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Dorothy Wegman Raphaelson

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American dancer, novelist, vaudeville performer (1904-2005)
Dorothy Wegman Raphaelson
Dorothy WegmanDorothy Wegman
BornDorothy Deborah Wegman
November 27, 1904
New York City, U.S.
DiedNovember 7, 2005 (aged 100)
New York City, U.S.
Occupation(s)Dancer, novelist
Spouse Samson Raphaelson ​ ​(m. 1927; died 1983)​
Children2
RelativesPaul Raphaelson (grandson)

Dorothy Deborah Wegman Raphaelson (November 27, 1904 – November 7, 2005) was an American dancer, Ziegfeld Girl, vaudeville performer, and novelist.

Early life

Dorothy Deborah Wegman was raised in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City. Her parents were immigrants from Russia. She had a sister Esther and a brother Daniel; their father was Abraham Wegman and their mother was Pasha (Krynsky) Wegman, and their father was an engineer.

Career

Dorothy Wegman left high school to work full-time after her father's death. She worked for a clothing manufacturer while auditioning for stage roles. She danced in The Whirl of New York (1921), Bombo (1922), The Dancing Girl (1923) Topics of 1923 (1924), Big Boy (1925), No Foolin' (1926), and Rio Rita (1927–1928). She also appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1924, the Ziegfeld Follies of 1925, and the Ziegfeld Follies of 1926. Her last show was the 1928 Ziegfeld production Rosalie, which she from which she "retired permanently, thanks to the stork and the increasing responsibilities of the domestic life she was eager to adapt.".

It is said that Marion Benda, "a well-known Ziegfeld beauty," nicknamed Wegman "Dorshka," but there is no evidence that Wegman ever performed on stage using that name. A 1935 newspaper article states that Wegman "distinguishes between old friends and newer friends and acquaintances now by the greeting they give her. 'Hello. Dolly,' belongs to her pre-Follies days; 'Hi, Dorothy' to the Follies period; and those who call her 'Dorshka' she knows from her later days in the theater and in Hollywood.".

Wegman did, however, publish two novels under the name Dorshka Raphaelson: Glorified (1930), based on her time as a dancer, and Morning Song (1948), which was also autobiographical.

Personal life

Dorothy Wegman married writer Samson Raphaelson in late 1927. They had a son, Joel (1928-2021), and a daughter, Naomi (1930–2009). She was widowed when Samson Raphaelson died in 1983. She died in 2005, aged 100 years, in New York; at the time of her death, she was believed to be the second-to-last surviving Ziegfeld Girl. Her husband's papers, archived at the University of Illinois, includes a taped interview with Dorothy Wegman Raphaelson.

References

  1. "Esther Ellsworth". Arizona Republic. February 16, 1960. p. 22. Retrieved April 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Dorothea Deborah Wegman Family Tree". FamilySearch. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  3. ^ Martin, Douglas (November 12, 2005). "Dorothy W. Raphaelson, A Ziegfeld Girl, Dies at 100". The New York Times. p. A12. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  4. Mutti-Mewse, Austin (2005-12-05). "Obituary: Dorothy Wegman". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  5. "A Group of Rio Rita Beauts with Flo Ziegfeld". Star Tribune. June 21, 1931. p. 55. Retrieved April 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Dorothy W. Raphaelson, A Ziegfeld Girl, Dies at 100". New York Time. November 12, 2005. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  7. "More Talent". Daily News. July 25, 1925. p. 30. Retrieved January 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Coming Attractions". Evening Star. November 7, 1926. p. 69. Retrieved January 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Follies Girl, Retired". The Oklahoma News. January 9, 1935. p. 3. Retrieved January 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. Raphaelson, Dorshka (1948). Morning Song. Random House.
  11. "New York Girl Learns of Life". The Los Angeles Times. August 22, 1948. p. 76. Retrieved April 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. Sternlicht, Sanford (2004-12-16). The Tenement Saga: The Lower East Side and Early Jewish American Writers. Terrace Books. p. 118. ISBN 9780299204839.
  13. "Raphaelson Weds Dorothy Wegman". The New York Times. March 13, 1928. p. 23 – via ProQuest.
  14. "Naomi (Raphaelson) Yocom". LancasterOnline. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  15. Van Atta, Burr (July 19, 1983). "Samson Raphaelson; Wrote Plays, Movies". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 18. Retrieved April 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. "Samson Raphaelson Papers, 1921-1976 | University of Illinois Archives". archives.library.illinois.edu. Retrieved 2019-04-19.

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