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1-28 of 28
- Actress
- Soundtrack
What becomes a legend most? For the beloved Russian-born entertainer Sophie Tucker, it was most definitely the live stage. The stage was her home. She fed off a live audience and it's what made her the sensation she was. Seeing her up close and personal was to get the very best of her. Movies and TV were too restrictive to capture the true essence of Sophie Tucker. For well over five decades, she performed everywhere -- Broadway, vaudeville, cabaret, clubs and burlesque.
This gutsy, irrepressible "Jazz Age Hot Mamma" was born Sonya Kalish in Russia in 1884 just as her family was about to emigrate to the United States. They left when she was a mere three months old, settling in Hartford, Connecticut. She started performing as a youngster in her parent's small restaurant, occasionally singing and playing the piano for tips. Marrying in her teens to a ne'er-do-well, she was forced to continue at the restaurant to support a family of three (including baby boy Bert). Within a short time, however, she divorced, left her child with her parents, and headed to nearby New York with visions of stardom. Changing her name to the more suitable marquee moniker of "Sophie Tucker" (her ex-husband's name was Louis Tuck), she proceeded to take the town by storm.
Sophie started out in amateur shows. Not a beauty by any stretch, she was grossly overweight and quickly found that self parody and racy comedy, punctuated by her jazzy musical style, would become the backbone of her popularity. Playing at various dives, she earned a minor break in 1906 after earning a singing/piano-playing gig on the vaudeville circuit. Disguised in blackface, she played ragtime music. Her humor, of course, came at the expense of her weight but, with such ditties as "Nobody Loves a Fat Girl, But Oh How a Fat Girl Can Love," she had audiences eating out of the palm of her hand. They were laughing with her, not at her. One night her makeup kit was stolen and she was forced to stand in front of the curtain and entertain without it. The audience went crazy for her and the rest is history. She never wore blackface again.
Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. caught her act and started her off in his Follies shows in 1909. She proved to be such a scene-stealer, however, that other top female headliners refused to be on the same billing with her. She went on instead to headline her own shows. A cross between the sex-minded Mae West and the homely, self-effacing Fanny Brice, Sophie relied on aggressive sexual innuendo to win over her crowds. She had a faux confidence about her sexuality, dressing up with opulent, come-hither costumes. She gave advice to both women and married men in such songs as "You've Got to Make It Legal, Mr. Siegel." Sophie played The Palace -- vaudeville's "A" No. 1 showcase. She made huge hits out of such naughty novelty songs as "Who Paid the Rent for Mrs. Rip van Winkle When Rip Van Winkle Went Away?" These songs stayed with her act for decades. Sophie was also a pioneer recording artist, recording her famous signature song "Some of These Days" for the Edison Company on February 24, 1911. She re-recorded the song in 1926. Other big hits would include "After You've Gone," "Cheatin' On Me" and "My Yiddishe Mama."
Her blockbuster success in America aggressively spread into Europe. Upon returning from her first trip to Berlin in 1925, however, things had changed. Vaudeville was dying and she started looking into radio and films as a viable means of livelihood. Radio, yes, but films were a major disappointment. She was too bawdy and larger-than-life for the small lens. Besides, she really couldn't act. Nevertheless, in 1929, Sophie made her film debut as an night club singer in Honky Tonk (1929) in which she sang her ever-popular "Some of These Days" in addition to "I Never Want to Get Thin" and "I'm the Last of the Red Hot Mamas." She went on to share the spotlight with Judy Garland in Thoroughbreds Don't Cry (1937), in which she played a non-singing boarding house owner. She would showcase her signature tune "Some of These Days" twice more in movies, in Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937) and Follow the Boys (1944).
In the 1930s Tucker brought a wave of burlesque-styled nostalgia into her show, now billing herself as "The Last of the Red Hot Mamas." She had a hit Broadway musical comedy with "Leave It to Me" in 1938-1939 which co-starred the comedy team of William Gaxton and Victor Moore, along with a debuting Mary Martin. With her financial success, she started the Sophie Tucker foundation in 1945.
In the 1950s and early 1960s the woman, hailed as "The First Lady of Show Business," made frequent TV appearances on the popular variety and talk shows of the day. She remained a favorite both here and abroad, especially in London music halls where she once greeted King George with an earthy "Hiya, King!" On April 13, 1963, a Broadway musical entitled "Sophie" opened with Libi Staiger in the title role, based on Sophie's early life (until 1922). It closed after eight performances.
Sophie went on doing her thing until the very end, playing the Latin Quarter only months before her death. She had developed lung cancer and died at age 82 of lung and kidney complications in 1966. She was interred at Emanuel Cemetery in Wethersfield, Connecticut, her home state. For Sophie Tucker, a true legend, it was either her way or the highway, and the audiences embraced her for it.- Director
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Russian-born Edward Ludwig came to the U.S. as a child and was educated in Canada and New York City. He entered the film business as an actor in silents, then became a scenarist and screenwriter, and in the early 1930s turned to directing. Although most of his films were routine second features, he showed a flair for action pictures, a good example of which is a John Wayne war epic he made for Republic, The Fighting Seabees (1944), one of Wayne's better--and most successful--films for that studio. In the late 1950s he turned to directing TV series.- Clarice Lispector was born on 10 December 1920 in Chechelnik, Podolia Governorate [now Chechelnyk, Vinnytsia Oblast], Ukraine. She was a writer, known for Hour of the Star (1985), Estrela Nua (1984) and A Paixão Segundo G.H. (2023). She was married to Maury Gurgel Valente. She died on 9 December 1977 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Jan Brzechwa was born on 15 August 1898 in Zhmerinka, Podolia Governorate, Russian Empire [now Zhmerynka, Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine]. Jan was a writer, known for Pan Kleks w kosmosie (1988), O dwóch takich, co ukradli ksiezyc (1962) and Mister Blot's Academy (1984). Jan was married to Karolina Lentowa, Maria Sunderland and Janina Magajewska. Jan died on 2 July 1966 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.- Jack Sterling was born on 24 February 1899 in Chmelnik, Podolia Governorate, Russian Empire [now Khmilnyk, Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine]. He was an actor, known for The Royal African Rifles (1953), Studio One (1948) and Annie Oakley (1954). He died on 3 March 1978 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Writer
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Jaroslaw Iwaszkiewicz was born on 20 February 1894 in Kalnik, Podolia Governorate, Russian Empire [now Kalnik, Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a writer and actor, known for Nad Niemnem (1939), Kochankowie z Marony (1966) and Kochankowie z Marony (2005). He was married to Anna Lilpop. He died on 2 March 1980 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Ignacy Jan Paderewski was born on 6 November 1860 in Kurilovka, Podolia Governorate, Russian Empire [now Kurilyvka, Khmilnyk Raion, Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a composer and actor, known for Moonlight Sonata (1937), The Naked Angel (1946) and Television Theater (1953). He was married to Helena Maria Rosen and Antonina Korsak. He died on 29 June 1941 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.- Additional Crew
- Writer
Semyon Tsvigun was a life-long member of the KGB from the late 1930s, interrupted only by Red Army service in WWII. He graduated from Odessa Teachers College in 1937. He was sent to Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1951, and then to Tadzhikistan and Azerbaijan. In 1967, he returned to Moscow, and became the Deputy Chairman of the KGB.
Tsvigun was also a writer of spy novels and author of many non-fiction articles, one of the most visible members of the KGB.
Semyon Tsvigun tried to protect his niece (and Brezhnev's daughter) Galina, and it is generally believed that a confrontation with Mikhail Suslov led to Tsvigun's suicide. R. Judson Mitchell claims that suicide is KGB disinformation, and that Tsvigun was actually assassinated.- Composer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Anton Rubinstein, the founder of St. Petersburg Conservatory of Music who regarded music as an international language, was also a word-class piano virtuoso who performed a longest concert marathon in the 19th century.
He was born Anton Grigorjewitsch Rubinstein into a Russian-Jewish family on November 16, 1829, in the village of Vikhvatinets near Rybnitsa in the south of the Russian Empire (now the Republic of Moldova). He learned the piano from an early age and began public performances at the age of 9. He studied music in Paris and in Berlin, where he was supported by Felix Mendelssohn. He achieved a reputation of one of the greatest piano virtuosi and was regarded as a rival to Franz Liszt. At age 19 he left a teaching job in Vienna, after being hired by the family of the Tsar's brother in St. Petersburg, Russia. In 1862, Anton Rubinstein together with his brother, Nikolai Rubinstein, founded the St. Petersburg Conservatory, where their students were such composers as Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Sergei Rachmaninoff among others.
Anton Rubinstein regarded music as an international language. He believed that music may communicate beyond words directly to human souls. He also made a humorous self-definition, "To the Christians I am a Jew, to the Jews I am a Christian, to the Russians I am a German, to the Germans I am a Russian.", wittily describing his place in the world. His ancestry was Russian, Jewish, and German, and his parents converted to Christianity because of the fear of anti-Semitism in the Russian Empire. Anton Rubinstein and his brother Nikolai did not exhibit any Russian nationalism in their music, albeit their student Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky became popularly identified with Russia.
In the season of 1872-73 Anton Rubinstein made a triumphant eight-month tour of the United States. It was a sensational marathon of 215 piano recitals in many cities across the USA. Upon his return to Russia, Anton Rubinstein wrote Variations on the theme of Yankey Doodle. His other compositions include six symphonies, four piano concerti, and many chamber works for piano and strings or ensemble music with piano. Among his 20 operas, "The Demon" stands out for it's lavish score, inspired by the eponymous Romantic poem of Russian poet Mikhail Lermontov.
Anton Rubinstein died on November 20, 1894, in Peterhof, a royal suburb of St. Petersburg, and was laid to rest in the Necropolis of the Masters of Arts at St. Aleksander Nevsky Monastery next to the tomb of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The street in St. Petersburg, Russia, where Rubinstein lived, is now named the Rubinstein Street. The main concert hall of St. Petersburg Conservatory is named The Rubinstein Hall.- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Bentsion Monastyrsky was born on 25 March 1903 in Minkovtsy, Novaya Ushitsa Uyezd, Podolia Governorate, Russian Empire [now Dunaivtsi Raion, Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Ukraine]. Bentsion was a cinematographer, known for Kreyser 'Varyag' (1947), Dostoyanie respubliki (1972) and Sudba barabanshchika (1956). Bentsion died on 21 January 1977 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia].- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Anatoliy Granik was born on 10 March 1918 in Balta, Podolia Governorate [now Odessa Oblast], Ukraine. He was a director and writer, known for Na dikom brege (1967), Maksim Perepelitsa (1956) and Nash korrespondent (1959). He died on 17 April 1989 in Leningrad, RSFSR, USSR [now St. Petersburg, Russia].- Writer
- Soundtrack
Nikolai A. Nekrasov, one of Russian poetry's most eloquent voices who survived through child abuse and poverty in his youth, became a successful publisher and author of some of the most mellifluent verses about women.
He was born Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov on December 10, 1821, in Nemirov, Yaroslav province, Russia. His father was a Russian Army officer, his mother, Alexandra Zakrevska, was from Warsaw and belonged to Polish Gentry. Young Nekrasov grew up on ancestral estate, Greshnevo, near the Volga River, where he witnessed the hard labor of the Volga boatmen. He was abused by his tyrannical father, who's drunken rages against his serfs and his wife, caused traumatic experience and later affected Nekrasov's writing. Thanks to his mother's love and support, young Nekrasov managed to survive through the traumatic experiences of his childhood and youth. He admired his mother and expressed his love and empathy to all women through his poetry. He studied at the St. Petersburg University, when his father abruptly cut his support. At that time Nekrasov had to live in a shelter for homeless.
His first book of poetry was met with harsh criticism from V. G. Belinsky. Nekrasov was devastated and depressed, he removed all the copies of his failed book from booksellers. He joined the staff of "Otechestvennye Zapiski" (Notes of Fatherland), where his former critic V. G. Belinsky was the principal literary expert. They soon became friends and Nekrasov was promoted to an editing position. He edited the first novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky "Poor Folk" (1845). In 1846 Nekrasov acquired the "Sovremennik" (The Contemporary) magazine, which was originally founded by Alexander Pushkin. From 1846-1866 he was the publisher of "Sovremennik" and made it one the most reputable magazines of the 19th century Russia. In it Nekrasov published his own novels and poems, as well as the works of Ivan Turgenev, Lev Tolstoy, and other Russian writers. In 1866 "Sovremennik" was shut down by the Tsar's government in connection with the political prosecution of its editor Nikolai Chernyshevsky. After that Nekrasov became an independent writer and entered the most productive period in his life.
Nikolai A. Nekrasov's best poems, such as "Russian Women" (1871-72), "Who's Happy in Russia" (1873-76), and "Last Songs" (1877), stand out among the 19th century Russian poetry. Nekrasov was praised by Fyodor Dostoevsky, who compared him to Mikhail Lermontov and Alexander Pushkin. In his later years Nekrasov suffered from chronic bronchitis and its complications; he had to travel to Italy and Arfica for convalescence, but never completely recovered. He died of complications after an unsuccessful cancer surgery on January 8, 1878, in St. Petersburg, and was laid to rest in the Novodevichy Convent Cemetery in St. Petersburg. Nekrasov's home in St. Petersburg, Russia, an important literary club of his time, is now a National Literary Museum.- Mikhail Bolduman was a Russian actor of Moscow Art Theatre, known for his stage presence, powerful voice, and impeccable delivery, and regarded for high standard of his numerous stage and radio performances.
He was born Mikhail Panteleimonovich Bolduman on July 12, 1898, in Izrailovka, Mogilev Governorate, Russian Empire (now Mahilyow Voblast, Belarus). His parents belonged to Ukrainean and Moldavian nobility. Young Bolduman grew up in a trilingual environment. During the WWI and the Russian Civil War, he spent several years outside of Russia. In 1921 he returned to Ukraine, and made his acting debut with Zhmerinka Theatre Company, then worked with Kiev Theatre of Russian Drama. In 1930 Bolduman moved to Moscow, there he worked at Korsh Theatre and took part in productions under director Vsevolod Meyerhold.
From 1933 - 1983 Mikhail Bolduman was a permanent member of the troupe at Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT). There his stage partners were such renown Russian actors as Ivan Moskvin, Nikolay Khmelyov, Alla Tarasova, Anatoli Ktorov, Olga Androvskaya, Angelina Stepanova, Anastasiya Georgievskaya, Mikhail Yanshin, Aleksey Gribov, Boris Livanov, Mikhail Kedrov, Viktor Stanitsyn, Vasili Toporkov, Mark Prudkin, Pavel Massalsky, and the next generation of MKhAT actors - Oleg Efremov, Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy, Oleg Tabakov, Kira Golovko, Nina Gulyaeva, Tatyana Lavrova, Iya Savvina, Olga Barnet, Irina Miroshnichenko, Anastasiya Voznesenskaya, Andrey Myagkov, Vladimir Kashpur, Vladlen Davydov, Viktor Sergachyov, Vyacheslav Nevinnyy, Stanislav Lyubshin, Sergey Sazontev, Avangard Leontev, Igor Vasilev, and others. Bolduman gave acclaimed performances as Vershinin in Chekhov's 'The Three Sisters', and as Boris Godunov opposite Ivan Moskvin, among his other roles. Bolduman's acting career spanned over 60 years, and he was a member of the board at Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT).
Mikhail Bolduman received the State Stalin's Prize three times: in 1946 (twice), and in 1950, and was designated People's Actor of the USSR. He was married to actress Natalya Durova, the daughter of the famous circus tamer Yuri Durov, and the couple had one son. Mikhail Bolduman died of a heart failure, on December 28, 1983, in Moscow, and was laid to rest in Vvedenskoe Cemetery in Moscow, Russia. - Tadeusz Breza was born on 31 December 1905 in Shekerintsy, Podolia Governorate, Russian Empire [now Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a writer, known for Uczta Baltazara (1954), Yokmok (1963) and Television Theater (1953). He died on 19 May 1970 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.
- Stanislaw Brylinski was born on 1 May 1890 in Kamenets-Podolsky, Podolia Governorate, Russian Empire [now Khmelnitskyi Oblast, Ukraine]. He was an actor, known for Pan Twardowski (1921), Tamten (1921) and Tajemnica przystanku tramwajowego (1922). He was married to Krystyna Feldman and Helena Górska-Brylinska. He died on 10 October 1953 in Lódz, Lódzkie, Poland.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Nellie Casman was born on 24 December 1893 in Proskurov, Podolia Governorate, Russian Empire [now Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine]. She was an actress, known for Maria's Lovers (1984), Pikkusisar (1999) and Tanssi kanssain (2018). She died on 27 May 1984 in New York City, New York, USA.- Apollo Korzeniowski was born on 21 February 1820 in Honoratka, Podolia Governorate, Russian Empire [now Honoratka, Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine]. Apollo was married to Ewa Bobrowska. Apollo died on 23 May 1869 in Kraków, Galicia, Austro-Hungarian Empire [now Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland].
- Aleksandr Veprik was born on 23 June 1899 in Balta, Podolia Governorate, Russian Empire [now Odessa Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a composer, known for The Last Night (1937). He died on 13 October 1958 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia].
- Vasil Zemlyak was born on 23 April 1923 in Konyushevka, Podolia Governorate, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Konyushivka, Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a writer, known for Derzost (1972), Vavilon XX (1979) and Doch Strationa (1964). He died in March 1977 in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine].
- David Roitman was born in 1884 in Podolia Governorate, Russian Empire [now Ukraine]. He died on 4 April 1943 in New York City, New York, USA.
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Music Department
- Composer
Born in _Proskurov, Khmelnitskaya oblast, Ukrainskaya SSR, USSR [now Khmelnytskyy, Khmelnytska oblast, Ukraine]_ on 16 March 1916, Jules Seidman emigrated to the United States in 1920 with his parents, Paul and Rose, entering through Ellis Island. Jules was four years and a violin prodigy. He performed at Carnegie Hall when still a child. Jules attended NYC schools completing his education in music at Columbia University. He greatly enjoyed his professional life working as a composer, musical director, assistant director, and director through the 1950s and until 1960 at NBC-TV in Hollywood, CA, and through the '60s and '70s at WNYC-TV in Manhattan. Among the shows he contributed to in Hollywood was Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951), and the TV special Astaire Time (1960), starring _Fred Astaire_.
Jules was married in 1955 to Nancy Lou Barnard whom he met while at Columbia. They had two sons: Mark Seidman (1958) and Paul Seidman (1960), both born in Hollywood. After relocating back east, they lived in Staten Island, NY from 1967 and through most of the '70s. He died suddenly of a heart attack on 11 October 1979 at the age of 63.- Piotr Perkowski was born on 17 March 1901 in Ovechache, Podolia Governorate, Russian Empire [now Druzhne, now Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a composer, known for Rycerze mroku (1932) and The Epopee of Warsaw (1953). He died on 12 August 1990 in Otwock, Mazowieckie, Poland.
- Alberto Gerchunoff was born on 1 January 1883 in Proskurov, Podolia Governorate, Russian Empire [now Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine]. He was a writer, known for The Jewish Gauchos (1975). He died on 2 March 1950 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Kazimierz Rowinski was born on 15 November 1905 in Kupin, Podolia Governorate, Russian Empire [now Kupyn, Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Ukraine]. He was an actor. He died on 23 October 1972 in Gdansk, Pomorskie, Poland.
- Anatoliy Nal was born on 15 February 1905 in Gaysin, Podolia Governorate, Russian Empire [now Haisyn, Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine]. Anatoliy was a director, known for Tsvety zapozdalyye (1969). Anatoliy died on 10 July 1970 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia].