Martha Lorber Explained

Martha Lorber
Birth Date:June 11, 1900
Birth Place:Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S.
Death Date:July 2, 1983 (aged 83)
Death Place:Lebanon Township, New Jersey, U.S.
Nationality:American
Occupation:Dancer, actress, model, singer

Martha Caroline Theresa Lorber (June 11, 1900 – July 2, 1983) was an American dancer, actress, singer, model, and Ziegfeld Girl.

Early life

Martha Caroline Theresa Lorber was born in New York City, to Frederick, a waiter, and Marie Lorber (née Westfeldt), who were both German immigrants. She graduated from Girls' High School in Brooklyn. She studied dance with Alexis Kosloff,[1] Ekaterina Galanta,[2] and Michel Fokine.[3] [4]

Career

Martha Lorber's Broadway career began when she was still in her teens, and included roles in Over the Top (1917–1918), Mecca (1920–1921),[5] Tangerine (1922),[6] Ziegfeld Follies of 1922,[7] Ziegfeld Follies of 1923,[8] Ziegfeld Follies of 1924, Mozart (1926), and Three Little Girls (1930). In the Ziegfeld Follies she played opposite W. C. Fields in some sketches, showing some comedic talent.[9] She played a lead role in Ferenc Molnár's The Play's the Thing, in Baltimore in 1928.[10] In 1929, she was in London, playing in Little Accident.[11]

In 1930 she broke away from musicals with a dramatic part in the Zoe Akins drama The Greeks Had a Name for It.[12] She starred in another drama the following year, Torch Song (1931), in Canada.[13] In 1933, she was featured in two roles in another musical, The Red Robin, in Chicago.[14] In 1934 she was in True to the Marines in Locust Valley.[15]

In 1941, she toured in a one-woman show, Songs in Action.[16] In 1951, she was hired by the U. S. State Department for a cultural relations position.[17]

Lorber was also a model, posing for works by photographers Edward Steichen,[18] [19] [20] Nickolas Muray,[21] [22] and Arnold Genthe, pin-up artist Alberto Vargas, and sculptor Harriet Whitney Frishmuth,[23] among others.

Personal life

Martha Lorber died at her home in Lebanon Township, New Jersey, in 1983, aged 83 years.[24]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Martha Lorber is From Girls High. March 30, 1930. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. April 5, 2019. 58. Newspapers.com.
  2. News: Regarded as 'Best Bet' Among American Dancers. March 14, 1922. The Morning Call. April 5, 2019. 10. Newspapers.com.
  3. July 29, 1922. Oh Boy!. The Judge. 82. 15.
  4. News: Art of the Ballet Russe Revived in America. March 12, 1922. The Morning Call. April 5, 2019. 24. Newspapers.com.
  5. News: Premiere Dancer in 'Mecca' Spectacle. September 4, 1921. The Boston Globe. April 5, 2019. 52. Newspapers.com.
  6. Book: Dietz, Dan. The Complete Book of 1920s Broadway Musicals. 2019-04-10. Rowman & Littlefield. 9781538112823. 30, 74. en.
  7. 1922. Mr. Hornblow Goes to the Play. Theatre Magazine. 36. 95.
  8. Book: Wilson, Victoria. A Life of Barbara Stanwyck: Steel-True 1907–1940. 2013-11-12. Simon and Schuster. 9781439199985. en.
  9. News: Martha Lorber to Quit Dancing for a Serious Career. November 8, 1925. Daily News. April 5, 2019. 212. Newspapers.com.
  10. News: Has Important Role in Molnar Comedy. March 3, 1928. The Evening Sun. April 5, 2019. 7. Newspapers.com.
  11. News: Mr. Gest Gave Martha Lorber Her First Big Opportunity. July 6, 1930. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. April 5, 2019. 20. Newspapers.com.
  12. News: Gift of Dancing Retards Rise of Martha Lorber. Stein. Edwin C.. August 29, 1930. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. April 5, 2019. 12. Newspapers.com.
  13. News: 'Torch Song' to Remain Next Week. February 14, 1931. The Windsor Star. April 5, 2019. 22. Newspapers.com.
  14. News: 'The Red Robin' Opens Shubert Regime in City. Collins. Charles. March 6, 1933. Chicago Tribune. April 5, 2019. 7. Newspapers.com.
  15. News: Theatre Notes. June 23, 1934. Daily News. April 5, 2019. 171. Newspapers.com.
  16. News: Martha Lorber in 'Songs in Action'. March 30, 1941. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. April 5, 2019. 40. Newspapers.com.
  17. News: Early Bird on Broadway. Gardner. Hy. September 12, 1951. Oakland Tribune. April 5, 2019. 31. Newspapers.com.
  18. https://www.mfah.org/art/detail/6044 1926 photograph of Martha Lorber
  19. A photograph of Martha Lorber in costume for Mozart, by Edward Steichen, in the collection of Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum.
  20. https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/martha-lorber-and-marion-morehouse/FQFsrlJNrMPVCw A photograph of Lorber and Marion Morehouse
  21. http://www.artnet.com/artists/nickolas-muray/portrait-of-ziegfield-follies-performer-marth-aa-ZepBKolvJKNcCWTID0cAMw2 A nude portrait of Martha Lorber (1925)
  22. https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/13229/lot/501/ Another nude portrait of Martha Lorber
  23. Harriet Whitney Frishmuth, "Martha Lorber" (1927), from MutualArt.
  24. News: Martha T. Lorber, Retired Dancer. July 5, 1983. The Courier-News. April 5, 2019. 14. Newspapers.com.

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