Gypsy Rose Lee

I had a meeting in NYC with one of production team members, Mimi, this past Saturday.  There are some really exciting things in the works, but I owe you a post or two!

Continuing the brief biographies of performers I find inspiring/useful for this show and burlesque in general, today we're looking at Miss Gypsy Rose Lee.  There's a lot of information out there about Gypsy, including a new biography  (American Rose) by Karen Abbott and Gypsy's own memoir, which was adapted as a Broadway musical called--what else?--Gypsy.

Here are two versions of the famous song showing Gypsy's career from the musical.  Above, the 1993 made-for-TV film of the show starring Bette Midler as Mama Rose.  The costumes are by Bob Mackie-not accurate for Gypsy's career, but soooo sparkly!
Below, the original 1960s movie version starring Natalie Wood as Gypsy.  Which do you like better?

Gypsy was born Rose Louise Hovick in 1914, and traveled the Vaudeville circuit throughout her early life with her sister June.  June starred in their act dancing and singing under the overbearing eye of their mother, Rose, who kept a totalitarian control over the girls' lives...that is until June ran off with one of the dancers from the act in 1928 when she was only 15.  After that it was all up to Gypsy to continue the act, but her singing and dancing (kept in the background while her sister shown) were not up to filling June's spot...especially as the world of Vaudeville was dying out around them, unable to compete with the new forms of entertainment such as movies.

Gypsy c. 1937, image via IMDB

Eventually, with her overbearing mother still trying to use her for financial support, Gypsy and the act ended up in a burlesque house.  When the star act refused to go on (a lot has changed--I've heard some stories recently from the Boston Babydolls about Lili St Cyr demanding tea service in her dressing room, although she didn't drink tea), Rose took the opportunity to put Gypsy on stage--at just 15.  Her version of the striptease, with much more emphasis on the 'tease' than the 'strip', met with a positive reception and launched her career.

two images of Gypsy, looking glamorous with fur

Gypsy eventually became one of the biggest burlesque names of all time.  Her act, which combined intelligent recitation,witty banter, and clothing removal, charmed audiences in a way that more traditional burlesque acts--at that point considered sleazy--didn't.  In addition to normal burlesque houses, Gypsy was the toast of Minsky's burlesque and high society balls.  Here's an example of a famous Gypsy act, 'The Psychology of a Stripteaser', done in an edited 'clean' form for a movie appearance:

Gypsy did try to work as a movie actress in the 1930s and 40s under her real name, Louise Hovick, but with little success (she was witty and charming but not a very good actress).  Next, she became an author, publishing a backstage burlesque mystery called The G-String Murders in 1941.  The book was made into a movie two years later, starring Barbara Stanwyck.  Her writing career never went much farther, though, and she retired in the 1950s to just be the reigning queen of burlesque.

Gypsy at her typewriter

Things changed again after her mother Rose's death in 1954.  Throughout Gypsy's career Rose had continually tried to extort money from her daughter, but with her death Gypsy no longer had to fear her mother's threats.  In 1957 she published her memoirs, which became a bestseller.  The memoirs were turned into the Sondheim musical mentioned above, and Gypsy was reborn, immortalized alongside her mother.

  Although Gypsy's career was not necessarily the biggest, or most successful, she left an incredible impact of the performance style.  Her obvious intelligence, charm, sarcasm, and wit during performance--as well as her emphasis on the tease--are all pieces of burlesque that are a large part of the art form today.  Even if it wasn't the career she wanted, she was good at it.

And just for fun, here's a clip of Gypsy on the television show 'What's My Line?' after the premier of the musical.