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Rose Marie

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the actress. For other uses, seeRose Marie (disambiguation).

Rose Marie
Rose Marie in 1970
Born
Rose Marie Mazzetta

(1923-08-15)August 15, 1923
New York City,New York,U.S.
DiedDecember 28, 2017(2017-12-28)(aged 94)
Van Nuys,California,U.S.
Other namesBaby Rose Marie
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
  • comedian
Years active1926–2017
Spouse
Bobby Guy
​
​
(m.1946; died 1964)​
Children1

Rose Marie(bornRose Marie Mazzetta;[1]August 15, 1923 – December 28, 2017) was an American actress, singer, comedian, andvaudevilleperformer with a career ultimately spanning nine decades, which included film, radio, records, theater, night clubs and television. As a child performer during the years just after thesilent filmera, she had a successful singing career under the stage nameBaby Rose Marie.

Rose Marie was widely known for her role on theCBSsituation comedyThe Dick Van Dyke Show(1961–1966), as television comedy writerSally Rogers,"who went toe-to-toe in a man's world".[2]Later, she portrayed Myrna Gibbons onThe Doris Day Showand was a featured celebrity onHollywood Squaresfor 14 years.[2]

She is the subject of a 2017 documentary film,Wait for Your Laugh,which includes interviews with her and her co-stars includingCarl Reiner,Dick Van Dyke,Peter Marshall,andTim Conway.[3]

Early life

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Rose Marie was bornRose Marie Mazzettain Manhattan, New York, on August 15, 1923, to Polish-American Stella Gluszcak and Italian-American vaudeville actor Frank Mazzetta, who went by the name of Frank Curley.[4]Her mother took her to see local vaudeville shows regularly and afterwards, Rose Marie would sing what she had heard for neighbors, who eventually entered her in a talent contest.[5]At the age of three, Marie started performing under the name "Baby Rose Marie". At five, she was offered a seven-year contract and became a radio star on the NBC Radio Network and made a series of films.[citation needed]

Rose Marie later recalled:

"I had a deep voice, not like Shirley Temple but more like Sophie Tucker. I never sounded like a child so there were some people who thought I was really a 30-year-old midget."

To counteract these rumors, NBC arranged for her to undertake a national stage tour, and she appeared in a few short films including "Baby Rose Marie the Child Wonder" (1929).[6]

At the height of her fame as a child singer, from late 1929 to 1934, Rose Marie had her own radio show, made numerous records, and was featured in a number ofParamountfilms and shorts.[citation needed]She continued to appear in films through the mid-1930s, making shorts and one feature picture,International House(1933), withW. C. FieldsforParamount.[7]

As she entered adulthood, Rose Marie turned to nightclub and lounge performances. According to her autobiographyHold the Roses,she was assisted in her career by many members of organized crime, includingAl CaponeandBugsy Siegel.[8]Rose Marie secured work at theFlamingo Hotelin Las Vegas, Nevada, which was built by Siegel.[9]Because of the Flamingo's organized crime ties, she had to seek permission to perform in other casinos and remained loyal to "the boys" at the Flamingo for the rest of her life.[10]

Concurrently with her nightclub work, the young adult Rose Marie continued to work in radio, earning the nickname "Darling of the Airwaves".[citation needed]

Recordings

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Baby Rose Marie, NBC Radio star in 1930

In 1929, five-year-old Rose Marie made aVitaphonesound short titledBaby Rose Marie the Child Wonder.[2]Between 1930 and 1938, she made 17 recordings, three of which were not issued. Her first issued record, recorded on March 10, 1932, featured accompaniment byFletcher Henderson's orchestra, one of the leading African American jazz orchestras of the day. Henderson and the band were said to be in theRCA Victorstudios recording the four songs they were intending to produce that day and were asked to accompany Baby Rose Marie, reading from a stock arrangement.[11]

Rose Marie's recording of "Say That You Were Teasing Me" (backed with "Take a Picture of the Moon", Victor 22960), featuring Henderson's orchestra, was a national hit in 1932. According toJoel Whitburn,Rose Marie was the last surviving entertainer to have charted a hit beforeWorld War II.

Television

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In the 1960–1961 season, Marie co-starred withShirley Bonne,Elaine Stritch,Jack Weston,Raymond Bailey,andStubby KayeinMy Sister Eileen.[12]

After five seasons (1961–1966) as Sally Rogers onThe Dick Van Dyke Show,Rose Marie co-starred in two seasons (1969–1971) ofThe Doris Day Showas Doris Martin's friend and co-worker Myrna Gibbons. She also appeared in two episodes ofThe Monkeesin the mid-1960s. She later had a semi-regular seat in the upper center square on the original version ofThe Hollywood Squares.[13]Because contestants tended to pick corner squares first, the phrase "Rose Marie to block" was uttered so often she frequently joked that she should legally change her name to that.

Rose Marie performed on three 1966 and 1967 episodes ofThe Dean Martin ShowonNBCand also twice (1964 and 1968) onThe Hollywood Palaceon ABC.

In the mid-1970s, Rose Marie appeared in the recurring role of Hilda on the police dramaS.W.A.T..Hilda brought fresh doughnuts, made coffee for the team, and provided some comic relief.[2]

In the March 8th, 1986, episode ofRemington Steele,Rose Marie played a key role inSteele in the Spotlight.

In the early 1990s, Rose Marie had a recurring role as Frank Fontana's mother onMurphy Brown.

She appeared as Roy Biggins' domineering mother Eleanor "Bluto" Biggins in an episode ofWings.

Rose Marie andMorey Amsterdamappeared together in an October 1993 episode ofHerman's Headand guest-starred in a February 1996 episode ofCaroline in the City,shortly before Amsterdam's death in October of that same year.[14]

Theater

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Rose Marie appeared oppositePhil Silversin the hit Broadway MusicalTop Bananain 1951, also appearing in the well-received1954 film adaptation.She later claimed that her musical numbers were cut from the film in retaliation for her publicly refusing the producer's sexual advances. Near the end of her life, she testified that it was the only time she had ever experienced sexual harassment in the entertainment industry in her 90-year career.[15]

In 1965, Rose Marie appeared in the Dallas production ofBye Bye Birdieas Mae Peterson, the mother of the character played by Dick Van Dyke on Broadway and in the film.[16]

From 1977 to 1985, Rose Marie co-starred withRosemary Clooney,Helen O'Connell,andMargaret Whitingin the musical revue4 Girls 4,which toured the United States and appeared on television several times.[17]

Rose Marie was the celebrity guest host of a comedy play,Grandmas Rock!,written by Gordon Durich. It was originally broadcast on radio in 2010 onKVTAandKKZZ,and rebroadcast on KVTA and KKZZ again in September 2012 in honor ofNational Grandparents Day.[citation needed]

Personal life

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Rose Marie was married to trumpeter Bobby Guy from 1946 until his death in 1964.[18][19]The couple had one daughter, television producer Georgiana Guy Rodrigues.[4]

Though it was presented in the press as romantic, in the 1970s Rose Marie maintained aplatonic relationshipwithPussycat Theatersco-owner Vince Miranda.[20]

In her later years, Rose Marie was active on social media, particularly developing a following on Twitter, where she offered support for women who, like her, had suffered fromsexual harassment.[21]

Death

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Rose Marie died at her home in theVan Nuysneighborhood of Los Angeles on December 28, 2017, at the age of 94.[4]Nell Scovellmemorialized her as "the patron saint of female comedy writers".[22]

Rose Marie's long-time friend and agent, Harlan Boll, says that the legendary actress's death had to do with "age problems."[citation needed]

Boll was with Marie shortly before she died. He explained to reporters that Marie had lain down to rest on Thursday afternoon, and by the time her caregiver checked in on her, to see if she wanted something to eat, she discovered she had stopped breathing. "[citation needed]

Partial filmography

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Feature films

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Short subjects

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  • Baby Rose Marie the Child Wonder(1929) - Herself
  • Rambling 'Round Radio Row #4(1932)
  • Sing, Babies, Sing(1933) - Herself
  • Back in '23(1933) - Herself
  • Rambling 'Round Radio Row(1934) - Herself
  • At the Mike(1934) - Herself - Baby Rose Marie
  • Sally Swing(1938) - Sally Swing (voice, uncredited)
  • Surprising Suzie(1953) - Herself

Television

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Bibliography

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  • Rose Marie (2002).Hold The Roses.University Press of Kentucky.ISBN978-0813122649.

References

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  1. ^"Show Business Icon Rose Marie Dies At 94".NPR.org.RetrievedDecember 30,2017.
  2. ^abcdBarnes, Mike; Byrge, Duane (December 28, 2017)."Rose Marie, Wisecracking Star of 'Dick Van Dyke Show,' Dies at 94".The Hollywood Reporter.ISSN0018-3660.
  3. ^Megan Riedlinger (August 17, 2023)."The most famous women in Hollywood history you've probably never heard of".
  4. ^abcPeterson, Alison J. (December 28, 2017)."Rose Marie, Decades-Spanning Showbiz Veteran, Is Dead at 94".The New York Times.
  5. ^Archived atGhostarchiveand theWayback Machine:"Rose Marie discusses being a child star - EMMYTVLEGENDS.ORG".YouTube.
  6. ^Bergan, Ronald (January 3, 2018)."Rose Marie Obituary".The Guardian.RetrievedJuly 27,2021.
  7. ^Dagan, Carmel (December 29, 2017)."Rose Marie, 'Dick Van Dyke Show' Star, Dies at 94".Variety.RetrievedDecember 29,2017.
  8. ^Monahan, Patrick."After 90 Years in Show Business, Dick Van Dyke Star Rose Marie Is Still Laughing".HWD.RetrievedDecember 29,2017.
  9. ^Eisenberg, Dennis (1979).Meyer Lansky: Mogul of the Mob.Paddington Press.ISBN978-0448222066.
  10. ^Last wordsposted on her official Twitter account, December 28, 2017.
  11. ^Hendersonia,the bio-discography by Walter C. Allen
  12. ^Nelson, Valerie J. (December 28, 2017)."Rose Marie, co-star of 'The Dick Van Dyke Show,' dies at 94".Los Angeles Times.
  13. ^"Rose Marie: 'Dick Van Dyke Show' star who counted Al Capone as a fan".The Independent.January 9, 2018.RetrievedJanuary 12,2018.
  14. ^HoldTheRoses (November 11, 2012),Rose Marie & Morey Amsterdam | Caroline and The Watch,retrievedJanuary 12,2018
  15. ^What happened when I publicly shamed my harasser.The Hollywood Reporter.Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  16. ^"Birdie Opens 2-Week Dallas Run Monday".Waco Tribune-Herald.June 20, 1965. p. 51.RetrievedJune 22,2018.
  17. ^"Rose Marie and the '4 Girls 4'",missrosemarie.com; accessed October 25, 2015.
  18. ^"Bobby Guy [obituary]".The New York Times.May 29, 1964.RetrievedMay 14,2019.
  19. ^Bacon, James(June 11, 1965)."Rose Marie Takes Role on Stage, Nixes Clubs".Star-Banner(Ocala, Florida).p. 16.
  20. ^Sanford, Jay Allen (June 29, 2010)."Pussycat Theaters - a comprehensive history of a California dynasty".San Diego Reader.RetrievedJanuary 13,2021.
  21. ^Donahu, Ann (December 29, 2017)."Dick Van Dyke' Star Rose Marie Dead at 94".ETOnline.RetrievedDecember 29,2017.
  22. ^"Rose Marie: Dick Van Dyke Show star dies at 94".BBC.December 29, 2017.RetrievedDecember 29,2017.
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