“The Last Of The Red-Hot Mamas” Sophie Tucker Invites New York Female Journalists To A Party: “The Only Ones I Belong To Are Night Clubs”

SOPHIE TUCKER (1886-1966). Tucker was a Jewish-American singer, comedian, actress, and radio personality known for her risqué vaudeville and nightclub performances. TLS. 1pg. 8”x 10”. N.d. New York. A typed letter signed “Sophie Tucker” to “New York Newspaper Women”: “I hear you’re trying to build a new clubhouse. I don’t know much about clubs because the only ones I belong to are night clubs. I’ve only known two newspaper women very well – Amy Leslie and Nellie Revell – but the rets of your newspaper girls are like them, your club will also be a night club. And here’s hoping it never gets padlocked. Your party the other night was a real joy to me. I was sorry I couldn’t stay longer but I had to get back here to crack the ice and squeeze the oranges. Speaking of that, I wonder if you wouldn’t like to come over to my Playground to make mud pies with me next Monday night. But take your baths before you come because this is a cabaret and not a bathhouse. If you get hold of any wine around here, remember it is for internal use only. I’m not using this party for publicity purposes. You won’t be exploited…just a little opportunity to get better acquainted with you…” This letter reveals the symbiotic relationship in the early twentieth century between female newspaper reporters and performers, especially women, as both jockeyed for equality in male-dominated fields. Both Leslie and Revell were pioneers, with Amy Leslie serving as one of the few women drama critics of her time, contributing to the Chicago Daily News, while Nellie Revell was among the first to successfully have her work treated equally with her male colleagues and not relegated to the “women’s page.” The letter is in fine condition.