Friday, April 22, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
Interview with Sophie Tucker by KLM1
1) KLM1: "Sophie, how in the world did you get started with your career? You are so talented and have such a fabulous style! How did it all begin?"
Sophie Tucker: Well, my parents and I are originally from Russia, but we all journeyed to America when I was just a baby. For a living my parents owned a restaurant. Being a young woman I didn't like doing work for the restaurant. It bored me. However, I would sing in the restaurant. That is how I really started getting involved in show business. It made me happy to entertain people. It made happy to make them happy with my talent. Entertaining was something I was told I was good at. People also noticed me and complimented me. When you are young and dream...it made me feel like I really belonged out in the real world somewhere. I didn't know where yet, but I knew I had a place.
While in the restaurant I would hear actors running through lines and talk to fellow actors. The art intrigued me. The actors especially complimented my singing! Oh how happy it made me.. My parents though were not so supportive of me in show business. The actors who would come to our restaurant even told my parents I should partake in a Jewish Theater Company... I didn't.But once my mother bought me a piano.. I was young.. I didnt practice and it got sold.
(“Sophie Tucker.” Gale, biography in context)
2) KLM1: "How did your teachers and role models affect how you developed your talent and interests as an artist?"
Sophie Tucker: My first music teacher was my piano teacher, but I didn't practice so I stopped taking lessons. When I was young I would go to Vaudeville matinees. I recall learning the songs and humming the melodies for hours and hours on end. I learned all I knew about showbusiness before I first went to New Haven.. from those matinees. The man I went to see in New Haven sent me to New York to see what would become of me... Vaudeville matinees really were a source of inspiration for me. They were so enteratining and kept me amusedfor who knows how long...I learned alot of my technique by playing black face on the New England circuit.
From then on I knew I had to be involved in show business. It was my livelihood!I knew that it was how I was going to make a name for myself in the world. In 1906 I changed my name to Tucker, and became known with many songwriters. I had to make myself known to get my name and talent put out there. In 1911 Shelton Brooks brought me the song "Some of These Days" It is today my hit piece! I picked up a lot of technique just by ear.. but Shelton was a big help in that category. "
(“biography from Current Biography” The H.W. Wilson Company)
3) KLM1: "Sophie there is so much criticism these days of music artists. What was the music and show business industry like when you first entered it? Was it very different then you thought it would be?"
Sophie Tucker: "When I first entered the music industry Vaudeville was very popular.It was all I had known about the industry before I had any of the experiences I had while out on the road. During the length of my career I have done many styles of music but Vaudeville is my best subject because I have been doing it the longest. Vaudeville was very hard for me to get started in because of all of the criticism..I am a big, blonde woman who is not afraid of being myself. I am talented and my talent should not be put down because of a common thought.
Eventually the people warmed up to me, but in the beginning I had to wear blackface make up.. The manager of one of the shows I was in said I was "too big and ugly" to perform without blackface. However, one day my costume trunk was stolen. I had to do the show without the blackface make up. It was a huge success! Sometimes things happen for a reason huh?"
(“Sophie Tucker.” Gale, biography in context)
4) KLM1: "How did the major cultural aspects of the time affect your work?"
Sophie Tucker: "I began working in Vaudeville style show business.. but as time went onI began to like jazz more..Oh my "Bohemian Nights" were incredible. Eventually jazz turned more into swing. I ofcourse I went through the phase of singing "Hot Numbers" but took a ton of criticism for that phase of my career.I am mainly known for my Vaudeville and Jazz styles though. Criticism plays a huge part in turn of music styles. People thought differently of each of the styles. Each of the styles I used in my performances aswell. I watched as Vaudeville continued to get less and less popular. The 30s is when it got decreasingly popular. That is when the Broadway phase of my career started."
KLM1: How did the major economic situations affect your work?
Sophie Tucker: "The economy was reformed into a market economy after WWI and countries were only exporting goods based on demands. Sometimes it was hard to earn a living others it was not. It all depended on if there was work for me that week or not."
KLM1:"How did the major political situations of the time impact your work?"
Sophie Tucker: "Racial Tension sometimes separated types of music such as swing and jazz... as compared to vaudeville. Swing though, I believe, was an important bridge builder. However racial tension issues are also very political. Being the reason I performed in blackface..
5) KLM1: "You have accomplished so much since the beginning of your career! Can you give us an overview of some of the accomplishments you've made throughout the duration of your career? How did you get there?"
Sophie Tucker: I went from being the daughter of restaurant owners to Sophie Tucker. My major accomplishments include all of the different styles show business and of music I've performed. Including, Vaudeville.. the phase I learned how not to be just a "coon shouter"..Jazz, and ballads.. For me a major accomplishment was being able to change my style as the music styles of the era were changing. "Above all, the performer must look ahead. You can't grow stale or cling to a period. You must belong to your time.
It Has always been about being an over all good person, and making a name for myself. I will not apologize for anything.. the stories of my life in my autobiography are the blunt truth and there is nothing in my story to be ashamed of because it is the truth. I am the first woman to hold status as the president of the American Federation of Actors.
6) KLM1: "Sophie, all of this is so interesting to hear...What do you think, personally, were the most important events in your life that led to turning points of your success?"
Sophie Tucker: Hmm...I worked many Vaudeville circuits, worked with the Ziegfeld Follies, also in 1911 Shelton Brooks wrote me my hit song "Some of These Days." I even performed for King GeorgeV and Queen Mary.... I think those were some really important events that led to other big opportunities and some really incredible experiences being on the road. I was also elected the president of the American Federation of Actors. I was the first woman to hold the status as President! I also wrote an autobiography! Entitled "Some of These Days."
The England trip was a huge turning point for me in realizing the differences between American and British shows. I changed my material to be accepted by the British audience. I went all over.. Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardifff, Nottingham, Manchester..London was also a huge turning point in my confidence I performed for "high society." It all led me to believe that there were even bigger opportunities calling my name.(and indeed there were)
7) KLM1: "What were some of the personal decisions you made in order to become as successful as you are today?"
Sophie Tucker: " I had to make the decision of leaving my family to go into show business. Not only did I leave my family and the restaurant but I also argued against their beliefs on showbusiness.I had to leave my son. Which was a very difficult part for me.. and When my marriages failed I had to learn to keep on living and working in order to keep my success status as high as it was. At the rate I was going at it would have been not a great move on my part to take time off.
I made a decision that I was not going to let criticism whether constructional or not get to me. No matter what the criticism is, it is irrelevant to whether or not I am talented and should keep on being deemed as a successful artist.
8) KLM1: Were there any roadblocks that you had to overcome? In order to be the "Sophie Tucker" we know and love?
Sophie Tucker: Oh! Absolutely. There was the fact that in the very beginning I felt unwanted.. but in reality I knew I was talented and wanted to continue with where I wanted to go in life. Agents and press and people and criticism all tried to bring me down. But I am not ashamed of any of the work I do. It is simply entertainment and fun. Nothing vulgar.
I also had to overcome some family roadblocks such as leaving my son. Also, going against my parents' wishes. Marriage upsets also were hard for me to get over, but inconvenient to put my career on halt, so I didn't. My success was moving at a rapid pace, and I wasn’t afraid to be me. I just had to let everyone know that things they said about me weren't going to get to me.
9) KLM1: "What were some limitations you had to face? as an artist and a person?"
Sophie Tucker: Limitations for me included how long I could continue each style of music I performed... whether Jazz, Vaudeville, or Burlesque, or Ballads. Limitations included what kind of things I could include in my stage directions and comedy routines. I had to be careful what I told people. I had not make sure I didn't say anything I didn’t want people to know.
Limitations also include how often I could sing and how long I could sing. I cannot sing at all with an injured voice. Who I performed for, and what I signed up for. I wanted to create a good name for myself.
(Fields, 2003)
10) KLM1: "What story, if any story, best describes how you became "The Last of the red Hot Mamas" Sophie Tucker?"
Sophie Tucker: I think my favorite story about how I became Sophie Tucker is the story of how my manager at a show I worked at on 125th street said I was "too big and too ugly" not to wear blackface make up. Well, One day my trunk for the show was either lost or stolen and I had to do the show without it. That is when I realized I could do a show without the make up. The make up isn't what makes me "Sophie Tucker the Last of the Red Hot Mama's" It just covers up my face trying to disguise how talented that "Sophie Tucker" is.
It was then I realized show business truly was for me. I didn't need to cover up my talent or who I really was.
Learning about Vaudeville I used (“Vaudeville.” Gale Encyclopedia)
Bibliography:
American Masters, PBS. (1999, October 8). "vaudeville- about vaudeville".
(American Masters, 1999)
Community Television of Southern California, . (1996-2004). The great war timeline post-1919/pbs. Web 13 Feb. 2011.
(Community Television of Southern California, 1996-2004)
Fields, Armond. (2003). Sophie Tucker: First Lady of Show Business [Includes Bibliographical references and index].
(Fields, 2003)
Gale, 1994. "Sophie Tucker." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 12. Detroit: Gale Biography In Context. Web. 23 Feb. 2011.
("Sophie Tucker." Gale, Biography in Context)
Gale "Sophie Tucker." Dictionary of American Biography. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1988. U.S. History In Context. Web. 23 Feb. 2011.
state=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CBT2310001795&mode=view&userGroupName=cinc37305&jsid=c9f59e495a69a4ac65bb6723bd2aefd9
( "Sophie Tucker" Dictionary of American Biography)
Goodman, Walter. "Stage "Sophie," Musical Drawn from Tucker."
New York Times (November 10 1987): p1-p2. Web. 17 Feb 2011.
(Goodman, Walter New York Times)
Kennedy, Louise. "A Brassy, If Not Red Hot "Sophie Tucker"." Boston Globe June, 29, 2010: n. pag. Web. 15 Feb 2011.
<http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/articles/2010/06/29/a_brassy_if_not_red_hot_sophie_tucker/>. (A Brassy, If Not Red Hot, "Sophie Tucker")
TIME Magazine:"Theatre: Sophie Spanked." Monday July 24 1939: p1. Web. 17 Feb 2011.
("TIME" p1)
"Vaudeville." Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History. Detroit: Gale, 1999. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. Retrieved from: http://research.cincinnatilibrary.org:2315/ic/suic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Reference&prodId=SUIC&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ1667500732&mode=view&userGroupName=cinc37305&jsid=de30672c684a4b9afadc424545e435
("Vaudeville." Gale Encyclopedia)
"Vaudeville." Wikipedia, . (Last modified 2011, February 16).
(Wikipedia Last Modified February, 16, 2011)
Wilson Trevor, Prior Robin, . The First Wold war. paperback 2001. Great Britain: Cassell & C ompany, 1999. p202-217. Print.
(Wilson Trevor, Prior Robin p202-217)
Wilson Web. The H.W, Wilson Company, 1945. Web. 19 Feb. 2010. "Biography from Current Biography (1945)."http://research.cincinnatilibrary.org:2082/hww/results/getResults.jhtml?_DARGS=/hww/results/results_common.jhtml.35#curPg=1%7C1%7C1%7Cdetails%7C1%7C1.
("Biography from Current Biography" The H.W. Wilson Company)
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Broadway: The American Musical
Broadway: The American Musical
My first appearances were with Vaudeville companies that toured. One of these companies was called the "Ziegfeld Follies" It is how I began my career. The first couple paragraphs in this source are the best for telling about what the group "Ziegfeld Follies" did.. I think it gives a real outlook on how I began my career in Vaudeville and Jazz. Vaudeville taught me alot about show business and the theater. I am happy I began my career with such a fabulous group!
Maslon, Laurence. "Broadway: The American Musical." Public Broadcasting Company (2004): n. pag. Web. 23 Mar 2011. <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/print/p-revue.html>.
My first appearances were with Vaudeville companies that toured. One of these companies was called the "Ziegfeld Follies" It is how I began my career. The first couple paragraphs in this source are the best for telling about what the group "Ziegfeld Follies" did.. I think it gives a real outlook on how I began my career in Vaudeville and Jazz. Vaudeville taught me alot about show business and the theater. I am happy I began my career with such a fabulous group!
Maslon, Laurence. "Broadway: The American Musical." Public Broadcasting Company (2004): n. pag. Web. 23 Mar 2011. <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/print/p-revue.html>.
Hartford Connecticut
This is a picture of Hartford Connecticut. I was raised is Hartford Connecticut after my family and I movwd from Russia.. I was very young then. My parents were owners of a restaurant and were not supportive of me being in showbusiness.. although... when I hit it big my parents were a little bit more understanding of my choices.
citation for image:
"Main Street East Hartford Connecticut ." Wikipedia. Web. 23 Mar 2011. <http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=hartford+connecticut&view=detail&id=30B730717286550C8B9D25410DD2BC4D7024CF7D&first=1&FORM
Sophie Tucker in the 1940's
This is picture of me and how I looked in the 1940s. I thought the feather on my head and the fur coat really showed about my Vaudeville background. I loved to look glamorous and really be a show stopper!
Citation:
Sophie Tucker in the 1940s." Sophie Tucker's Visit To The Barbary Coast. Web. 23 Mar 2011. <http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist2/soph.html>.
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