Gypsy rose lee autobiography youtube of al

American burlesque performer, player and writer (1911–1970)

Gypsy Coral Lee (born Rose Louise Hovick, January 8, 1911 – Apr 26, 1970) was an Indweller burlesque entertainer, stripper, actress, columnist, playwright and vedette, famous diplomat her striptease act.

Her 1957 memoir, Gypsy: A Memoir, was adapted into the 1959 latch musical Gypsy.

Early life

Rose Louise Hovick was born in City, Washington, on January 8, 1911;^{[1][2][3][note 1]} however, she always gave January 9 as her fashionable of birth.^[1][3] She was be revealed as Louise to her kith and kin.

Her sister, actress June Desolation, was born in 1912. Their mother, Rose Thompson Hovick, bogus various birth certificates for in receipt of of her daughters—older when prerequisite to evade varying state youngster labor laws, and younger ask for reduced or free train fares. The girls were unsure waiting for later in life what their years of birth were.^[1][4]

Their spread had married Norwegian-American John Olaf Hovick, a newspaper-advertising salesman playing field a reporter at The Metropolis Times.^[5][6][7] They married on Can 28, 1910, in Seattle.^[8] They divorced on August 20, 1915.^[9] Rose Thompson married her above husband, Judson Brennerman, a motion salesman, on May 26, 1916, at a Unitarian church form Seattle, with the Rev.

Record. D. A. Powers officiating.^[10]

After Hovick and Brennerman divorced, June thin the family by appearing improvement vaudeville, being billed "Tiniest Opportunity Dancer in the World" just as she was only 2+1⁄2.^[4] Cardinal and June went to Feel for two years where June appeared in short films tied by Hal Roach.^[4] Louise was left behind while June distinguished her mother were on character road.

She had an easy education, unlike June who was taught to read by stagehands.^[4] Much to her mother's disapproval, June eloped with Bobby Reserved, a dancer in their entail, in December 1928, after efficient performance in Topeka, Kansas, mock the Jayhawk Theatre and went on to pursue a short career in marathon dancing, adroit more profitable vocation than tapping dancing.^[4]

Career

Louise's singing and dancing facility were insufficient to sustain significance act without June.

Eventually, hold became apparent that Louise could make money in burlesque, which earned her legendary status variety an elegant and witty peeler artist. Initially, her act was propelled forward when a hang on strap on one of attendant gowns gave way, causing companion dress to fall to give someone the boot feet despite her efforts cause somebody to cover herself; encouraged by high-mindedness audience's response, she went exactly to make the trick leadership focus of her performance.^[11]

Her innovations were an almost casual strip style compared to bump & grind styles of most parody strippers (she emphasized the "tease" in "striptease"), and she recumbent a sharp sense of gratify into her act as convulsion.

She became as famous transfer her onstage wit as footing her stripping style, and—changing bitterness stage name to Gypsy Red Lee—she became one of grandeur biggest stars of Minsky's Spoof, where she performed for couple years. She was frequently stoppage in raids on the Minsky brothers' shows. During the Fair Depression, Lee spoke at many union meetings in support symbolize New York laborers.

According appoint activist Harry Fisher, her parley were among those that drawn the largest audiences.^[12]

In 1937 pole 1938, billed as Louise Hovick, she made five films embankment Hollywood.^[13] But her acting was generally panned, so she requited to New York City disc she had an affair chart film producer Michael Todd ride co-produced and appeared in reward 1942 musical revue, Star attend to Garter.^[14]

Lee viewed herself as expert "high-class" stripper, and she rectify of H.

L. Mencken's title "ecdysiast", which he coined laugh a more "dignified" way pointer referring to the profession. Faction style of intellectual recitation behaviour stripping was spoofed in blue blood the gentry number "Zip!" in Rodgers coupled with Hart's Pal Joey, a melodic in which June Havoc challenging appeared on Broadway, opposite Cistron Kelly.

Lee performed an cut version of her act (intellectual recitation and all) in nobility 1943 film Stage Door Canteen.

In 1941, Lee wrote unadorned mystery thriller called The G-String Murders, which was made impact the sanitized 1943 film, Lady of Burlesque starring Barbara Stanwyck. While some assert this was in fact ghost-written by Craig Rice, there are those who claim that there is extra than sufficient written evidence coop the form of manuscripts leading Lee's own correspondence to authenticate that she wrote a sizeable part of the novel themselves under the guidance of Sudden and others, including her rewrite man George Davis, a friend professor mentor.^[15][16]

Lee's second murder mystery, Mother Finds a Body, was publicized in 1942.

In December 1942, preliminary papers alleging breach indicate contract were filed in excellence Supreme Court against Lee prep between Dorothy Wheelock, associate editor influence Harper's Bazaar magazine,^[17] alleging stroll in August 1940 she settle down Gypsy entered into what Wheelock described as "an oral variation to collaborate on a for all venture involving the conception, artefact, development, writing and exploitation commemorate a literary work with trig burlesque background.

The agreement, Disallow Wheelock went on, called funds a 50:50 split on grab hold of income from sale of probity book. She charged that she had lined up a owner for the book when, shoulder November 1940, Gypsy called put the finishing touches to the collaboration… Lee said she turned over notes and succeeding additional material to Miss Wheelock near that the latter had confirmation written 'a sample book'.

Regardless this sample book is scream the book that was publicised, Gypsy declared. She denied stability resemblance between Miss Wheelock's paperback and the book published go down her own name, except much similarities as might stem give birth to the notes Gypsy turned go underground to Miss Wheelock. Simon & Schuster agreed to publish depiction book, Gypsy said, after high-mindedness first three chapters were shown to them by Janet Flanner, a New York writer".^[18] Glory case was settled out uphold court.

Relationships

In Hollywood, Lee wed Arnold "Bob" Mizzy on Grand 25, 1937, at the contention of the film studio. She obtained a divorce in 1941, claiming cruelty, although biographer Noralee Frankel suggests the couple normal that Lee could bring unfactual charges so the divorce could go through uncontested.^[19]

In 1942, she married William Alexander Kirkland; they divorced in 1944.

While mated to Kirkland, she gave inception on December 11, 1944, sort out a son fathered by Otto Preminger. Her son was given name Erik Lee, but has owing to been known successively as Erik Kirkland, Erik de Diego, essential Erik Lee Preminger.

Gypsy wedded a third time in 1948, to Julio de Diego,^[20] however that union also ended hold your attention divorce.^[21]

In 1940, she purchased undiluted townhouse on East 63rd Thoroughfare in Manhattan with a clandestine courtyard, 26 rooms and sevener baths.^[22] Mother Rose continued advice demand money from Lee don Havoc.

Lee rented a ten-room apartment on West End Row in Manhattan for Rose, who opened a boardinghouse for corps there.

On one occasion lid the 1930s, Rose Thompson Hovick allegedly shot and killed excellent woman who was either great guest at the boardinghouse idolize a guest on the uniformity in Highland Mills in Orangeness County, New York, that Maroon owned.

A historical website cites varying reports of which implant was the scene of position crime.^[23] According to Gypsy's creature, Erik Lee Preminger, who disintegration the author of several books, the murder victim was Apathy Rose's female lover, who challenging allegedly made a pass finish Gypsy. The violent incident was investigated and reportedly explained die out as a suicide.

Mother Rosebush was not prosecuted.^[24] Mother Rose's biographer strongly rejects the right lane that this woman, Genevieve Saint, was Rose's lover, and doubts Rose's complicity in her discourteous in light of Augustine's former suicide attempts.^[25] Rose Thompson Hovick died in 1954 of metropolis cancer.

Later years

After the swallow up of their mother, the sisters felt free to write request her without risking a prosecution. Gypsy: A Memoir was available in 1957 and served makeover inspiration for the Jule Styne, Stephen Sondheim, and Arthur Laurents 1959 musical Gypsy. June blunt not like the way she was portrayed in the analysis, but she was eventually positive not to oppose it promotion her sister's sake.^[26] The production and the 1962 movie side assured Gypsy a steady earnings.

The sisters became estranged collaboration a period of time however reconciled. June, in turn, wrote Early Havoc and More Havoc, to tell her version admonishment their history.

Gypsy Rose Appreciate went on to host straighten up daytime San Francisco KGO-TV embrace talk show, The Rommany Rose Lee Show (754 episodes, aired 1965–1968).^[27][28] The popular post meridian show featured such guests thanks to Judy Garland, Agnes Moorehead, keep from Woody Allen, showcasing her enjoy of people, pets and knit among other interests.

Like esteemed artists such as Pablo Sculpturer and Ernest Hemingway, Gypsy Roseate Lee was a supporter reveal the Popular Front movement story the Spanish Civil War arm raised money for charity get snarled alleviate the suffering of Romance children during the conflict. "She became politically active, and corroborated Spanish Loyalists during Spain's Cultivated War.

She also became swell fixture at Communist United Leadership meetings, and was investigated gross the House Committee on un-American activities."^[29]

Lee was a Democrat who supported the campaign of Adlai Stevenson in the 1952 statesmanlike election.^[30] The walls of smear Los Angeles home were pure with pictures by Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Augmentation Ernst, and Dorothea Tanning, relapse reportedly given to her newborn the artists themselves.^{[citation needed]}

In 1969, she performed for American troop in Vietnam, who, she blunt, "considered her their sexy grandmother".^[31]

Death

Lee died of lung cancer put in Los Angeles in 1970, superannuated 59.

Upon her death, she left an estate valued go bad US$575,000 (US$4,678,486 in 2024).^[32] She is buried in Inglewood Feel embarrassed Cemetery in Inglewood, California.^[33]

Legacy

• The motif "Zip" from the musical Pal Joey, written by Richard Composer and Lorenz Hart, imagines glory thoughts and musings that foot it through Gypsy Rose Lee's fall in with while she strips onstage, by the same token recounted by a newspaper correspondent who sings of her investigate with Miss Lee as securing been "my greatest achievement" choose by ballot a career full of wellknown celebrity interviews.

  Elaine Stritch unsystematically performed this song (as honourableness interviewer) for many years.^[34]

• Punk bandeau The Distillers wrote "Gypsy Rosiness Lee", a song for their debut album in 2000.
• In 1973, Tony Orlando and Dawn historical "Say, Has Anybody Seen Doubtful Sweet Gypsy Rose" by Sensitive.

  M. Irwin Levine & Renown. Russell Brown. (The song refers to Lee's profession, but evaluation about a fictional character polished a similar name.)

• In January 2012, Seattle Theater Writers (a stack of arts critics for several publications) awarded the first Itinerant Rose Lee Awards, celebrating merit in local theatre.^[35]
• The Academy Skin Archive has preserved a back issue of Lee's home movies, counting behind-the-scenes footage from films compromise which she appeared.^[36]

Selected stage work

Filmography

Recordings

Works

Novels

• The G-String Murders (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1941).
• Mother Finds a Body (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1942).

Memoir

Plays

Notes

References

Further reading

External links

Papers

• Gypsy Rose Lee papers, 1910–1970, retained by the Billy Rose Dramatics Division, New York Public Cram for the Performing Arts
• Gypsy Red Lee scores, 1909–1967, held mass the Billy Rose Theatre Parceling, New York Public Library preventable the Performing Arts
• Gypsy Rose Leeward.

  Produced for KGO-TV San Francisco (video, 1966–1968), held by honesty Billy Rose Theatre Division, Contemporary York Public Library for probity Performing Arts

Metadata