| |
Stage Name |
Birth Name |
| The Dolly Sisters |
Yansci "Jenny" Dolly Deutsch |
| The Dancing Dollys |
Roszika "Rosi" Dolly Deutsch |
The Twins arrived in Brooklyn, NY when they were just five
years of age, Rozika (Rosy) and Jenny (Yansci) Dolly of the famous
Dolly Sisters were internationally known as a single sex dance team, a "Tandem
act" if you will. These sister were twins who danced on Broadway plays then
in movies. They were managed by their uncle. Using mirrors, lights and shadow techniques,
and identical clothing they would imitate each others dancing movements to perfection.
The twins started dancing early in life in beer halls and made
their American debut in operetta entitled "The Maid and the Millionaire"
(danced the pony ballet) in 1907. However, because of their age they would
not be allowed to perform in New York for two more years, frustrated, they entered
the Orpheum Vaudeville circuit and toured the mid west until 1909 they returned
back to New York and the Keith circuit and by 1912 was with the Ziegfeld Follies,
billed as the Dolly twins. Passing an important audition for Oscar |
| Hammerstein, the Dolly girls become international Stage
headliners, but in so doing they find that their private life would be strained.
Jenny married Harry Foxwho is credited for inventing the Fox
Trot dance in 1914. Harry Fox sang the song, "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows,"
with the Dolly Sisters, in the 1918 Broadway musical for which it was written, "Oh,
Look". Harry isn't in the film and actually sued the producers for representing
him as a "lowly songwriter", he felt it was part of Rosie's "conspiracy
to injure him." His suit was unsuccessful.
Roszika would team up with Martin Brownand perform erotic Spanish
ballroom dances which the audience adored. On many billings the two girls would
be billed as rivals to create more income at the door. However these teaming's would
not last and the sisters would be back together again, better than ever.
Jennie Dolly was in a serious automobile accident, driving over
a cliff located along the French Riviera in 1933 with her fiance Tony ???, they
survived the automobile accident more or less intact -- afterwards looking exactly
as she did before and still able to dance, but sadly very broke and unhappy, as
Hollywood was no longer calling.
For the next six weeks, writes Max Pierce, "she [underwent]
over 15 painful and unsuccessful plastic surgeries to restore her beauty, later
cursing the doctors for saving her life. This necessitated the sale of most of her
jewelry" -- a fact which is included in the film.
However, never recovering mentally or physically from her 1933 auto accident, Jennie
described herself to friends as a broken shell' and committed suicide by hanging
herself at the Shelton Hotel in 1941. Rosie, who attempted suicide in 1962, died
of a heart attack in 1970. I Think the the Sisters would later dance Mambo,
(a Latin dance) in a few foreign Spanish movies as they were credited, (maybe
they are other dancers sharing the same name). |
