Lillian Roth (December 13, 1910 – May 12, 1980) was an American singer and actress.
Her life story was told in the 1955 film ''
I'll Cry Tomorrow'', in which she was portrayed by
Susan Hayward
Susan Hayward (born Edythe Marrenner; June 30, 1917 – March 14, 1975) was an American film actress, best known for her film portrayals of women that were based on true stories.
After working as a fashion model for the Walter Thornton Model A ...
, who was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Actress
The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year. ...
for her performance.
Early life
Roth was born on December 13, 1910, in
Boston, Massachusetts, the daughter of Katie (née Silverman) and Arthur Rutstein. Her family was Jewish.
[Stark, Bonnie Rothbart (2009)]
"Lillian Roth, 1910–1980"
''Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia''. Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved September 6, 2018. She was only 6 years old when her mother took her to
Educational Pictures, where she became the company's trademark, symbolized by a living statue holding a lamp of knowledge. In her autobiography, ''
I'll Cry Tomorrow'' (1954), she describes being molested by the man who painted her as a statue. She attended the
Professional Children's School in New York City with classmates
Ruby Keeler and
Milton Berle
Milton Berle (born Mendel Berlinger; ; July 12, 1908 – March 27, 2002) was an American actor and comedian. His career as an entertainer spanned over 80 years, first in silent films and on stage as a child actor, then in radio, movies and tel ...
.
In 1917 Roth made her
Broadway debut as the character "Flossie" in ''The Inner Man''. Her film debut occurred the following year, when she performed as an extra in the government documentary ''Pershing's Crusaders''. She and her sister Ann also toured together during this period as "Lillian Roth and Co.", although at times they were billed as "The Roth Kids". According to Lillian's autobiography, one of the highlights of their tour was meeting U.S. President
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of P ...
, who attended the girls' vaudeville act and afterwards allowed them to ride with him briefly in his chauffeur-driven car.
Roth entered the Clark School of Concentration in the early 1920s. She appeared in ''Artists and Models'' in 1923 and went on to make ''Revels'' with
Frank Fay. During production for the show, she told management she was 19 years of age despite being only 13 at the time.
Career
In 1927, at the age of 17, Roth returned to Broadway to perform in the first of three ''
Earl Carroll Vanities'', which was followed by ''Midnight Frolics'', a
Florenz Ziegfeld
Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the '' Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He also ...
production. Soon the young actress signed a seven-year contract with
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
.
Among the films she made with Paramount are ''
The Love Parade'' (1929) with
Maurice Chevalier
Maurice Auguste Chevalier (; 12 September 1888 – 1 January 1972) was a French singer, actor and entertainer. He is perhaps best known for his signature songs, including " Livin' In The Sunlight", "Valentine", " Louise", "Mimi", and "Thank Heav ...
and
Jeanette MacDonald
Jeanette Anna MacDonald (June 18, 1903 – January 14, 1965) was an American singer and actress best remembered for her musical films of the 1930s with Maurice Chevalier ('' The Love Parade'', '' Love Me Tonight'', '' The Merry Widow'' and '' ...
, ''
The Vagabond King'' (1930), ''
Paramount on Parade'' (1930), ''Honey'' (1930; in which she introduced "
Sing, You Sinners"),
Cecil B. DeMille's ''
Madam Satan'' (1930) with
Reginald Denny and
Kay Johnson, ''Sea Legs'' with
Jack Oakie, and the
Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act that was successful in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in motion pictures from 1905 to 1949. Five of the Marx Brothers' thirteen feature films were selected by the American Film Institute (AF ...
' second film, ''
Animal Crackers'' (1930). She took over
Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman (born Ethel Agnes Zimmermann, January 16, 1908 – February 15, 1984) was an American actress and singer, known for her distinctive, powerful voice, and for leading roles in musical theatre.Obituary '' Variety'', February 22, 1984. ...
's stage role in the film version of ''Take a Chance'', singing "Eadie Was a Lady". After leaving Paramount, she was cast by Warner Bros. in a supporting role in the 1933 women's prison film ''
Ladies They Talk About'' starring
Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck (; born Ruby Catherine Stevens; July 16, 1907 – January 20, 1990) was an American actress, model and dancer. A stage, film, and television star, during her 60-year professional career she was known for her strong, realistic sc ...
.
Roth headlined the
Palace Theatre in New York City and performed in the ''Earl Carroll Vanities'' in 1928, 1931, and 1932. She continued to make strides as a singer in an era when so much was being set to music.
During this time, her personal life increasingly was overshadowed by her
alcoholism
Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomina ...
. Although her parents were not stereotypical stage parents, as a response to their influence, Roth came to rely too much on other people. In her books and interviews, she said she was too trusting of husbands who made key decisions concerning her money and contracts.
Roth was out of the limelight from the late 1930s. Roth's personal and spiritual feelings led her to convert to Catholicism in 1948.
[ Friends accused her of forsaking Judaism; however, in her autobiography Roth explains that although her parents had believed in God, her sister and she had not been brought up religiously. Roth in her book also insists that she was so inherently Jewish that she could not really forget her heritage and thought that she was "the richer" because of it. In February 1953, she appeared on a special episode of the TV series '']This Is Your Life This Is Your Life may refer to:
Television
* ''This Is Your Life'' (American franchise), an American radio and television documentary biography series hosted by Ralph Edwards
* ''This Is Your Life'' (Australian TV series), the Australian versio ...
'' hosted by Ralph Edwards
Ralph Livingstone Edwards (June 13, 1913DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . Pp. 86-87. – November 16, 2005) was an American radio ...
. In response to her honesty in relating her story of alcoholism, she received more than 40,000 letters. Her theme song, which she began singing as a child performer, was " When the Red, Red Robin (Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along)".
In 1962, she was featured as Elliott Gould
Elliott Gould (; né Goldstein; born August 29, 1938) is an American actor. He began acting in Hollywood films during the 1960s.
Elliott's breakthrough role was in the '' Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice'' (1969), for which he received a nomination ...
's mother in the Broadway musical '' I Can Get It for You Wholesale'', in which Barbra Streisand
Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...
made her Broadway debut. Despite the acclaim for Streisand, producer David Merrick realized that Roth's name still sold tickets, and he elevated her to above-title star billing after the show's opening, with Gould, Streisand, and Sheree North listed below. Roth remained with the show for its full run of 301 performances and recorded the cast album for Columbia Records.
In 1965, she was featured as Rose Brice (mother of Fanny Brice) in the national touring company of '' Funny Girl'' (with Marilyn Michaels as Fanny), again getting top billing.
Marriages
Roth was married six times: to aviator William C. Scott ("Willie Richards"), Judge Benjamin Shalleck, Mark Harris, Eugene J. Weiner, Edward Goldman ("Vic"), and Thomas Burt McGuire. Before her marriages, she was engaged to David Lyons, who died of tuberculosis. She divorced her first husband in 1932 after 13 months of marriage.
In 1947, she met her last husband, Thomas Burt McGuire, scion of Funk and Wagnalls Publishing Company at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting (Roth joined Alcoholics Anonymous in 1946). The two wed and McGuire managed Roth until September 1963, when she received a note from him stating that their marriage was finished.
Later years
In 1970 Roth lived in Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by la ...
. She returned to Broadway in 1971 in the Kander and Ebb musical '' 70, Girls, 70'', which despite its short run was also recorded by Columbia Records and has remained a popular cast album. She played a pathologist in the 1976 cult horror classic ''Alice, Sweet Alice
''Alice, Sweet Alice'' (originally titled ''Communion'') is a 1976 American psychological slasher film co-written and directed by Alfred Sole, and starring Linda Miller, Paula Sheppard, and Brooke Shields in her film debut. Set in 1961 New Jers ...
'' (also known as ''Communion''). Her last film was ''Boardwalk
A boardwalk (alternatively board walk, boarded path, or promenade) is an elevated footpath, walkway, or causeway built with wooden planks that enables pedestrians to cross wet, fragile, or marshy land. They are also in effect a low type of bri ...
'', with Lee Strasberg
Lee Strasberg (born Israel Strassberg; November 17, 1901 – February 17, 1982) was an American theatre director, actor and acting teacher. He co-founded, with theatre directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 193 ...
, Ruth Gordon
Ruth Gordon Jones (October 30, 1896 – August 28, 1985) was an American actress, screenwriter, and playwright. She began her career performing on Broadway at age 19. Known for her nasal voice and distinctive personality, Gordon gained internati ...
, and Janet Leigh
Jeanette Helen Morrison (July 6, 1927 – October 3, 2004), known professionally as Janet Leigh, was an American actress, singer, dancer, and author. Her career spanned over five decades. Raised in Stockton, California, by working-class parents, ...
(1979). A successful concert at Town Hall was released as an album by AEI Records after her death. One of her latter appearances was in a well-reviewed club act at the legendary NYC nightclub, Reno Sweeney.
Autobiographies
Roth's autobiography, '' I'll Cry Tomorrow'', was written with author-collaborator Gerold Frank in 1954, and a toned-down version of it was made into a hit film the following year starring Susan Hayward
Susan Hayward (born Edythe Marrenner; June 30, 1917 – March 14, 1975) was an American film actress, best known for her film portrayals of women that were based on true stories.
After working as a fashion model for the Walter Thornton Model A ...
, who was nominated for an Academy Award. The book became a bestseller worldwide and sold more than 7 million copies in 20 languages, and the film renewed the public's interest in Roth. She recorded four songs for the Coral label (the first commercial recordings of her career), which were followed by an LP for Epic and another for Tops. She also headlined a vaudeville revival at the Palace on Broadway. A highlight of her act was an imitation of Susan Hayward imitating her (Roth) singing "Red, Red Robin".
In 1958, Roth published a second book, ''Beyond My Worth'', which was not as successful as its predecessor, but told the compelling story of what it was like to be placed on a pedestal that she could not always live up to. Roth had managed to reinvent herself as a major concert and nightclub performer. She appeared at venues in Las Vegas and New York's Copacabana and was a popular attraction in Australia.
Death
After suffering a stroke at her New York City apartment in February 1980, Roth died at age 69 on May 12 at De Witt Nursing Home in Manhattan.[Ledbetter, Les (1980). "Lillian Roth, Actress and Singer, Dies...", ''The New York Times'', May 13, 1980, p. C20. ]ProQuest
ProQuest LLC is an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based global information-content and technology company, founded in 1938 as University Microfilms by Eugene B. Power. ProQuest is known for its applications and information services for libraries, provid ...
Historical Newspapers, Ann Arbor, Michigan; subscription access through The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library. Her obituary in ''The New York Times'' reports that she had "no immediate survivors". Roth's grave marker in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...
, includes the inscription "As bad as it was it was good".
Filmography
Short Subjects:
* ''Pershing's Crusaders'' (1918) (uncredited extra)
* ''Lillian Roth and Band'' (1929)
* ''Lillian Roth and Her Piano Boys'' (1929)
* ''Lillian Roth and the Foster Girls'' (1929)
* ''Raising the Roof'' (1929)
* ''Naughty-Cal'' (1930)
* ''Meet the Boyfriend'' (1930)
* ''Down Among the Sugar Cane'' (1932)
* ''Ain't She Sweet'' (1933)
* ''Million Dollar Melody'' (1933)
* ''Story Conference'' (1934)
* ''Masks and Memories'' (1934)
* ''Arcade Varieties'' (1939)
* ''Snow Follies'' (1939)
Features:
* ''Illusion
An illusion is a distortion of the senses, which can reveal how the mind normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. Although illusions distort the human perception of reality, they are generally shared by most people.
Illusions may ...
'' (1929)
* '' The Love Parade'' (1929)
* '' The Vagabond King'' (1930)
* ''Honey
Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...
'' (1930)
* '' Paramount on Parade'' (1930)
* '' Madame Satan'' (1930)
* '' Animal Crackers'' (1930)
* ''Sea Legs
''Sea Legs'' is an American musical with music by Michael H. Cleary and lyrics by Arthur Swanstrom. The musical book by Swanstrom is based on the play ''The Cat Came Back'' by Laurence E. Johnson, Beula King, and Avery Hopwood. Produced by Albe ...
'' (1930)
* '' Ladies They Talk About'' (1933)
* '' Take a Chance'' (1933)
* ''Alice, Sweet Alice
''Alice, Sweet Alice'' (originally titled ''Communion'') is a 1976 American psychological slasher film co-written and directed by Alfred Sole, and starring Linda Miller, Paula Sheppard, and Brooke Shields in her film debut. Set in 1961 New Jers ...
'' (1976)
* ''Night-Flowers'' (1979)
* ''Boardwalk
A boardwalk (alternatively board walk, boarded path, or promenade) is an elevated footpath, walkway, or causeway built with wooden planks that enables pedestrians to cross wet, fragile, or marshy land. They are also in effect a low type of bri ...
'' (1979)
References
Further reading
* ''Whatever Became of...?'', Vol. III, 1970, ''The World Almanac'' 1966; published by ''New York World Telegram'' and ''The Sun''.
External links
*
*
Lillian Roth's appearance on ''The Mike Wallace Interview'', April 5, 1958
Univ. of Texas/Austin: Harry Ranson Center)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roth, Lillian
1910 births
1980 deaths
20th-century American actresses
20th-century American singers
20th-century American women singers
Actresses from Boston
Actresses from Palm Springs, California
American film actresses
American musical theatre actresses
Articles containing video clips
Catholics from Massachusetts
Catholics from New York (state)
Converts to Roman Catholicism from Judaism
Jewish American actresses
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players
Paramount Pictures contract players
People from Manhattan
Vaudeville performers
20th-century American Jews