GYPSY ROSE: A Concise Biography

Who is Gypsy Rose?

Gypsy Rose Lee was an American burlesque entertainer, stripper, and vedette who was famed for her striptease act. She was born Rose Louise Hovick on January 8, 1911, and passed away the next day, on April 26, 1970. Her autobiography, which she wrote in 1957, was adapted into the theatrical musical Gypsy in 1959. She was also a performer, screenwriter, and playwright.

Gypsy Rose’s Early Life Exploration

• Childhood and Upbringing

Rose Louise Hovick was born in Seattle, Washington, on January 8, 1911, but she consistently claimed January 9 as her birthdate. Her family referred to her as Louise. Actress June Havoc, her sister, was born in the year 1912. Their mother, Rose Thompson Hovick, fabricated different birth certificates for each of her daughters—older when necessary to circumvent different state child labor regulations, and younger to obtain discounted or complimentary train tickets. The girls were uncertain about their birth years till a later stage in life. Their mother wedded John Olaf Hovick, a Norwegian-American who worked as a newspaper-advertising salesperson and reporter at The Seattle Times. Their marriage took place in Seattle on May 28, 1910, and was dissolved on August 20, 1915.

Rose Thompson wedded her second spouse, Judson Brennerman, a peripatetic salesman, on May 26, 1916, at a Unitarian church in Seattle. Following Hovick and Brennerman’s divorce, June provided financial support for the family by performing in vaudeville shows, where she was promoted as the “Tiniest Toe Dancer in the World” at the age of just 2 and a half.

• Early Career

Gypsy Rose and June spent a duration of two years in Hollywood, during which June featured in short films directed by Hal Roach. Rose was abandoned when June and her mother were traveling. She received a basic education, in contrast to June who was taught to read by stagehands. Despite her mother’s disapproval, June married Bobby Reed, a dancer in their act, in December 1928, following a performance at the Jayhawk Theatre in Topeka, Kansas. She then embarked on a short-lived career in marathon dancing, which proved to be more financially rewarding than tap dancing.

Highlights of Gypsy Rose’s Career

Between 1937 and 1938, under the name Louise Hovick, Rose appeared in five films in Hollywood. However, her performance received much negative criticism, prompting her to relocate to New York City. There, she engaged in a romantic relationship with film producer Michael Todd and collaborated with him in producing and starring in the 1942 musical revue titled Star and Garter. Rose considered herself to be an upscale stripper and she agreed with H. L. Mencken’s term “ecdysiast”, which he used to describe the job in a more respectable manner. The number “Zip!” in Rodgers and Hart’s Pal Joey parodied her manner of intellectually reciting while stripping. June Havoc, who had previously performed on Broadway with Gene Kelly, participated in this show. In the 1943 film Stage Door Canteen, Rose presented a condensed rendition of her act, including academic recitation.

In 1941, Rose wrote a mystery novel titled The G-String Murders, which was adapted into the censored 1943 picture Lady of Burlesque featuring Barbara Stanwyck. Although there are individuals who argue that Craig Rice ghost-wrote this novel, others contend that there is ample written proof, such as manuscripts and Rose’s personal correspondence, to establish that she herself authored a significant portion of the book with the assistance of Rice, her editor George Davis, and other mentors. Rose’s second homicide enigma, titled Mother Finds a Body’s, was officially released in the year 1942.

• Subsequent Years

Following their mother’s demise, Rose and her sisters now felt liberated to document her life without the fear of legal repercussions. The book Gypsy: A Memoir was released in 1957 and provided inspiration for the 1959 musical Gypsy by Jule Styne, Stephen Sondheim, and Arthur Laurents. June was dissatisfied with the depiction of her character in the composition, although she ultimately acquiesced to refrain from opposing it out of consideration for her sister. The show and the 1962 film adaption ensured Rose a consistent source of revenue. The sisters experienced a period of alienation but eventually reconnected. June, thereafter, authored Early Havoc and More Havoc to present her perspective on their shared history. Gypsy Rose Lee subsequently hosted a noon television discussion program called The Gypsy Rose Lee Show on San Francisco’s KGO-TV. The show lasted for 754 episodes from 1965 to 1968. The renowned afternoon program had notable guests such as Judy Garland, Agnes Moorehead, and Woody Allen, highlighting her fondness for individuals, animals, and knitting, among other hobbies.

The personal life trajectory of Gypsy Rose

Gypsy Rose Lee wed Arnold “Bob” Mizzy on August 25, 1937, in Hollywood, under pressure from the film studio. In 1941, she successfully sought a divorce by alleging cruelty, although historian Noralee Frankel proposed that the couple mutually decided that Rose could make false accusations in order to expedite the uncontested divorce process.

In 1940, she acquired a home located on East 63rd St in Manhattan, which boasted a private courtyard, 26 rooms, and seven bathrooms. Mother Rose persistently insisted on receiving monetary compensation from Lee and Havoc.

• Charitable Endeavors

Gypsy Rose Lee, like renowned figures like Pablo Picasso and Ernest Hemingway, actively advocated for the Popular Front movement in the Spanish Civil War. She dedicated her efforts to fundraising for charitable causes, specifically aimed at alleviating the plight of Spanish children affected by the conflict. She engaged in political activism and provided support to the Spanish Loyalists amidst Spain’s Civil War. In addition, she often attended Communist United Front meetings and was subject to investigation by the House Committee on un-American actions. Rose, a Democrat, endorsed Adlai Stevenson’s campaign during the 1952 presidential election. The interior of her residence in Los Angeles was embellished with artworks created by renowned painters such as Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Max Ernst, and Dorothea Tanning, all of which were purportedly presented to her directly by the artists.

• Controversies

In the 1930s, there was an incident where Rose fatally shot a woman who was either staying at her boardinghouse or visiting her property in Highland Mills, Orange County, New York. The historical website presented conflicting accounts of the location where the incident took place. Erik Lee Preminger, an author of multiple books and the son of Rose, stated that the victim of the murder was Rose’s female romantic partner, who was accused of making a sexual advance towards Rose. The violent incident was thoroughly examined and subsequently attributed to suicide. Mother Rose evaded prosecution. The biographer of Rose vehemently denied the claim that Genevieve Augustine, the lady associated with Rose, was her romantic partner, and questioned Rose’s involvement in Augustine’s death, considering Augustine’s history of attempted suicide.

In December 1942, Dorothy Wheelock, associate editor of Harper’s Bazaar, filed preliminary papers in the Supreme Court accusing Rose of breaching a contract. Wheelock claimed that in August 1940, she and Rose had made an oral agreement to work together on a project involving the creation, construction, development, writing, and promotion of a literary work with a burlesque theme. According to Miss Wheelock, the agreement included an equal division of all proceeds from the book’s sales. She claimed that she had secured a publisher for the book, but in November 1940, Rose terminated the partnership.

Gypsy Rose stated that she handed her notes and other materials to Miss Wheelock, who then composed ‘a sample book’. Nevertheless, Rose asserted that this particular sample book was not the book that was ultimately published. She refuted any similarity between Miss Wheelock’s book and the book released under her own name, other for any resemblances that could be attributed to the notes she handed over to Miss Wheelock.

The Demise of Her Life