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{{short description|American actress, singer, and comedian (1891–1951)}}
{{Infobox actor
{{Use American English|date=July 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Fanny Brice
| name = Fanny Brice
| image =
| image = Fannybricebain.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = Brice circa 1920
| caption =
| birth_name = Fania Borach
| birthname = Fania Borach
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1891|10|29}}
| birth_place = New York City, U.S.
| birthdate = {{birth date|1891|10|29}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1951|5|29|1891|10|29}}
| birthplace = [[New York City]], [[New York]], [[USA]]
| death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| deathdate = {{Death date and age|1951|5|29|1891|10|29}}
| other_names =
| deathplace = [[Hollywood]], [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], [[USA]]
| occupation = Comedian, song model, singer, actress
| othername =
| yearsactive =
| years_active = 1908–1951
| spouse = {{plainlist|
| spouse = Frank White (1910-1913) <br> [[Nicky Arnstein|Julius "Nicky" Arnstein]] (1919-1927) <br> [[Billy Rose]] (1929-1938)
* {{marriage|Frank White|1910|1913|end=divorced}}
| website =
* {{marriage|[[Nicky Arnstein|Julius "Nicky" Arnstein]]|1918|1927|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[Billy Rose]]|1929|1938|end=divorced}}
}}
}}
| children = 2, including [[William Brice]]
| website =
}}

'''Fania Borach''' (October 29, 1891 – May 29, 1951),<ref name="LarkinGE">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Guinness Publishing]]|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-939-0|page=325}}</ref> known professionally as '''Fanny Brice''' or '''Fannie Brice''', was an American comedian, [[Illustrated Songs|illustrated song]] model, singer, and actress who made many stage, radio, and film appearances. She is known as the creator and star of the top-rated radio comedy series ''[[The Baby Snooks Show]]''.<ref name=obit/>


Her life story was loosely adapted into the stage musical ''[[Funny Girl (musical)|Funny Girl]]''. Brice was famously portrayed by [[Barbra Streisand]] in both the original [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] production of the musical and its [[Funny Girl (film)|1968 film adaptation]].
'''Fanny Brice''' (October 29, 1891 – May 29, 1951) was a popular and influential [[United States|American]] [[comedienne]], [[singer]], [[theatre]] and [[film]] [[actress]], who made many [[stage (theatre)|stage]], [[radio]] and [[film]] appearances but is best remembered as the creator and star of the top-rated radio comedy series, ''[[The Baby Snooks Show]]''. Thirteen years after her death, she was portrayed on the Broadway stage by [[Barbra Streisand]] in the musical'' [[Funny Girl (film)|Funny Girl]].'' The musical was made into a film in 1968.


==Early life==
==Early life==
[[File:FannybriceGlamor.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Brice {{circa|1910s}} or early 1920s publicity photo]]
[[Image:MyMan.jpg|thumb|200px|left]]
Fanny Brice (occasionally spelled '''Fannie Brice''') was the stage name of '''Fania Borach''', born in [[New York City]], the third child of relatively well-off saloon owners of Hungarian [[Jew]]ish descent.


Fania Borach was born in Manhattan, New York City, United States,<ref name="LarkinGE"/> the third child of Rose (née Stern; 1867–1941), a [[History of the Jews in Hungary|Jewish Hungarian]] woman who immigrated to the U.S. at age 10, and [[Alsace|Alsatian]] immigrant Charles Borach. The Borachs were [[Pub#Saloon_or_lounge|saloon]] owners and had four children: Phillip, born in 1887; Carrie, born in 1889; Fania, born in 1891; and Louis, born in 1893. Under the name [[Lew Brice]], her younger brother also became an entertainer and was the first husband of actress [[Mae Clarke]].<ref name="Goldman1992">{{cite book|author=Herbert G. Goldman|title=Fanny Brice|url=https://archive.org/details/fannybriceorigin00gold|url-access=registration|year=1992|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-535901-5|pages=[https://archive.org/details/fannybriceorigin00gold/page/7 7]–10}}</ref>
In 1908, Brice dropped out of school to work in a [[burlesque (genre)|burlesque]] revue, and two years later she began her association with [[Florenz Ziegfeld]], headlining his ''[[Ziegfeld Follies]]'' from 1910 into the 1930s. In the 1921 ''Follies'', she was featured singing "My Man" which became both a big hit and her signature song. She made a popular recording of it for [[Victor Records]].


In 1908, Brice dropped out of school to work in a [[Victorian burlesque|burlesque]] revue, "The Girls from Happy Land Starring Sliding Billy Watson". Two years later, she began her association with [[Florenz Ziegfeld]], headlining his ''[[Ziegfeld Follies]]'' in 1910 and 1911. She was hired again in 1921 and performed in the ''Follies'' into the 1930s.<ref name="LarkinGE"/>
The second song most associated with Brice is "Second Hand Rose," which she introduced in the ''Ziegfeld Follies of 1921''.


In the 1921 ''Follies'', she was featured singing "[[Mon Homme|My Man]]", which became both a big hit and her signature song. She made a popular recording of it for the [[Victor Talking Machine Company]]. The second song most associated with Brice is "[[Second Hand Rose (song)|Second Hand Rose]]", which she also introduced in the ''Ziegfeld Follies of 1921''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Strauss |first1=Marc Raymond |title=Discovering Musicals: A Liberal Arts Guide to Stage and Screen |date=2019 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-7450-6 |page=66 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U52fDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22fanny%20brice%22%20second%20hand%20rose&pg=PT74 |language=en}}</ref>
She recorded nearly two dozen record sides for Victor and also cut several for Columbia. She is a posthumous recipient of a [[List of Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients J-P|Grammy Hall of Fame Award]] for her 1921 recording of "My Man".


She recorded nearly two dozen record sides for Victor, and also cut several for [[Columbia Records]]. She is a posthumous recipient of a [[List of Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients J-P|Grammy Hall of Fame Award]] for her 1921 recording of "My Man".<ref>{{Cite web |title=GRAMMY Hall Of Fame {{!}} Hall of Fame Artists {{!}} GRAMMY.com |url=https://grammy.com/awards/hall-of-fame-award |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=grammy.com}}</ref>
Brice's [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] credits include ''Fioretta'', ''[[Sweet and Low (musical)|Sweet and Low]]'', and ''[[Billy Rose]]'s Crazy Quilt''. Her films include ''My Man'' (1928), ''Be Yourself!'' (1930) and ''[[Everybody Sing (film)|Everybody Sing]]'' (1938) with [[Judy Garland]]. Brice, [[Ray Bolger]] and [[Harriet Hoctor]] were the only original Ziegfeld performers to portray themselves in ''[[The Great Ziegfeld]]'' (1936) and ''[[Ziegfeld Follies]]'' (1946). For her contribution to the motion picture industry, she has a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] at MP 6415 Hollywood Boulevard.

Brice's [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] credits include ''Fioretta'', ''[[Sweet and Low (musical)|Sweet and Low]]'', and ''[[Billy Rose]]'s Crazy Quilt''. Her films include ''[[My Man (1928 film)|My Man]]'' (1928, a [[lost film]]),<ref>Richard Barrios, ''A Song In The Dark'', Oxford University Press, 1975.</ref> ''[[Be Yourself!]]'' (1930), and ''[[Everybody Sing (film)|Everybody Sing]]'' (1938) with [[Judy Garland]]. Brice, [[Ann Pennington (actress)|Ann Pennington]], and [[Harriet Hoctor]] were the only original Ziegfeld performers to portray themselves in ''[[The Great Ziegfeld]]'' (1936) and ''[[Ziegfeld Follies]]'' (1946).


==Radio==
==Radio==
[[File:Fanny Brice Baby Snooks 1940.JPG|thumb|upright|Brice in the role of Baby Snooks, 1940]]
From the 1930s until her death in 1951, Fanny made a radio presence as a bratty toddler named Snooks, a role she first premiered in a ''Follies'' skit co-written by playwright [[Moss Hart]]. With first [[Alan Reed]] and then [[Hanley Stafford]] as her bedeviled Daddy, [[Baby Snooks]] premiered in ''[[The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air]]'' in February 1936 on [[CBS]].
Brice's first radio show was the ''Philco Hour'' in February 1930.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://cinema.usc.edu/assets/097/15718.pdf|author=Michele Hilmes|title=Fanny Brice and the "Schnooks" Strategy: Negotiating a Feminine Comic Persona on the Air|publisher=A Screen of One's Own|date=Fall 2005}}</ref> Brice's first regular radio show was probably ''[[The Chase and Sanborn Hour]]'', a 30-minute program which ran on Wednesday nights at 8 pm in 1933.<ref>''Radio Digest'' magazine, June 1933.</ref>
[[Image:Bricenbcart.jpg|left|thumb|upright|[[David Stone Martin]]'s illustration of Fanny Brice in the role of Baby Snooks]]
She moved to [[NBC]] in December 1937, performing the Snooks routines as part of the ''Good News'' show, then back to [[CBS]] on ''Maxwell House Coffee Time'', the half-hour divided between the Snooks sketches and comedian [[Frank Morgan]], in September 1944. Her longtime Snooks sketch writers---Philip Rapp, David Freedman---finally brought in partners like Arthur Stander and Everett Freeman to develop an independent, half-hour comedy program, launched on CBS in 1944 and moving to NBC in 1948, with Freeman producing. First called ''Post Toasties Time'' (named for the show's first sponsor), the show was renamed ''The Baby Snooks Show'' within short order, though in later years it was often known colloquially as ''Baby Snooks and Daddy''.


From the 1930s until her death in 1951, Fanny made a radio presence as a bratty toddler named Snooks,<ref name="LarkinGE"/> a role she had premiered in a ''Follies'' skit co-written by playwright [[Moss Hart]]. [[Baby Snooks]] premiered in ''[[The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air]]'' in February 1936 on [[CBS]], with [[Alan Reed]] playing Lancelot Higgins, her beleaguered "Daddy." Brice moved to [[NBC]] in December 1937, performing the Snooks routines as part of the ''Good News'' show, then back to [[CBS]] on ''Maxwell House Coffee Time'', with the half-hour divided between the Snooks sketches and actor [[Frank Morgan]].{{citation needed|date=December 2017}}
Brice was so meticulous about the program and the title character that she was known to perform in costume as a toddler girl even though seen only by the radio studio audience. She was 45 years old when the character began her long radio life. In addition to Reed and Stafford, her co-stars included Lalive Brownell, Lois Corbet and [[Arlene Harris]] playing her mother, [[Danny Thomas]] as Jerry, Charlie Cantor as Uncle Louie and Ken Christy as Mr. Weemish. She was completely devoted to the character, as she told biographer Norman Katkov: "Snooks is just the kid I used to be. She's my kind of youngster, the type I like. She has imagination. She's eager. She's alive. With all her deviltry, she is still a good kid, never vicious or mean. I love Snooks, and when I play her I do it as seriously as if she were real. I am Snooks. For 20 minutes or so, Fanny Brice ceases to exist."


By September 1944, Brice's sketch writers Philip Rapp and David Freedman brought in Arthur Stander and Everett Freeman, who developed a half-hour comedy program, ''Post Toasties Time'', later ''The Baby Snooks Show''. Produced by Everett Freeman, it launched on CBS in 1944, moving to NBC in 1948. Hanley Stafford played the Daddy and Fannie Brice the main character, Baby Snooks. Other co-stars included Lalive Brownell, Lois Corbet, and [[Arlene Harris]] each in turn as her mother, [[Danny Thomas]] as Jerry, [[Charlie Cantor]] as Uncle Louie, and Ken Christy as Mr. Weemish.
''Baby Snooks'' writer/producer Everett Freeman told Katkov that Brice didn't like to rehearse the role ("I can't do a show until it's on the air, kid") but always snapped into it on the air, losing herself completely in the character: "While she was on the air she was Baby Snooks. And after the show, for an hour after the show, she was still Baby Snooks. The Snooks voice disappeared, of course, but the Snooks temperament, thinking, actions were all there."


She returned on [[Tallulah Bankhead]]'s big-budget, large-scale radio variety show ''[[The Big Show (NBC Radio)|The Big Show]]'' in November 1950, sharing the bill with [[Groucho Marx]] and [[Jane Powell]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bh.org.il/blog-items/despite-funny-girl-story-jewish-comic-fanny-brice/|title=Let There Be Laughter – Jewish Humor Around the World|website=Beit Hatfutsot|date=March 12, 2019}}</ref>
==Marriages==
Brice had a short-lived marriage in her teens to a local barber, Frank White, whom she met in 1911 in Springfield, Mass., when she was touring in "College Girl." The marriage lasted only a few days and she brought suit for divorce.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/1029.html</ref> Her second husband was professional gambler [[Nicky Arnstein|Julius W. "Nicky" Arnstein]]. Prior to their marriage, Arnstein served 14 months in [[Sing Sing]] for wiretapping, where Brice visited him every week. In 1918 they were married, after living together for six years. In 1924, Arnstein was charged in a Wall Street bond theft. Brice insisted on his innocence, and funded his legal defense at great expense. Arnstein was convicted and sentenced to the Federal penitentiary at [[United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth|Leavenworth]] where he served three years. Released in 1927, Arnstein disappeared from Brice's life and that of his two children. Reluctantly, Brice divorced him. She went on to marry songwriter and stage producer [[Billy Rose]] and appeared in his revue ''[[Crazy Quilt]]'', among others. That marriage also failed.


==Television==
==Television appearance==
Fanny Brice's only appearance on television was on June 12, 1950, in a performance on CBS-TV's ''Popsicle Parade of Stars'', as Baby Snooks.<ref name="Television Popsicle Parade of Stars">{{cite web|url=https://www.classicthemes.com/50sTVThemes/themePages/popsicleParadeOfStars.html|title=Popsicle Parade of Stars, The (children's comedy-variety)|access-date=January 17, 2024}}</ref>
[[Image:Snooksart.jpg|right|thumb|]]
Brice and Stafford brought Baby Snooks and Daddy to television only once, an appearance in 1950 on CBS-TV's ''Popsicle Parade of Stars''. This was Fanny Brice's only appearance on television. Viewing the [[kinescope]] recording today, Fanny is a strange, but amusing sight: a middle-aged woman in a little girl's outfit (and none of the other cast seem to find this unusual). Brice handled herself well on the live TV broadcast but later admitted that the character of Baby Snooks just didn’t work properly when seen.


==Later years==
She returned with Stafford and the Snooks character to the safety of radio for her next appearance, on [[Tallulah Bankhead]]'s legendary big-budget, large-scale radio variety show, ''[[The Big Show (NBC Radio)|The Big Show]]'', in November 1950, sharing the bill with [[Groucho Marx]] and [[Jane Powell]]. In one routine Snooks knocks on Bankhead's dressing room door for advice on becoming an actress when she grew up in spite of Daddy's warning that she already lacked what it took.
Fanny Brice resided in a house built in 1938 on North Faring Road in [[Holmby Hills, Los Angeles]], designed by the architect [[John Elgin Woolf]] (1908-1980).<ref name="forbesbrice">Morgan Brennan, [https://www.forbes.com/sites/morganbrennan/2013/08/28/luxury-home-rehab-the-story-behind-the-65-million-fanny-brice-estate/ Luxury Home Rehab: Inside The $65 Million Fanny Brice Estate], ''Forbes'', August 28, 2013</ref> The house was entirely gutted and rebuilt from the foundation up between 2001 and 2008.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://la.curbed.com/2011/7/18/10455706/fanny-brices-unrecognizable-holmby-hills-house-asking-65-million|title=Fanny Brice's Unrecognizable Holmby Hills House Asking $65 Million|first=Adrian Glick|last=Kudler|date=July 18, 2011|website=Curbed LA}}</ref>


==Personal life==
Six months after her ''Big Show'' appearance, Fanny Brice died in [[Hollywood]] at the age of 59 of a [[cerebral hemorrhage]]. She is interred in the [[Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery]] in [[Los Angeles]]. (Her original interment was at [[Home of Peace Cemetery|Home of Peace Memorial Park]].) The [[May 29]] [[1951]] episode of ''The Baby Snooks Show'' was broadcast as a memorial to the star who created the brattish toddler, crowned by Hanley Stafford's brief on-air eulogy: "We have lost a very real, a very warm, a very wonderful woman."
[[File:FashionableFannyBrice.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Brice {{circa| late 1910s}}]]


Brice had a short-lived marriage in her late teens to a barber, Frank White, whom she met in 1910 in [[Springfield, Massachusetts]], when she was touring in ''College Girl.'' The marriage lasted three years and she brought suit for divorce in 1913.<ref name=obit/>
==Brice portrayals==
[[Image:Fannie Brice in The Great Ziegfeld trailer.jpg|right|thumb|200px|from the trailer for the film ''[[The Great Ziegfeld]]'' (1936) in which Brice appeared as herself]]
Although the names of the principal characters were changed, the plot of the 1939 film ''[[Rose of Washington Square]]'', in which the principal characters were portrayed by [[Tyrone Power]] and [[Alice Faye]], was inspired heavily by Brice's marriage and career, to the extent it borrowed its title from a tune she performed in the ''Follies'' and included "My Man." She sued 20th Century Fox for [[invasion of privacy]] and won the case. Producer [[Darryl F. Zanuck]] was forced to delete several production numbers closely associated with the star.


[[File:Fanny Brice being granted divorce decree by Judge Otto Kerner (1).jpg|thumb|Judge [[Otto Kerner Sr.]] (left) of the [[Circuit Court of Cook County]] granting Brice (center) a divorce decree in September 1927 (Brice's attorney, Benjamin H. Ehrlich, is in the far-right of the photograph)]]
Barbra Streisand starred as Brice in the 1964 [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] musical ''[[Funny Girl (musical)|Funny Girl]],'' which centered on Brice's rise to fame and troubled relationship with Arnstein. In 1968, Streisand won an [[Academy Award for Best Actress]] for reprising her role in the film version (sharing the Tony with [[Katharine Hepburn]], ''Lion in Winter'', in the Academy's only-ever tie vote). The 1975 sequel ''[[Funny Lady]]'' focused on Brice's turbulent relationship with [[impresario]] [[Billy Rose]] and was as highly [[fiction]]alized as the original. Streisand also recorded the Brice songs "My Man," "I'd Rather Be Blue Over You (Than Happy with Somebody Else)" and "Second Hand Rose," which became a Top 40 hit.
Her second husband was professional gambler and con man [[Nicky Arnstein]].<ref name="LarkinGE"/> Brice and Arnstein lived together for three years before he was convicted of a wiretapping [[Confidence trick|swindle]] in 1915. Brice visited Arnstein in prison every week during the 14 months he served in [[Sing Sing]], pawned her jewelry to pay for appeals and eventually secured him a pardon.<ref name=WHITEWASH>{{cite news | url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/funny-girl-whitewashed-fanny-brices-real-life-troubles/news-story/06a1875131bd1c4266b48c2814010d0f | title=Funny Girl whitewashed Fanny Brice's real life troubles | first=Marea | last=Donnelly | newspaper=The Daily Telegraph | date=July 7, 2018}}</ref> They were married in 1918, one week after Arnstein obtained a divorce from his first wife. In 1920, Arnstein was charged with conspiracy to sell $5 million of stolen [[Wall Street]] bonds.<ref name=QUITS>{{cite news | url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1924/05/09/104037415.html?pageNumber=1 | title=Nicky' Arnstein Quits Fight Against Prison; Surrenders, With Cohn, for Two Years' Term | newspaper=New York Times | date=May 9, 1924 | page=1}}</ref> Brice insisted on his innocence and funded his legal defense at great expense and the case went to the Supreme Court while Arnstein remained free on bail.<ref name=QUITS/> Eventually Arnstein was sentenced to two years in the federal penitentiary at [[United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth|Leavenworth]].<ref name=QUITS/> Arnstein was released December 22, 1925 with 72 days time off for good behavior and joined Brice in Chicago where she was performing.<ref>{{cite news | title=Nicky Arnstein Quits Prison Today; Says He Will Return Here After Christmas in Chicago -- Fannie Brice Is Elated. | url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1925/12/22/104198739.html?pageNumber=12 | date=December 22, 1925 | newspaper=New York Times | page=12}}</ref> Brice divorced him in Chicago on September 14, 1927 on grounds of infidelity and loss of affection.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1927/09/15/104287979.html?pageNumber=31 | title=Fanny Brice gets Chicago Divorce | newspaper=New York Times | date= September 15, 1927 | page=31}}</ref> They had two children: Frances (1919–1992), who married film producer [[Ray Stark]], and [[William Brice|William]] (1921–2008), who became an artist using his mother's surname. Ray Stark later went on to produce the stage musical and film ''[[Funny Girl (musical)|Funny Girl]]'' loosely based on the life of Fanny.<ref name="LarkinGE"/> Stark also produced a follow-up film ''[[Funny Lady]]''.<ref name="LarkinGE"/>


Brice wed lyricist and stage producer [[Billy Rose]] in 1929<ref>{{cite web|title=New York City Marriage Index, 1866–1937|website=Ancestry.com|publisher=New York City Department of Records/Municipal Archives|url=https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/9105/}}</ref> and appeared in his revue ''Crazy Quilt'', among others. Brice sued Rose for divorce in 1938.<ref>{{cite news|title=Billy Rose Free to Wed Again – And So's Fannie|publisher=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|date=October 27, 1938}}</ref>
''Funny Girl'' and ''Funny Lady'' are examples of how plays and films take great liberties with the lives of historical figures and/or events. The Streisand film makes no mention of Brice's first husband at all. It also suggests that Arnstein turned to crime because his pride wouldn't allow him to live off Fanny, and that he was wanted by the police for selling phony bonds. In reality, however, Arnstein shamelessly sponged off Brice even before their marriage and was eventually named as a member of a gang that stole $5 million of [[Wall Street]] securities. Instead of turning himself in, as in the movie, Arnstein went into hiding. When he finally surrendered, he did not plead guilty as he did in the movie, but fought the charges for four years, taking a toll on his wife's finances. It is thought that [[Ray Stark]], the producer of the play and both movies and Brice's son-in-law, changed Arnstein's story in order to avoid a lawsuit, as Arnstein was still alive at the time. Brice's son William was not mentioned in the play or movies by mutual agreement; other changes (such as the portrayal of Brice's parents as poor rather than well-off or the omission of Brice's first husband) may have been done to increase the dramatic power of the story.


==Death==
Two children were born of the Brice-Arnstein marriage. Daughter Frances (1919-1992) married [[Ray Stark]], while son [[William Brice|William]] (1921-2008) became an artist of note, using his mother's surname.
[[File:Fanny Brice grave at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Brentwood, California.JPG|thumb|Brice's grave]]
Six months after her ''Big Show'' appearance, on May 29, 1951, Brice died at the [[Cedars of Lebanon Hospital]] in Hollywood from a [[cerebral hemorrhage]] at 11:15&nbsp;am; she was 59.<ref name=obit>{{cite news |title=Fanny Brice Dies at the Age of 59 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/1029.html |quote=Fanny Brice, stage and screen comedienne and the Baby Snooks of radio, died at 11:15 am today at the Cedars of Lebanon Hospital. Her age was 59. Miss Brice suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage last Thursday morning and was rushed to the hospital from her home in Beverly Hills. She never again regained consciousness, although she was placed in an oxygen tent. ... |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 30, 1951 |access-date=October 26, 2014 }}</ref> She was interred at [[Home of Peace Memorial Park]] but in 1999 her remains were relocated to
[[Westwood Village Memorial Park]].<ref name="FannyBriceRestingPlace-1">{{cite web|url=https://www.seeing-stars.com/Buried2/HomeOfPeace.shtml|title=Fanny Brice - Home of Peace Memorial Park|access-date=January 15, 2024}}</ref><ref name="FannyBriceRestingPlace-2">{{cite web|url=https://www.seeing-stars.com/Buried2/PierceBros5.shtml/4798|title=Fanny Brice - Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park|access-date=January 15, 2024}}</ref>


==Legacy==
The campus of the [[State University of New York]] ([[SUNY]]) at [[Stony Brook]] formerly had a Fannie Brice Theatre, a small 75-seat venue which has been used for a variety of performances over the years, including a 1988 production of the musical ''Hair'', staged readings, and a studio classroom space. The building was razed in 2007 to make way for new dormitories.
[[File:MyMan.jpg|thumb|Cover of sheet music for Brice's "My Man"]]
For her contributions to the film and radio industries, Brice was posthumously inducted into the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] with two stars. Her [[List of actors with Hollywood Walk of Fame motion picture stars|motion-pictures star]] is located at 6415 [[Hollywood Boulevard]], while her radio star is located at 1500 [[Vine Street]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.walkoffame.com/fanny-brice |title=Hollywood Walk of Fame – Fanny Brice |website=walkoffame.com/ |publisher=Hollywood Chamber of Commerce |access-date=November 30, 2017}}</ref>


The Stony Brook campus of the [[State University of New York]] ([[SUNY at Stony Brook]]) had a Fannie Brice Theatre, a 75-seat venue that was used for a variety of performances, including a 1988 production of the musical ''Hair'', staged readings, and a studio classroom space.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bridges |first=Ed |date=13 February 1986 |title=Free Creativity |pages=12 |work=The Stony Brook Press |url=https://dspace.sunyconnect.suny.edu/bitstream/handle/1951/37632/Stony%20Brook%20Press%20V.%2007,%20N.%2007.PDF |access-date=2022-07-29}}</ref>
The 1946 [[Warner Bros.]] [[cartoon]] ''[[Quentin Quail]]'' features a character based on Brice's characterization of Baby Snooks.


Mexican comedian [[Maria Elena Saldana]] was influenced by Brice and created a character similar to Brice's Baby Snooks, [[La Guereja]].{{Citation needed |date=September 2023}}
==Further reading==
[[Image:RockawayBaby.jpg|right|thumb|200px|"Rockaway Baby", 1920]]
* Goldman, Herbert, ''Fanny Brice: The Original Funny Girl'', Oxford University Press, 1993, ISBN 0-19-508552-3.
* Grossman, Barbara, ''Funny Woman: The Life and Times of Fanny Brice'', Indiana University Press, 1992, ISBN 0-253-20762-2.


<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Fanny Brice stamp.jpg|thumb|Fanny Brice commemorative stamp]] -->
==Watch==
In 1991, the [[United States Postal Service|US Postal Service]] featured Brice on a first-class stamp, the only woman included as part of a "Comedian Commemorative Issue", illustrated by [[Al Hirschfeld]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Fanny Brice |url=https://postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibition/women-on-stamps-part-4-theatre-and-dance-funny-girls-female-comedians/fanny-brice |website=National Postal Museum |access-date=19 July 2022}}</ref>
* [http://www.saxonyrecordcompany.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=1225 Saxony/Jasmine: Video clips of Fanny Brice]

In 2006, Brice was featured in the film ''Making Trouble-Three Generations of Funny Jewish Women'', a tribute to Jewish women comedians produced by the [[Jewish Women's Archive]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Deming |first=Mark |title=Making Trouble: Three Generations of Funny Jewish Women |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/400302/Making-Trouble-Three-Generations-of-Funny-Jewish-Women/overview |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120826033126/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/400302/Making-Trouble-Three-Generations-of-Funny-Jewish-Women/overview |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 26, 2012 |department=Movies & TV Dept. |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=2012 |access-date=April 14, 2012 }}</ref>

=== Brice portrayals ===
[[File:Fannie Brice in The Great Ziegfeld trailer.jpg|thumb|From the trailer for the film ''[[The Great Ziegfeld]]'' (1936) in which Brice appeared as herself]]

The 1946 [[Warner Bros.]] [[Animated cartoon|cartoon]] ''[[Quentin Quail]]'' features a character based on Brice's characterization of Baby Snooks.<ref>[http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/284-Quentin-Quail Quentin Quail, The Big Cartoon Database]{{dead link|date=January 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}. Accessed January 31, 2016.</ref>

[[Barbra Streisand]] starred as Brice in the 1964 [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] musical ''[[Funny Girl (musical)|Funny Girl]]'', which centered on Brice's rise to fame and troubled relationship with Arnstein. In 1969, Streisand won an [[Academy Award for Best Actress]] for reprising her role in [[Funny Girl (film)|the film version]]. The 1975 film sequel, ''[[Funny Lady]]'', focused on Brice's turbulent relationship with [[impresario]] Billy Rose and was as highly fictionalized as the original film. Streisand also recorded the Brice songs "My Man" and "[[I'd Rather Be Blue]] Over You (Than Happy with Somebody Else)"; and "[[Second Hand Rose (song)|Second Hand Rose]]", which reached ''Billboard''{{'}}s top 40.<ref>[https://www.billboard.com/pro/barbra-streisand-biggest-billboard-hot-100-hits/ ''Billboard'' Chart Beat 24 April 2017, Barbra Streisand Top 40 Hits "'Second Hand Rose', No. 32, Feb. 5, 1966"]. Accessed January 1, 2023.</ref>

''Funny Girl'', and its sequel ''Funny Lady'', took liberties with the events of Brice's life. They make no mention of Brice's first husband and suggest that Arnstein turned to crime because his pride would not allow him to live off Fanny and that he was wanted by the police for selling phony bonds. In reality, however, Arnstein sponged off Brice even before their marriage, and was eventually named as a member of a gang that stole $5 million worth of Wall Street securities. Instead of turning himself in, as in the movie, Arnstein went into hiding. When he finally surrendered, he did not plead guilty as he did in the movie, but fought the charges, taking a toll on his wife's finances.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.longislandpress.com/2014/03/08/fanny-brice-huntingtons-hollywood-star/|title=Fanny Brice: Huntington's Hollywood Star|first=Spencer|last=Rumsey|date=March 8, 2014}}</ref>

[[Beanie Feldstein]] starred as Brice in the Broadway revival of ''[[Funny Girl (musical)|Funny Girl]],'' which opened in April 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Evans |first=Greg |date=2021-10-06 |title=Jane Lynch To Join Beanie Feldstein In Broadway's 'Funny Girl' Revival; Ramin Karimloo, Jared Grimes Also Cast |url=https://deadline.com/2021/10/jane-lynch-funny-girl-broadway-beanie-feldstein-ramin-karimloo-jared-grimes-1234850671/ |access-date=2022-03-19 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Lea Michele]] replaced Feldstein on September 6, 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lea Michele to replace Beanie Feldstein in 'Funny Girl' on Broadway |url=https://ew.com/theater/funny-girl-lea-michele-replaces-beanie-feldstein-broadway/ |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=EW.com |language=en}}</ref>

Though an actress does not portray Brice, her name is mentioned in three scenes of a movie that was successful at the box office and merited two Academy Award nominations: ''[[Can You Ever Forgive Me?]]'' (2018). The protagonist, [[Lee Israel]], portrayed by [[Melissa McCarthy]], is a biographer who hopes she can get paid to work on a project about Brice's life. Her literary agent Marjorie, portrayed by [[Jane Curtin]], tells her sharply that that is not going to happen. Marjorie shouts at Lee, "Nobody wants a book about Fanny Brice! There is nothing new or sexy about Fanny Brice! I couldn't get you a ten-dollar advance for a book about Fanny Brice."{{cn|date=January 2023}}

Kimberly Faye Greenberg originated the role of Fanny Brice in "One Night With Fanny Brice" Off-Broadway at St. Luke's Theatre, NYC (2011).<ref name="archive/one-night-2010-OCR">{{cite web |title=One Night With Fanny Brice (Original Cast Recording) |url=https://archive.org/details/one-night-with-fanny-brice-2010-original-cast |website=archive.org |access-date=4 August 2023 |date=2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=''One Night with Fanny Brice'' with Kimberly Faye Greenberg |last=Gans |first=Andrew |date=March 16, 2011 |website=Playbill |url=https://playbill.com/article/one-night-with-fanny-brice-with-kimberly-faye-greenberg-begins-off-broadway-run-march-16-com-177226 |access-date=August 26, 2022}}</ref> Greenberg has also played Brice in three other shows. These portrayals of Fanny Brice include "Speakeasy Dollhouse: Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic" at Broadway's Liberty Theatre, NY (2015);<ref>{{cite web |title=Times Square Theater Resurrected as Playground for Ziegfeld and the Follies |last=Clement |first=Olivia |date=March 5, 2015 |website=Playbill |url=https://playbill.com/article/times-squares-liberty-theater-resurrected-as-playground-for-ziegfeld-and-the-follies-com-343364 |access-date=August 26, 2022}}</ref>

Other recent portrayals of Fanny Brice were in "Ghostlight" at the New York Musical Theatre Festival at the Signature Theatre, NYC (2011);<ref>{{cite web |title=Daisy Eagan, Michael Hayden and Rachel York Step into ''Ghostlight'' |last=Hetrick |first=Adam |date=September 26, 2011 |website=Playbill |url=https://playbill.com/article/daisy-eagan-michael-hayden-and-rachel-york-step-into-ghostlight-at-nymf-sept-26-com-182943 |access-date=August 26, 2022}}</ref> and in the solo show "Fabulous Fanny: The Songs & Stories of Fanny Brice",<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/cabaret/article/BWW-Review-With-Flair-and-A-Flourish-Kimberly-Faye-Greenberg-Tells-The-Tale-of-FABULOUS-FANNY-BRICE-at-The-Green-Room-42-20211204 | title=Review: With Flair and a Flourish Kimberly Faye Greenberg Tells the Tale of FABULOUS FANNY BRICE at the Green Room 42 |last=Mosher |first=Stephen |date=December 4, 2021 |website=Broadway World |access-date=August 26, 2022 }}</ref> which has been touring the United States since 2014 and is streaming on the Stellar Platform.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/cabaret/article/Stream-the-FABULOUS-FANNY-BRICE-THE-SONGS-AND-STORIES-OF-FANNY-BRICE-On-Sunday-February-20th-20220219 | title=Stream the FABULOUS FANNY: THE SONGS AND STORIES OF FANNY BRICE on Sunday, February 20th |last=Tomeo |first=Marissa |date=February 19, 2022 |website=Broadway World |access-date=August 26, 2022}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Blanche Merrill]]
*[[List of songs written by Blanche Merrill]]
*[[John Henry Devereux#225–227 King St. Academy of Music/Riviera Theatre|Academy of Music/Riviera Theatre]]
{{Portal bar|Biography}}


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* Goldman, Herbert, ''Fanny Brice: The Original Funny Girl'', Oxford University Press, 1993, {{ISBN|0-19-508552-3}}.
* {{cite book |last=Grossman |first= Barbara W. |title=Funny Woman (A Midland Book) |publisher=Indiana University Press |isbn=978-0253207623 |year=1992 }}
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=BB8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA7 ''Billboard'' Magazine, 6 1951]

==External links==
==External links==
{{Wikiquote|Fanny Brice}}
{{Commonscat}}
{{Commons category}}
* {{ibdb|66952}}

* {{imdb|0108511}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{IMDb name|0108511}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkOoUzNKeCs Fanny Brice's television appearance as Baby Snooks]
* [http://www.brice.nl/bricehome.html Fanny Brice Collection]
* [http://www.brice.nl/bricehome.html Fanny Brice Collection]
* [http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/brice.html Jewish Virtual Library: Fanny Brice]
* [https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/brice.html Jewish Virtual Library: Fanny Brice]
* [http://www.virtual-history.com/movie/person/11617/fanny-brice Fanny Brice] at Virtual History
* [http://www.brice.nl A Dutch site (in English)]
*Grossman, Barbara Wallace. [https://web.archive.org/web/20091103174555/http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/brice-fanny "Fanny Brice"], Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia
* {{findagrave|5866}}

{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Brice, Fanny}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brice, Fanny}}
[[Category:1891 births]]
[[Category:1891 births]]
[[Category:1951 deaths]]
[[Category:1951 deaths]]
[[Category:Actors from New York City]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:American comedians]]
[[Category:20th-century American comedians]]
[[Category:American female singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American Jews]]
[[Category:American radio actors]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:American singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American women singers]]
[[Category:American stage actors]]
[[Category:Actresses from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Actresses from Manhattan]]
[[Category:American burlesque performers]]
[[Category:American people of Hungarian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American radio actresses]]
[[Category:American stage actresses]]
[[Category:American vedettes]]
[[Category:American women comedians]]
[[Category:Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery]]
[[Category:Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery]]
[[Category:Burlesque performers]]
[[Category:Comedians from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Deaths from stroke]]
[[Category:Comedians from Manhattan]]
[[Category:Hungarian-American Jews]]
[[Category:Jewish American actresses]]
[[Category:Jewish actors]]
[[Category:Jewish American comedians]]
[[Category:Jewish female comedians]]
[[Category:Jewish American musicians]]
[[Category:Jewish American musicians]]
[[Category:Jewish comedians]]
[[Category:Jewish women musicians]]
[[Category:People from Holmby Hills, Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Traditional pop music singers]]
[[Category:Traditional pop music singers]]
[[Category:Vaudeville performers]]
[[Category:American vaudeville performers]]
[[Category:Women comedians]]
[[Category:Victor Records artists]]
[[Category:Ziegfeld Follies]]

[[Category:Jewish film people]]
[[de:Fanny Brice]]
[[es:Fanny Brice]]
[[eo:Fanny Brice]]
[[fr:Fanny Brice]]
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[[ru:Фанни Брайс]]
[[sr:Фани Брајс]]
[[sv:Fanny Brice]]

Latest revision as of 13:30, 2 January 2025

Fanny Brice
Brice circa 1920
Born
Fania Borach

(1891-10-29)October 29, 1891
New York City, U.S.
DiedMay 29, 1951(1951-05-29) (aged 59)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Comedian, song model, singer, actress
Years active1908–1951
Spouses
Frank White
​
​
(m. 1910; div. 1913)​
​
​
(m. 1918; div. 1927)​
​
​
(m. 1929; div. 1938)​
Children2, including William Brice

Fania Borach (October 29, 1891 – May 29, 1951),[1] known professionally as Fanny Brice or Fannie Brice, was an American comedian, illustrated song model, singer, and actress who made many stage, radio, and film appearances. She is known as the creator and star of the top-rated radio comedy series The Baby Snooks Show.[2]

Her life story was loosely adapted into the stage musical Funny Girl. Brice was famously portrayed by Barbra Streisand in both the original Broadway production of the musical and its 1968 film adaptation.

Early life

[edit]
Brice c. 1910s or early 1920s publicity photo

Fania Borach was born in Manhattan, New York City, United States,[1] the third child of Rose (née Stern; 1867–1941), a Jewish Hungarian woman who immigrated to the U.S. at age 10, and Alsatian immigrant Charles Borach. The Borachs were saloon owners and had four children: Phillip, born in 1887; Carrie, born in 1889; Fania, born in 1891; and Louis, born in 1893. Under the name Lew Brice, her younger brother also became an entertainer and was the first husband of actress Mae Clarke.[3]

In 1908, Brice dropped out of school to work in a burlesque revue, "The Girls from Happy Land Starring Sliding Billy Watson". Two years later, she began her association with Florenz Ziegfeld, headlining his Ziegfeld Follies in 1910 and 1911. She was hired again in 1921 and performed in the Follies into the 1930s.[1]

In the 1921 Follies, she was featured singing "My Man", which became both a big hit and her signature song. She made a popular recording of it for the Victor Talking Machine Company. The second song most associated with Brice is "Second Hand Rose", which she also introduced in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1921.[4]

She recorded nearly two dozen record sides for Victor, and also cut several for Columbia Records. She is a posthumous recipient of a Grammy Hall of Fame Award for her 1921 recording of "My Man".[5]

Brice's Broadway credits include Fioretta, Sweet and Low, and Billy Rose's Crazy Quilt. Her films include My Man (1928, a lost film),[6] Be Yourself! (1930), and Everybody Sing (1938) with Judy Garland. Brice, Ann Pennington, and Harriet Hoctor were the only original Ziegfeld performers to portray themselves in The Great Ziegfeld (1936) and Ziegfeld Follies (1946).

Radio

[edit]
Brice in the role of Baby Snooks, 1940

Brice's first radio show was the Philco Hour in February 1930.[7] Brice's first regular radio show was probably The Chase and Sanborn Hour, a 30-minute program which ran on Wednesday nights at 8 pm in 1933.[8]

From the 1930s until her death in 1951, Fanny made a radio presence as a bratty toddler named Snooks,[1] a role she had premiered in a Follies skit co-written by playwright Moss Hart. Baby Snooks premiered in The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air in February 1936 on CBS, with Alan Reed playing Lancelot Higgins, her beleaguered "Daddy." Brice moved to NBC in December 1937, performing the Snooks routines as part of the Good News show, then back to CBS on Maxwell House Coffee Time, with the half-hour divided between the Snooks sketches and actor Frank Morgan.[citation needed]

By September 1944, Brice's sketch writers Philip Rapp and David Freedman brought in Arthur Stander and Everett Freeman, who developed a half-hour comedy program, Post Toasties Time, later The Baby Snooks Show. Produced by Everett Freeman, it launched on CBS in 1944, moving to NBC in 1948. Hanley Stafford played the Daddy and Fannie Brice the main character, Baby Snooks. Other co-stars included Lalive Brownell, Lois Corbet, and Arlene Harris each in turn as her mother, Danny Thomas as Jerry, Charlie Cantor as Uncle Louie, and Ken Christy as Mr. Weemish.

She returned on Tallulah Bankhead's big-budget, large-scale radio variety show The Big Show in November 1950, sharing the bill with Groucho Marx and Jane Powell.[9]

Television appearance

[edit]

Fanny Brice's only appearance on television was on June 12, 1950, in a performance on CBS-TV's Popsicle Parade of Stars, as Baby Snooks.[10]

Later years

[edit]

Fanny Brice resided in a house built in 1938 on North Faring Road in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, designed by the architect John Elgin Woolf (1908-1980).[11] The house was entirely gutted and rebuilt from the foundation up between 2001 and 2008.[12]

Personal life

[edit]
Brice c. late 1910s

Brice had a short-lived marriage in her late teens to a barber, Frank White, whom she met in 1910 in Springfield, Massachusetts, when she was touring in College Girl. The marriage lasted three years and she brought suit for divorce in 1913.[2]

Judge Otto Kerner Sr. (left) of the Circuit Court of Cook County granting Brice (center) a divorce decree in September 1927 (Brice's attorney, Benjamin H. Ehrlich, is in the far-right of the photograph)

Her second husband was professional gambler and con man Nicky Arnstein.[1] Brice and Arnstein lived together for three years before he was convicted of a wiretapping swindle in 1915. Brice visited Arnstein in prison every week during the 14 months he served in Sing Sing, pawned her jewelry to pay for appeals and eventually secured him a pardon.[13] They were married in 1918, one week after Arnstein obtained a divorce from his first wife. In 1920, Arnstein was charged with conspiracy to sell $5 million of stolen Wall Street bonds.[14] Brice insisted on his innocence and funded his legal defense at great expense and the case went to the Supreme Court while Arnstein remained free on bail.[14] Eventually Arnstein was sentenced to two years in the federal penitentiary at Leavenworth.[14] Arnstein was released December 22, 1925 with 72 days time off for good behavior and joined Brice in Chicago where she was performing.[15] Brice divorced him in Chicago on September 14, 1927 on grounds of infidelity and loss of affection.[16] They had two children: Frances (1919–1992), who married film producer Ray Stark, and William (1921–2008), who became an artist using his mother's surname. Ray Stark later went on to produce the stage musical and film Funny Girl loosely based on the life of Fanny.[1] Stark also produced a follow-up film Funny Lady.[1]

Brice wed lyricist and stage producer Billy Rose in 1929[17] and appeared in his revue Crazy Quilt, among others. Brice sued Rose for divorce in 1938.[18]

Death

[edit]
Brice's grave

Six months after her Big Show appearance, on May 29, 1951, Brice died at the Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Hollywood from a cerebral hemorrhage at 11:15 am; she was 59.[2] She was interred at Home of Peace Memorial Park but in 1999 her remains were relocated to Westwood Village Memorial Park.[19][20]

Legacy

[edit]
Cover of sheet music for Brice's "My Man"

For her contributions to the film and radio industries, Brice was posthumously inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame with two stars. Her motion-pictures star is located at 6415 Hollywood Boulevard, while her radio star is located at 1500 Vine Street.[21]

The Stony Brook campus of the State University of New York (SUNY at Stony Brook) had a Fannie Brice Theatre, a 75-seat venue that was used for a variety of performances, including a 1988 production of the musical Hair, staged readings, and a studio classroom space.[22]

Mexican comedian Maria Elena Saldana was influenced by Brice and created a character similar to Brice's Baby Snooks, La Guereja.[citation needed]

In 1991, the US Postal Service featured Brice on a first-class stamp, the only woman included as part of a "Comedian Commemorative Issue", illustrated by Al Hirschfeld.[23]

In 2006, Brice was featured in the film Making Trouble-Three Generations of Funny Jewish Women, a tribute to Jewish women comedians produced by the Jewish Women's Archive.[24]

Brice portrayals

[edit]
From the trailer for the film The Great Ziegfeld (1936) in which Brice appeared as herself

The 1946 Warner Bros. cartoon Quentin Quail features a character based on Brice's characterization of Baby Snooks.[25]

Barbra Streisand starred as Brice in the 1964 Broadway musical Funny Girl, which centered on Brice's rise to fame and troubled relationship with Arnstein. In 1969, Streisand won an Academy Award for Best Actress for reprising her role in the film version. The 1975 film sequel, Funny Lady, focused on Brice's turbulent relationship with impresario Billy Rose and was as highly fictionalized as the original film. Streisand also recorded the Brice songs "My Man" and "I'd Rather Be Blue Over You (Than Happy with Somebody Else)"; and "Second Hand Rose", which reached Billboard's top 40.[26]

Funny Girl, and its sequel Funny Lady, took liberties with the events of Brice's life. They make no mention of Brice's first husband and suggest that Arnstein turned to crime because his pride would not allow him to live off Fanny and that he was wanted by the police for selling phony bonds. In reality, however, Arnstein sponged off Brice even before their marriage, and was eventually named as a member of a gang that stole $5 million worth of Wall Street securities. Instead of turning himself in, as in the movie, Arnstein went into hiding. When he finally surrendered, he did not plead guilty as he did in the movie, but fought the charges, taking a toll on his wife's finances.[27]

Beanie Feldstein starred as Brice in the Broadway revival of Funny Girl, which opened in April 2022.[28] Lea Michele replaced Feldstein on September 6, 2022.[29]

Though an actress does not portray Brice, her name is mentioned in three scenes of a movie that was successful at the box office and merited two Academy Award nominations: Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018). The protagonist, Lee Israel, portrayed by Melissa McCarthy, is a biographer who hopes she can get paid to work on a project about Brice's life. Her literary agent Marjorie, portrayed by Jane Curtin, tells her sharply that that is not going to happen. Marjorie shouts at Lee, "Nobody wants a book about Fanny Brice! There is nothing new or sexy about Fanny Brice! I couldn't get you a ten-dollar advance for a book about Fanny Brice."[citation needed]

Kimberly Faye Greenberg originated the role of Fanny Brice in "One Night With Fanny Brice" Off-Broadway at St. Luke's Theatre, NYC (2011).[30][31] Greenberg has also played Brice in three other shows. These portrayals of Fanny Brice include "Speakeasy Dollhouse: Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic" at Broadway's Liberty Theatre, NY (2015);[32]

Other recent portrayals of Fanny Brice were in "Ghostlight" at the New York Musical Theatre Festival at the Signature Theatre, NYC (2011);[33] and in the solo show "Fabulous Fanny: The Songs & Stories of Fanny Brice",[34] which has been touring the United States since 2014 and is streaming on the Stellar Platform.[35]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 325. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  2. ^ a b c "Fanny Brice Dies at the Age of 59". The New York Times. May 30, 1951. Retrieved October 26, 2014. Fanny Brice, stage and screen comedienne and the Baby Snooks of radio, died at 11:15 am today at the Cedars of Lebanon Hospital. Her age was 59. Miss Brice suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage last Thursday morning and was rushed to the hospital from her home in Beverly Hills. She never again regained consciousness, although she was placed in an oxygen tent. ...
  3. ^ Herbert G. Goldman (1992). Fanny Brice. Oxford University Press. pp. 7–10. ISBN 978-0-19-535901-5.
  4. ^ Strauss, Marc Raymond (2019). Discovering Musicals: A Liberal Arts Guide to Stage and Screen. McFarland. p. 66. ISBN 978-1-4766-7450-6.
  5. ^ "GRAMMY Hall Of Fame | Hall of Fame Artists | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  6. ^ Richard Barrios, A Song In The Dark, Oxford University Press, 1975.
  7. ^ Michele Hilmes (Fall 2005). "Fanny Brice and the "Schnooks" Strategy: Negotiating a Feminine Comic Persona on the Air" (PDF). A Screen of One's Own.
  8. ^ Radio Digest magazine, June 1933.
  9. ^ "Let There Be Laughter – Jewish Humor Around the World". Beit Hatfutsot. March 12, 2019.
  10. ^ "Popsicle Parade of Stars, The (children's comedy-variety)". Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  11. ^ Morgan Brennan, Luxury Home Rehab: Inside The $65 Million Fanny Brice Estate, Forbes, August 28, 2013
  12. ^ Kudler, Adrian Glick (July 18, 2011). "Fanny Brice's Unrecognizable Holmby Hills House Asking $65 Million". Curbed LA.
  13. ^ Donnelly, Marea (July 7, 2018). "Funny Girl whitewashed Fanny Brice's real life troubles". The Daily Telegraph.
  14. ^ a b c "Nicky' Arnstein Quits Fight Against Prison; Surrenders, With Cohn, for Two Years' Term". New York Times. May 9, 1924. p. 1.
  15. ^ "Nicky Arnstein Quits Prison Today; Says He Will Return Here After Christmas in Chicago -- Fannie Brice Is Elated". New York Times. December 22, 1925. p. 12.
  16. ^ "Fanny Brice gets Chicago Divorce". New York Times. September 15, 1927. p. 31.
  17. ^ "New York City Marriage Index, 1866–1937". Ancestry.com. New York City Department of Records/Municipal Archives.
  18. ^ "Billy Rose Free to Wed Again – And So's Fannie". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. October 27, 1938.
  19. ^ "Fanny Brice - Home of Peace Memorial Park". Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  20. ^ "Fanny Brice - Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park". Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  21. ^ "Hollywood Walk of Fame – Fanny Brice". walkoffame.com/. Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  22. ^ Bridges, Ed (February 13, 1986). "Free Creativity" (PDF). The Stony Brook Press. p. 12. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  23. ^ "Fanny Brice". National Postal Museum. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  24. ^ Deming, Mark (2012). "Making Trouble: Three Generations of Funny Jewish Women". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 26, 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  25. ^ Quentin Quail, The Big Cartoon Database[dead link‍]. Accessed January 31, 2016.
  26. ^ Billboard Chart Beat 24 April 2017, Barbra Streisand Top 40 Hits "'Second Hand Rose', No. 32, Feb. 5, 1966". Accessed January 1, 2023.
  27. ^ Rumsey, Spencer (March 8, 2014). "Fanny Brice: Huntington's Hollywood Star".
  28. ^ Evans, Greg (October 6, 2021). "Jane Lynch To Join Beanie Feldstein In Broadway's 'Funny Girl' Revival; Ramin Karimloo, Jared Grimes Also Cast". Deadline. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  29. ^ "Lea Michele to replace Beanie Feldstein in 'Funny Girl' on Broadway". EW.com. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  30. ^ "One Night With Fanny Brice (Original Cast Recording)". archive.org. 2010. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  31. ^ Gans, Andrew (March 16, 2011). "One Night with Fanny Brice with Kimberly Faye Greenberg". Playbill. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  32. ^ Clement, Olivia (March 5, 2015). "Times Square Theater Resurrected as Playground for Ziegfeld and the Follies". Playbill. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  33. ^ Hetrick, Adam (September 26, 2011). "Daisy Eagan, Michael Hayden and Rachel York Step into Ghostlight". Playbill. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  34. ^ Mosher, Stephen (December 4, 2021). "Review: With Flair and a Flourish Kimberly Faye Greenberg Tells the Tale of FABULOUS FANNY BRICE at the Green Room 42". Broadway World. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  35. ^ Tomeo, Marissa (February 19, 2022). "Stream the FABULOUS FANNY: THE SONGS AND STORIES OF FANNY BRICE on Sunday, February 20th". Broadway World. Retrieved August 26, 2022.

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fanny Brice.
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