What
a kick. This book is a riot. The authors make sure we understand it
is fiction, but they call it a fictional memoir. It is a captivating
retelling of Tucker's life up to her successful show back in her
hometown of Hartford at Poli's Theater in 1913. (It sounds like there
may be more volumes of her life story in the works.)
How
she rose to become a star in Vaudeville is quite a story. The people
she knew and the buttons she pushed are almost unbelievable. You'll
meet Irving Berlin, Al Capone, W. C. Fields, Jimmy Durante, and more.
Sophie seemed to get to know just about all of the people in the
entertainment business.
There
had been an autobiography of Tucker printed during her lifetime.
While Tucker had given the publisher lots of juicy show business
dirt, intrigue, romance, and murder, much of it was edited out. The
Eckers have tried to piece together all of the parts of her life and
created a fascinating (fictional) account. Anyone interested in
Vaudeville, entertainment, or the theater, would enjoy reading this
book. "This volume is 85% fact," Ecker explains. "The other 15% who knows?"
Back
in 1973, Ithaca College students Susan Denner and Lloyd Ecker went on
their first date to see a new singer named Bette Midler. They heard
Bette Midler make reference to using Sophie Tucker's bawdy jokes.
Over thirty years later they had seen dozens of Midler's shows and they
decided to find out about the woman who had inspired her. In 2006
they tracked down a copy of Tucker's autobiography. They also read
two obscure biographies. One of them mentioned that the New York
Public Library housed a collection of Sophie's scrapbooks and listed
other archives. The Eckers spent eight years reading, investigating,
interviewing and traveling, pursuing the story of Sophie Tucker. They
produced a documentary film and then this fictional memoir. More is
in process. Since that fateful first date in 1973, the Eckers have had three children and
developed Babytobee.com. Selling that business in 2006 allowed them
to pursue the story of Sophie Tucker. You can find out more about
what the Eckers have planned at www.sophietucker.com.
Watch
an interview with the authors here.
Prospecta
Press, 416 pages.
I
received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher for
the purpose of an independent and honest review.
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