Spivy
Spivy | |
|---|---|
| Born | Bertha Levine September 30, 1906 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | January 7, 1971 (aged 64) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Spivy Levoe, Spivy Le Voe, Madame Spivy |
| Occupation(s) | Entertainer, actress |
Bertha Levine (30 September 1906 – 7 January 1971),[1] who used the stage name Spivy, was an American entertainer, nightclub owner, and actress.[2][3]
Biography
Bertha Levine was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1906, the eldest of the four daughters of Louis and Helen Levine, Jewish immigrants from Russia.[4][5] She played organ in churches and theaters before establishing a career as a singer-pianist in nightclubs and speakeasies under the name Spivy Levoe, which she later shortened to Spivy.[4]
In 1936 she became a regular act at Tony's, a New York nightclub on West 52nd Street, where she performed satirical songs, some of which were written by John Latouche.[4] In 1939, the New York Times wrote that "Spivy's material, witty, acid, and tragicomic, is better than most of the essays one hears about town, and her delivery is that of a sophisticated artist on her own grounds. She knows the value of surprise in punching a line, she uses understatement unerringly, and her piano accompaniment is superb."[6]
From 1940–1951 she ran her own nightclub, Spivy's Roof, on New York's East 57th Street.[4] The club was noted for its tolerance of gay performers and patrons; Spivy herself was a lesbian in private life. Mabel Mercer, Thelma Carpenter, Paul Lynde, Martha Raye, and Liberace were among the artists who performed there.[7][3][8] Spivy released two 78 rpm albums of songs in diseuse style,[4] which have not been reissued on CD.
In the 1950s she toured Paris, London, and Rome before returning to the U.S. in 1957, where she became a character actor, usually billed as Madame Spivy. She had small roles in the films The Fugitive Kind, Studs Lonigan, All Fall Down, Requiem for a Heavyweight, and The Manchurian Candidate. She also appeared on stage in a Broadway production of Auntie Mame.[9] Her best-remembered television appearance is a darkly humorous episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1959's "The Specialty of the House"), in which she played the manager of a restaurant whose unsuspecting guests implicitly end up on the menu.[3]
Death
By 1969, Spivy had been diagnosed with cancer. Her friend Patsy Kelly arranged for her to move into the Motion Picture Country Home in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles,[3][2] where she died on 7 January 1971, aged 64.[1][a]
Discography
Filmography
- The Fugitive Kind (1960) as Ruby Lightfoot
- Studs Lonigan (1960) as Mother Josephine
- All Fall Down (1962) as Bouncer
- Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962) as Ma Greeny
- The Manchurian Candidate (1962) as Female Berezovo
Notes
- ^ The California Death Index records her date of death as January 7. Some sources, including Gavin (2006) and her New York Times obituary, state she died January 8.
References
- ^ a b "California Death Index, 1940-1997". FamilySearch. Retrieved 2 April 2018. (registration required)
- ^ a b "Spivy, 64, Actress and Entertainer". The New York Times. 10 January 1971.
- ^ a b c d Gavin, James (2006). Intimate Nights: the Golden Age of New York Cabaret. Back Stage Books. ISBN 9780823088256.
- ^ a b c d e f Pollack, Howard (2017). The Ballad of John Latouche: An American Lyricist's Life and Work. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190458300.
- ^ "United States Census, 1930". FamilySearch. Retrieved 2 April 2018. (registration required)
- ^ Strauss, Theodore (November 19, 1939). "News of Night Clubs". New York Times. p. 2X. (subscription required)
- ^ Chauncey, George (2008). Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World, 1890-1940. Basic Books. ISBN 9780786723355.
- ^ Pyron, Darden Asbury (2013). Liberace: An American Boy. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226117126.
- ^ "Spivy – Broadway Cast & Staff". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
- ^ "Spivy - Seven Gay Sophisticated Songs By Spivy". Discogs. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
External links
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