)Who Am I? (1b)What high school did I attend? (1c)Who was the aforementioned Austrian painter who specialized in suggestive postcards? (2a)Who was my second husband? (2b)What did we call our lavish home in Beverly Hills? (3)I appeared in one film directed by the famous Ernst Lubitsch. What was the name of that film? (4)What celebrity gave the eulogy at my funeral?
