Spivy

Spivy
Spivy (left) with Stanley Adams in the 1962 film Requiem for a Heavyweight
Born Bertha Levine
(1906-09-30)September 30, 1906
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died January 7, 1971(1971-01-07) (aged 64)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Nationality American
Other names Spivy Levoe, Spivy Le Voe, Madame Spivy
Occupation Entertainer, actress

Bertha Levine (30 September 1906 – 7 January 1971),[1][Note 1] who used the stage name Spivy (/ˈspɪvi/),[2] was an American entertainer, nightclub owner, and actress.[3][4]

Biography

Early life

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.[5][3][6] She played organ in churches and theaters before establishing a career as a singer-pianist in speakeasies and nightclubs under the name Spivy Le Voe, which she later shortened to Spivy.[5]

Performing career

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 and Jill Rainsford.[5][7] 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."[8]

From 1940–1951 she ran her own nightclub, Spivy's Roof, on New York's East 57th Street.[5] The club was noted for its tolerance of gay performers and patrons; Spivy herself was a lesbian in private life. Among the artists who performed there were Mabel Mercer, Thelma Carpenter, Paul Lynde, Martha Raye, Liberace, and actor-magician Fred Keating.[9][4][10] Although Spivy reportedly married Keating on Christmas Eve 1942,[11][12] this appears to have been a publicity stunt or lavender marriage.[13] She released two 78 rpm albums of songs,[5] which have never been reissued on CD. Her recordings indicate that her performing style was to "recite" (rather than sing) the lyrics over piano accompaniment.[14]

Later acting career

In the 1950s she spent several years touring Paris, London, and Rome before returning to the U.S. in 1957, where she embarked on a new career as a character actor, usually billed as Madame Spivy.[4] She had small roles in the films The Fugitive Kind, Studs Lonigan, All Fall Down, Requiem for a Heavyweight, and The Manchurian Candidate, where her stout physique led to her being cast as matronly or villainous characters.[Note 2] She also appeared on stage in a Broadway production of Auntie Mame.[15] 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.[4]

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,[4][3] where she died on 7 January 1971, aged 64.[1][Note 1]

Discography

  • Seven Gay Sophisticated Songs by Spivy (1939)[16]
  • An Evening with Spivy (1947)[5]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1960The Fugitive KindRuby Lightfoot
1960Studs LoniganMother Josephine
1962All Fall DownBouncer
1962Requiem for a HeavyweightMa Greeny
1962The Manchurian CandidateFemale Berezovo

Notes

  1. 1 2 Most sources support the birth year being 1906, although a few state 1907. The California Death Index records her date of death as Thursday, January 7, 1971. Some sources, including Gavin (2006) and her New York Times obituary, state she died January 8.
  2. ↑ Gavin (2006) states she also appeared in 1962's Walk on the Wild Side, but this is not corroborated by other sources.

References

  1. 1 2 "California Death Index, 1940-1997". FamilySearch. Retrieved 2 April 2018. (registration required)
  2. ↑ "Say How?". National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Library of Congress. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 "Spivy, 64, Actress and Entertainer". The New York Times. 10 January 1971.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Gavin, James (2006). Intimate Nights: the Golden Age of New York Cabaret. Back Stage Books. ISBN 9780823088256.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Pollack, Howard (2017). The Ballad of John Latouche: An American Lyricist's Life and Work. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190458300.
  6. ↑ "United States Census, 1930". FamilySearch. Retrieved 2 April 2018. (registration required)
  7. ↑ "Guide to the Jill "Billy" Rainsford Papers (1922-1991)". Fales Library & Special Collections. New York University Libraries. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  8. ↑ Strauss, Theodore (November 19, 1939). "News of Night Clubs". New York Times. p. 2X. (subscription required)
  9. ↑ Chauncey, George (2008). Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World, 1890-1940. Basic Books. ISBN 9780786723355.
  10. ↑ Pyron, Darden Asbury (2013). Liberace: An American Boy. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226117126.
  11. ↑ Kilgallen, Dorothy (December 14, 1942). "The Voice of Broadway". Elmira Star-Gazette. p. 6. Is it a gag, or are Spivy and Fred Keating serious when they invite friends to their 'wedding on Christmas Eve?'
  12. ↑ Wilson, Earl (September 3, 1943). "Spivy at Folies Bergere". New York Post. p. 29.
  13. ↑ Kilgallen, Dorothy (January 27, 1944). "The Voice of Broadway". Olean Times Herald. p. 8. Although married, Fred Keating and Spivy occupy separate domiciles and only appear together formally at Spivy's Roof.
  14. ↑ Aston, Martin (24 October 2017). "How music came out: 15 records by unsung LGBTQ+ pioneers". The Vinyl Factory. Archived from the original on 25 October 2017.
  15. ↑ "Spivy – Broadway Cast & Staff". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  16. ↑ "Spivy - Seven Gay Sophisticated Songs By Spivy". Discogs. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
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