Remembering Rose Marie
Rose Marie, an actress, singer and comedian best known for portraying the wise-cracking Sally Rogers in the popular 1960s sitcom 'The Dick Van Dyke Show,' passed away on Thursday 28th December, aged 94.
She was born on August 15th 1923 in New York City, to Stella Gluscak and Frank Mazzetta, who was a suit cutter and union organizer. Her parents never married, and her father already had a wife, with whom he had two children.
'Baby Rose Marie' was a successful child singer after winning a New York City talent contest in the late 1920s. As a 3-year-old, she had belted out 'What Can I Say After I Say I'm Sorry?' in a raspy voice mature beyond her years, and became a sensation on the NBC radio network, which signed her to a seven-year contract.
She toured in vaudeville, was featured in a handful of movies and - after dropping "Baby" from her name as an adolescent - began headlining nightclubs. She also made her way to Broadway in the early 1950s in 'Top Banana,' appearing with Phil Silvers in the musical revue and subsequent film.
Rose Marie's career ultimately spanned over nine decades, and included film, radio, records, theater, night clubs and television.
Her most successful role came when she was cast as a glib, man-hunting comedy writer on the popular sitcom 'The Dick Van Dyke Show,' and she continued playing the part, in a way, on other stages years after the role ended.
When the series wrapped in 1966, she became a regular on the 'Hollywood Squares' game show, essentially portraying her wise-cracking character, Sally Rogers, from 'Dick Van Dyke.' She had been too depressed to pursue work as an actor and singer, she often said, after being widowed at 40, and stayed with the game show for 14 years.
For the rest of her life, while making public appearances, she invariably wore the black hair bow that had been her signature on the sitcom.
You can hear Rose Marie's beautiful singing in a Command Performance broadcast hosted by Ginger Rogers in 1947 singing My Mama Says No No.
Happy listening my friends,
