Florence Weiss

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Florence Weiss

Florence Weiss (1899/1900 - 1974, Yiddish: פֿלאָרענס װײס) was a Russian-born American Yiddish theatre, Vaudeville and film actor, recording artist, and soprano who was active from the 1920s to the 1960s.[1][2] She worked and performed with such artists as Moishe Oysher, Alexander Olshanetsky, Boris Thomashefsky, Fyvush Finkel, and Abe Ellstein. The height of her popularity was during the 1930s, when she often toured and performed with her then-husband, Moishe Oysher, and appeared in three Yiddish-language films with him: The Cantor's Son, The Singing Blacksmith, and Overture to Glory.[3][4][5][6]

Biography[edit]

Early life[edit]

Florence Weiss's year of birth and immigration is unclear. She Her date and place of birth may have been on May 30, 1900 in Makhnivka, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire, as per her Declaration of Intention to become a United States citizen.[7][8] However, in other documents, including travel manifests, the birth year was cited as 1899.[9] At least one census indicated a year as late as 1904, which strains credulity.[10] She apparently emigrated to the United States via Baltimore in 1907.[8]

Career[edit]

Her first husband was Louis Weiss, a fellow Russian-born Yiddish Theatre actor. In 1920, they were living in Baltimore.[11]

By 1928, Florence was the leading actress at the Lyric theatre, often costarring with Louis, as well as at the Hopkinson theatre which Louis managed.[12][13] In 1928, Louis recruited actor Moishe Oysher from Philadelphia to star opposite Florence in a play.[14][15] However, Florence ended up leaving Louis for Oysher, and married Oysher in January 1929 while they were living in Newark, New Jersey and working at the Lyric Theatre.[8][16] They continued performing at the Lyric in 1930.[17] By 1931, they had relocated to Philadelphia.[7] But they soon returned to New York, playing in a Boris Thomashefsky operetta at the Gayety Theatre in 1932 and at the Amphion Theatre in 1933.[18][19]

Although they later became very well known, at first they had difficult making ends meet with the theatre, which is why Oysher decided to become a Hazzan as well.[16] The pair appeared regularly together on WEVD radio during the 1930s. In 1935 she and Oysher returned to the Lyric Theatre, Second Avenue Theatre, and the Hopkinson Theatre, and at the Second Avenue theatre in 1936 in an Alexander Olshanetsky operetta starring Leo Fuchs.[20][21][22][23][24][25]

Moishe Oysher and Florence Weiss c.1933

The height of Weiss's fame was in the late 1930s, when she appeared in a handful of films with Oysher, which led to radio appearances, recording sessions and larger concert appearances. In 1937 she appeared in Sidney Goldin's final film, The Cantor's Son (Dem khazn's zindl), a film loosely based on Moishe Oysher's own life story.[4] Goldin died while the film was still in production and a relatively unknown director, Ilya Moteleff, stepped in to finish it. They then appeared at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in February 1937 to an audience of 2000.[26][27] Her next appearance was in The Singing Blacksmith (Yankl der shmid, 1938), again with Moishe Oysher, which was directed by Edgar G. Ulmer and based on a 1906 play by David Pinski.[28][29][30] The film was successful enough that Victor Records had Oysher and Weiss record their songs from it to be released on disc.[31] In 1939 she also returned to the Hopkinson theatre for a time.[32] Their third and final film together was Overture to Glory (Der vilner shtot khazn, 1940), which was directed by Max Nosseck, based on a story by Ossip Dimov.[33]

In 1940 she was in a play starring Aaron Lebedeff and the Barry Sisters at the Clinton Theatre and appeared regularly in a Vaudeville act with Lebedeff and Celia Adler at the Downtown National Theatre.[34][35]

She continued to appear on stage during and after World War II. In 1944 she appeared with Lillian Lux and Pesach Burstein at the Hopkinson Theatre.[36] She appeared at the Clinton Theatre in 1947.[37] She also took on a regular opening act role at a Romanian-Jewish restaurant on Broadway, Roumanian Village.[38][39]

From 1949 to the mid-1950s, she appeared in a number of productions with Irving Jacobson, Fyvush Finkel, Max Kletter and others at Vera Rozanka's National Theatre.[40][41][42][43][44] By the late 1950s and 1960s, most of her performances seem to have been at Borscht Belt hotels in the Catskills.[45][46]

She died in May 1974, after a long illness.[47]

Selected recordings[edit]

  • A zemerl/Chassidic in America with Moishe Oysher (Victor Records, 1938)[48]
  • Simmon-Tov Mazeltov/Bist Mere Mazeldig with Abe Ellstein orchestra (Banner Records)[49]

Film appearances[edit]

  • The Cantor's Son (Dem khazn's zindl, 1937) with Moishe Oysher, directed by Sidney Goldin and Ilya Matyleff[50][51]
  • The Singing Blacksmith (Yankl der shmid, also known as Der zingedike shmid, 1938) with Moishe Oysher, directed by Edgar G. Ulmer[52][53]
  • Overture to Glory (Der vilner shtot khazn, 1940) with Moishe Oysher, directed by Max Nosseck[54][55]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Jewish women in America. Routledge. 1997. p. 1524. ISBN 9780415919357.
  2. ^ Sapoznik, Henry (2006). Klezmer! : Jewish music from Old World to our world (2nd ed.). New York: Schirmer Trade Books. p. 123. ISBN 9780825673245.
  3. ^ Zamlbukh (in Yiddish). Buenos Aires: Shrayber Farayn H.D. Nomberg. 1962. p. 69.
  4. ^ a b Goldman, Eric A. (1983). Visions, images, and dreams: Yiddish film past and present. Ann Arbor, Michigan. p. 81. ISBN 9780835715157.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. ^ יאבלאקאוו, הערמאן (1968). ארום דער וועלט מיט אידיש טעאטער : אויטאביאגראפישע איבערלעבונגען און טעאטער-דערציילונגען אין לויף פון א האלבן יארהונדערט אידישע און וועלטלעכע געשעענישן (in Yiddish). New York. pp. 573–77.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  6. ^ "Yiddish Theater in the United States". Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Morris Rimer or Oisher. Migration • New York, Southern District, U.S District Court Naturalization Records, 1824-1946". FamilySearch. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c "Morris or Moishe Rimer or Oysher. Migration • New York, Southern District, U.S District Court Naturalization Records, 1824-1946". FamilySearch. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  9. ^ "Florence Oysher. Migration • California, Los Angeles Passenger Lists, 1907-1948". FamilySearch. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  10. ^ "Florence Oysher. Census • United States Census, 1940". FamilySearch. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  11. ^ "Florence Wain in the 1920 United States Federal Census". Ancestry. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  12. ^ ""FOR PARENTS' SINS" AT HOPKINSON THEATRE". Times Union. Brooklyn, New York. October 26, 1928.
  13. ^ "JEWISH HOUR ON WBBC". Times Union. Brooklyn, New York. July 19, 1928.
  14. ^ Hoberman, J. (1991). Bridge of light : Yiddish film between two worlds. New York: Museum of Modern Art. p. 263. ISBN 9780805241075.
  15. ^ Zylbercweig, Zalmen; Mestel, Jacob (1931). Leḳsiḳon fun Yidishn ṭeaṭer vol. 4 (in Yiddish). New York: Elisheva. p. 2535.
  16. ^ a b "Fraydele Oysher interview". Museum of Family History. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  17. ^ "Theater News". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. September 10, 1930.
  18. ^ "THOMASHEFSKY IN BORO". Times Union. Brooklyn, New York. October 16, 1932.
  19. ^ "Local Yiddish Theaters". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. September 20, 1933.
  20. ^ "News of the Stage". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. October 22, 1935. p. 9.
  21. ^ "News of the Stage". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. May 22, 1935.
  22. ^ "4 Yiddish Plays to make Debuts". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. February 13, 1936.
  23. ^ ""That's Love" Reopens the Lyric Theatre". Times Union. Brooklyn, New York. May 3, 1935.
  24. ^ "Yiddish Stage". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. January 23, 1936.
  25. ^ "Plays on Broadway". Variety. New York, NY: Variety Publishing Company. December 25, 1935.
  26. ^ "Moishe Oisher heard in Academy Recital". Times Union. Brooklyn, New York. March 1, 1937.
  27. ^ "Concert of Moishe Oisher draws 2,000 to Academy". The Brooklyn Citizen. Brooklyn, New York. March 1, 1937.
  28. ^ "The Singing Blacksmith". Motion Picture Herald. Quigley Publishing Co. December 17, 1938. p. 54.
  29. ^ Isenberg, Noah (2019). "4. Songs of Exile". Edgar G. Ulmer. University of California Press. pp. 102–6. doi:10.1525/9780520957176-006. ISBN 9780520957176. S2CID 226790805.
  30. ^ Goldman, Eric A. (1983). Visions, images, and dreams: Yiddish film past and present. Ann Arbor, Michigan. p. 116. ISBN 9780835715157.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  31. ^ "⁨Coming to Homewood". www.nli.org.il. March 24, 1939.
  32. ^ "Barrymore Play Coming Nov. 28". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. November 10, 1939.
  33. ^ "Legend with Music". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. February 10, 1940. p. 18.
  34. ^ "'Romeo' Starts its Last Week". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. June 6, 1940.
  35. ^ "HOUSE REVIEWS". Variety. New York, NY: Variety Publishing Company. September 4, 1940. p. 47.
  36. ^ "New Yiddish Musical". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. March 30, 1944.
  37. ^ "A New Yiddish Play opens at Clinton Friday". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. January 23, 1947. p. 9.
  38. ^ "Nitery Followups". Variety. New York, NY: Variety Publishing Company. October 18, 1944. p. 42.
  39. ^ Forbes, Virginia (September 13, 1944). "Cafe Life in New York". New York Sun. p. 36.
  40. ^ "Yiddish Musical Tonight". New York Post. December 2, 1949.
  41. ^ "Kletter in New Musical". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. November 3, 1949.
  42. ^ "New Yiddish Musical". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. November 30, 1949.
  43. ^ "נעשאנאל טעאטער וועט זיף עפע. נען מארגען, פדייטאג אווענט, מיט א גרויפען פטאר קעפט". פארװערטס⁩⁩ (in Yiddish). New York. April 8, 1950. p. 10.
  44. ^ "advertisement". New York Post. February 21, 1954.
  45. ^ "advertisement". פארװערטס⁩⁩ (in Yiddish). New York. June 14, 1957. p. 9.
  46. ^ "advertisement". פארװערטס⁩⁩ (in Yiddish). New York. September 15, 1965. p. 6.
  47. ^ "פֿלאָרענס װײס, אידישע אַקטריסע געשטאַרבען". פארװערטס⁩⁩ (in Yiddish). New York. May 15, 1974.
  48. ^ Spottswood, Richard K. (1990). Ethnic music on records : a discography of ethnic recordings produced in the United States, 1893 to 1942. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. p. 1452. ISBN 9780252017216.
  49. ^ "Simmon-Tov Mazeltov". Recorded Sound Archive. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  50. ^ The Cantor's Son. OCLC 164872305. Retrieved 4 September 2021 – via WorldCat.
  51. ^ "The Cantor's Son". jewishfilm.org. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  52. ^ Yankel der Schmidt = יאַנקל דער שמיד. 2005. OCLC 61249548. Retrieved September 4, 2021 – via WorldCat.
  53. ^ "The Singing Blacksmith". jewishfilm.org. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  54. ^ Overture to Glory. OCLC 233690121. Retrieved September 4, 2021 – via WorldCat.
  55. ^ "Overture to Glory". jewishfilm.org. Retrieved September 4, 2021.

External links[edit]

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