Who Am I? November 2021

I was born in Ukraine, then part of the Russian Empire in the late 19th century. At 3 months my mom and I boarded a ship to join my dad who was already in the U.S. Our family settled in Hartford, CT where my family operated a kosher restaurant and rooming house. Many of our guests were show business professionals including many of the Yiddish theater greats of that era. As a child I often sang and entertained our guests and customers.

I moved to NYC and found jobs singing for my supper and gathering tips in cafes and beer
gardens such as the “German Village.” I graduated to music halls and eventually to burlesque where I toured with Joe Woods’ New England circuit. I was never a glamour girl so my boss thought I ought to appear in burnt cork blackface which I reluctantly agreed to. Eventually I ditched that shtick and moved on to singing risqué and suggestive songs. My weight problem worked in my favor as it gave me lots of source material for my self-deprecating humor. My routines got me gigs with Ziegfeld, Earl Carroll’s Vanities, and Shubert’s Gaieties. I’d often banter and do skits with my long-time piano accompanist and adopted the “narrative-talking- singing style” as my own.

As I was developing my career I befriended Ethel Waters and other black-performers such as Bill “Bojangles” Robinson. I was introduced to jazz and I, in turn, introduced that art form to white audiences. One African-American composed a mega-hit for me which became both my signature song and the title of my autobiography. It sold over a million records. My career took off both stateside and overseas. In London I gave a command performance at the Palladium for the king and queen!

When I saw the writing on the wall for vaudeville I sought to extend my career in film and on radio; however, I always preferred appearing before a live audience. I did have my own radio show and often made guest appearances on other shows such as Ben Bernie’s. I believe he also was featured in a previous “Who Am I?” column. When TV came out I made guest appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show, Person To Person, and What’s My Line?

I continued to appear at nightclub venues such as Tony Pastor’s Palace, the Latin Quarter and Bill Miller’s Riviera Club in Fort Lee, New Jersey till the end of my life. I got to know 7 U.S. presidents and counted both J.Edgar and Scarface Al as friends of mine! 

I made millions in my lifetime and gave away millions to charity as well. Some of the
beneficiaries of my foundation were the Jewish Theater Guild, the Catholic Actors Guild, the Will Rogers Memorial Hospital, Emmanuel Synagogue in Hartford, CT, the Motion Picture Relief Fund, hospitals etc. I commissioned a youth center at a kibbutz along the Gaza border that was in the news in 2018 when Gaza residents launched incendiary kites and balloons at the kibbutz and scorched their agricultural fields.

In response to why I had 3 failed marriages I’m quoted as saying that “I was one of those women men liked to call ‘a pal and a good sport,’ the kind of woman they can tell their troubles to; but that cuts you off from the orchids and diamond bracelets except those you buy yourself…’ Some also like to quote me as saying, “from birth to age 18 a girl needs good parents, from18-35 she needs good looks, from 35-55 she needs a good personality and from 55 on she needs cash….”

I had a gift for promotion. I sold my books after performances and I wrote down the names and addresses of my fans whenever I could so as to be able to send them postcards about future appearances of mine. I endorsed lots of products from milk to cigarettes. It is said that I had a big influence on those who came after me to include Mae West, “the divine” Bette Midler, and
Roseanne.

I think you must all know me by now. That’s me in the photo below. (1a)Who Am I? (1b)How did I get my stage surname? (1c) What was my sobriquet? (2a)Who was my long-time piano accompanist? (2b)Who wrote my signature song that later became the title of my autobiography? (2c)What was my signature song? (3)One of my songs was banned by the Third Reich and my recordings of it were actually smashed. What song was that? (4)I sang my signature in 3 films. What were their names? (5a) At what university did I endow a theater arts chair? (5b)At what kibbutz along the Gaza border did I establish a youth center?