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Desert Island Discs
Presented by Roy Plomley
Vaudeville and nightclub singer, recording artist and comedian who performed in burlesque and musical shows.
Eight records
The keepsakes
No book or luxury recorded for this episode.
In conversation
Presenter asks
Looking back, did you have a happy childhood?
Tell you the truth, I don't remember my childhood at all. I was a slavey. I worked hard. We had a little restaurant, and I used to serve, wash the dishes, and scrub the floors, and oh, dear boy, it was tough.
Presenter asks
What gave you this idea of being an entertainer?
In the restaurant when the performers would come in and dine at our place. I knew they were performers and I … I just sneaked around and would sing around and show off and learned how.
Presenter asks
When did you decide you were going to be a professional?
When I ran away from home in nineteen oh six To New York City.
Presenter asks
Did you find work fairly easily?
The recording
Timestamps play the recording from that turn
Speaker 1
BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts. Hello, I'm Lauren Laverne, and this is the Desert Island Discs podcast. This is the only extract the BBC has of this episode. The surviving recording did not include the music, so we've recreated the programme, adding the Castaways' choices. For rights' reasons, the music is shorter than on the original broadcast. The presenter is Roy Plomley. I hope you enjoy listening.
Sophie Tucker
But Stucker, where were you born?
Sophie Tucker
I was born on the roads. You mean the Uh
Presenter
No, no.
Sophie Tucker
Yeah.
Presenter
When we migrated from Russia to America.
Presenter
My father sent for mother with my older brother that I lost here about fifteen years ago, and I was born on the road at the port of embarkation.
Presenter
And we came to Boston, Massachusetts when I was just about three months old. Yes. Looking back, did you have a happy childhood?
Presenter
Tell you the truth, I don't remember my childhood at all. I was a slavey. I worked hard. We had a little restaurant, and I used to serve, wash the dishes, and scrub the floors, and oh, dear boy, it was tough.
Sophie Tucker
And sometimes used to entertain the customers.
Presenter
I always entertain them. I always try to get some pennies and nickels. What gave you this idea of being an entertainer? In the restaurant when the performers would come in and dine at our place. I w I knew they were performers and I, I don't know, I just sneaked around and would sing around and show off and um learned how. When did you decide you were going to be a professional?
Sophie Tucker
Go ahead.
Presenter
Yeah.
Sophie Tucker
The tenor.
Presenter
Yeah.
Presenter
When I ran away from home in nineteen oh six To New York To New York City. Did you find work fairly easily? Oh, no. Oh, no. I walked the streets starved, would go into restaurants and wash the dishes and sing for the customers. I don't know.
Sophie Tucker
Nothing was easy. I read that when you started as a performer in your early days, you once did twenty shows a day in a small cinema. That's correct. Twenty shows a day for twenty dollars a week.
Sophie Tucker
And quite early in your career you became a recording artist.
Presenter
Very early, and that was due to the fact that I was disgusted with that restaurant. I was disgusted that I had to wash and keep my mother's feet.
Presenter
She used to suffer with these terrible calluses, and I had to rub them. And I vowed that if ever I got money enough I would take her out of that restaurant. And my first recording for Edison enabled me to take her out of the restaurant. That was in nineteen hundred nine.
Sophie Tucker
Now looking back on those days, the the days of road shows, Vaudeville, traveling the country, was there any one engagement, one opportunity that you look back on as your first big break?
Presenter
Not exactly. The only thing that I can remember distinctly was in the Burlesque Show. I did Blackface and I lost my trunk on on the road some place and I had to go on Whiteface, and the star of the show loaned me her gown with a long train.
Presenter
Now I remembered I had never had a long train, didn't know how to walk on or do anything, but I managed to walk out well nicely, and then when I had to turn to go back I tripped and I fell flat on my
Presenter
Yes. On my Witch McCall and the audience screamed with laughter and I s was so mad and I got up and I said, Now you what are you laughing at? What are you this this hurts me? And they kept on laughing. They thought it was part of the act. Well, I kept it in part of the act'cause it was a great stunt and I became a comedian.
Sophie Tucker
Fine, well we got you started, let's have record numbers.
Speaker 2
Long as he needs me
Speaker 2
I know where I must be.
Speaker 1
I know where I'm on.
Speaker 2
I'll cling on steadfastly.
Speaker 2
As long as he needs
Sophie Tucker
When did you first come to England?
Presenter
I came to England in nineteen twenty two.
Presenter
and I first appeared at the Finsbury Park Empire.
Presenter
And the same time at the
Presenter
Cafe Metropole at your first nightclub, uh we've called Cabaret in London, and then directly after that, right at the Hippodrome Theatre with George Roby.
Sophie Tucker
Yeah. And you've been a regular visitor. And I've been coming for forty-two years and this is my hometown. You haven't done so very many musicals. You've been most of the time as a solo performer, but well, those leave it to me with me.
Presenter
And I've been coming
Presenter
Well, Leave It in Me was a musical show. High Kickers was a musical show. I did a great many musical shows with the Schuberts years ago. But then when I became a nightclub singer, that was my best. I I I love that intimacy above all.
Sophie Tucker
In your your long career, you've seen many changes in in show business. What what do you think of the new pattern?
Presenter
Well, are you referring to the rock and rollers and the twists and things? If you like. Well, we had that years ago in a different form, a different number, and they come and they go, and we'll have something new next year. But the true and tried performers that you will never wipe off in our show business.
Sophie Tucker
Should have record numbers.
Speaker 2
Yeah.
Sophie Tucker
From the ball
Speaker 2
Uh Uh
Speaker 2
Yeah.
Sophie Tucker
The second time you fall
Sophie Tucker
Like a friendly home the second time you call
Sophie Tucker
Who can say?
Sophie Tucker
Sophie, for years and years you've been billed as the last of the red-hot mammas. Were there
Presenter
Uh
Sophie Tucker
Are there any others?
Presenter
Well, I'm looking around for some. I can't find any.
Presenter
No.
Sophie Tucker
You're unique. Now, those songs of yours, some of which have run into a little sensor trouble from time to time, but great songs.
Presenter
I wouldn't say any sense of trouble in in the w in the sense of the word. If you look around and you come around to New York City and you see your plays that you're having around here uh pretty, pretty, pretty wild. I wouldn't call it naughty. I'd call them nice.
Oh, no. Oh, no. I walked the streets starved, would go into restaurants and wash the dishes and sing for the customers. I don't know. Nothing was easy.
Presenter asks
Looking back on those days, the days of road shows, Vaudeville, traveling the country, was there any one engagement, one opportunity that you look back on as your first big break?
Not exactly. The only thing that I can remember distinctly was in the Burlesque Show. I did Blackface and I lost my trunk on the road some place and I had to go on Whiteface, and the star of the show loaned me her gown with a long train. … I had never had a long train, didn't know how to walk on or do anything, but I managed to walk out well nicely, and then when I had to turn to go back I tripped and I fell flat on my … [backside]. … I got up and I said, 'Now what are you laughing at? What are you … this hurts me!' And they kept on laughing. They thought it was part of the act. Well, I kept it in part of the act 'cause it was a great stunt and I became a comedian.
Presenter asks
In your long career, you've seen many changes in show business. What do you think of the new pattern?
Well, are you referring to the rock and rollers and the twists and things? … We had that years ago in a different form, a different number, and they come and they go, and we'll have something new next year. But the true and tried performers that you will never wipe off in our show business.
Presenter asks
Sophie, for years and years you've been billed as the last of the red-hot mammas. Were there … are there any others?
Well, I'm looking around for some. I can't find any.
“Tell you the truth, I don't remember my childhood at all. I was a slavey. I worked hard. We had a little restaurant, and I used to serve, wash the dishes, and scrub the floors, and oh, dear boy, it was tough.”
“I walked the streets starved, would go into restaurants and wash the dishes and sing for the customers. I don't know. Nothing was easy.”
“I was disgusted that I had to wash and keep my mother's feet. … And I vowed that if ever I got money enough I would take her out of that restaurant. And my first recording for Edison enabled me to take her out of the restaurant. That was in nineteen hundred nine.”
“I had never had a long train, didn't know how to walk on or do anything, but I managed to walk out well nicely, and then when I had to turn to go back I tripped and I fell flat on my [backside] … I got up and I said, 'Now what are you laughing at?' … They thought it was part of the act. Well, I kept it in part of the act 'cause it was a great stunt and I became a comedian.”
“I love that intimacy above all.”