Rose Marie of 'Dick Van Dyke Show' fame dies at 94
December 28, 2017 6:16 PM Subscribe
Heaven just got a whole lot funnier | She was born Rose Marie Mazetta of Italian-Polish parentage in New York City on Aug. 15, 1923. When she was 3, her mother entered her in an amateur talent contest in Atlantic City as Baby Rose Marie. Nominated three times for Emmys, Rose Marie had yet to turn 40 when she joined the Dick Van Dyke Show cast as Sally Rogers, but had been an entertainer for more than 30 years.
She began singing on radio and was a hit on "The Rudy Vallee Hour." NBC gave her a seven-year contract and her own show, 15 minutes on Sunday. Her powerful voice gave rise to rumors.
"Stories went around that I was really a 45-year-old midget," she remarked in 1992. "So they sent me on a year-round personal appearance tour of theaters across the country to prove that I was a child."
She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2001. In 2017, she extended her reach to social media, her Twitter feed quickly attracting more than 100,000 followers.
"I was asked what I wanted my legacy to be," she wrote in one tweet. "My answer, 'That I was good at my job & loved every minute of it.' I wish that for everyone."
She began singing on radio and was a hit on "The Rudy Vallee Hour." NBC gave her a seven-year contract and her own show, 15 minutes on Sunday. Her powerful voice gave rise to rumors.
"Stories went around that I was really a 45-year-old midget," she remarked in 1992. "So they sent me on a year-round personal appearance tour of theaters across the country to prove that I was a child."
She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2001. In 2017, she extended her reach to social media, her Twitter feed quickly attracting more than 100,000 followers.
"I was asked what I wanted my legacy to be," she wrote in one tweet. "My answer, 'That I was good at my job & loved every minute of it.' I wish that for everyone."
Official obituary, from her website. "Her famous hair bow, which had a strong personal significance that she refused to elaborate on, was inducted into the Smithsonian along with other items from her extensive career in 2008."
posted by I_Love_Bananas at 6:22 PM on December 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by I_Love_Bananas at 6:22 PM on December 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
Thinking of Sally on The Dick Van Dyke Show as an early role model of a working woman in a predominantly male profession who was just "one of the guys"
posted by cheshyre at 6:32 PM on December 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
posted by cheshyre at 6:32 PM on December 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
I've been watching Dick Van Dyke with my kids and she is such a treat to watch.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:34 PM on December 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:34 PM on December 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
Dammit. I just “checked” on her twitter yesterday to make sure she was still active. I loved her on the Dick Van Dyke show. Sally took no crap from anyone.
|>o<|
posted by kimberussell at 6:37 PM on December 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
|>o<|
posted by kimberussell at 6:37 PM on December 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
I had just started following her on Twitter fairly recently.
I remember watching her on Dick Van Dyke when I was a child. She was funny and brassy and stood out in a good way.
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posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 6:40 PM on December 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
I remember watching her on Dick Van Dyke when I was a child. She was funny and brassy and stood out in a good way.
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posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 6:40 PM on December 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
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posted by Chrysostom at 6:42 PM on December 28, 2017
posted by Chrysostom at 6:42 PM on December 28, 2017
She was hilarious. And I didn't know she managed other talent. From a Dec. 15 tweet: Today is funny man @RealTimConway's birthday. If you saw #waitforyourlaugh you know I discovered Tom-in Cleveland. I served as his first manager when he got to Hollywood (where we had to change his name.) What a talent. His 1st job here was Steve Allen's show. Happy Birthday Tom.
["Tom," as Tim was born Thomas Daniel Conway.]
posted by Iris Gambol at 6:43 PM on December 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
["Tom," as Tim was born Thomas Daniel Conway.]
posted by Iris Gambol at 6:43 PM on December 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
Here she is on The Dick Van Dyke Show singing “I Wanna Be Around.” (YouTube)
posted by darkstar at 6:43 PM on December 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by darkstar at 6:43 PM on December 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
Didn't really know her work much outside of Dick Van Dyke and maybe appearances on quiz shows or things like The Love Boat, but i always loved whatever I saw her do.
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posted by hippybear at 6:44 PM on December 28, 2017
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posted by hippybear at 6:44 PM on December 28, 2017
The dress cannot upstage her! "I wish I could sing like Durante"
posted by I_Love_Bananas at 6:50 PM on December 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by I_Love_Bananas at 6:50 PM on December 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
Notably sad that she died the same year as her DVDS co-star Mary Tyler Moore. Add voice actress extraordinaire June Foray (who was just short of 100) and you have pretty much a generation of role models lost.
posted by oneswellfoop at 6:51 PM on December 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by oneswellfoop at 6:51 PM on December 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
A YT playlist of Baby Rose Marie singing performances, including a screen-recap from video of her performance in the 1933 WC Fields vehicle "International House." I was unable to find a direct link to the film to grab the clip, apologies. She was beyond the real deal.
posted by mwhybark at 6:51 PM on December 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by mwhybark at 6:51 PM on December 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
@carlreiner (blessedly still with us) tweets: I was so sad to learn of the passing of Rosemarie. There's never been a more engaging & multi-talented performer. In a span of 90 years, since she was four, dear Rosie performed on radio, in vaudeville, night clubs, films, TV, & Vegas & always had audiences clamoring for "more!!"
It's been really great to see some of the giants of Older Hollywood find their place on social media and remind us kids ;) why they are deservedly legends.
posted by Guy Smiley at 6:52 PM on December 28, 2017 [19 favorites]
It's been really great to see some of the giants of Older Hollywood find their place on social media and remind us kids ;) why they are deservedly legends.
posted by Guy Smiley at 6:52 PM on December 28, 2017 [19 favorites]
I have been following her on Twitter. I'm so glad she was able to enjoy the recognition she deserved for Wait For Your Laugh.
posted by bleep at 6:53 PM on December 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by bleep at 6:53 PM on December 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
🎀
posted by chococat at 7:16 PM on December 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by chococat at 7:16 PM on December 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
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posted by dannyboybell at 7:26 PM on December 28, 2017
posted by dannyboybell at 7:26 PM on December 28, 2017
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As a child, I considered Rose Marie's Sally Rogers and Mary Tyler Moore's Mary Richards my role models for working in TV (which I eventually did), but I always identified with more with Marie's exuberance. It has been an absolute delight following her on Twitter this year, and everything from her stories about her family and work experiences to her recipe for pasta sauce has been charming. She had a long, remarkable life, but geez, this one hurts.
posted by The Wrong Kind of Cheese at 7:30 PM on December 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
As a child, I considered Rose Marie's Sally Rogers and Mary Tyler Moore's Mary Richards my role models for working in TV (which I eventually did), but I always identified with more with Marie's exuberance. It has been an absolute delight following her on Twitter this year, and everything from her stories about her family and work experiences to her recipe for pasta sauce has been charming. She had a long, remarkable life, but geez, this one hurts.
posted by The Wrong Kind of Cheese at 7:30 PM on December 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
Another piece of my childhood gone.
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posted by Thorzdad at 7:40 PM on December 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
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posted by Thorzdad at 7:40 PM on December 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'd seen her on twitter a lot and loved it. I grew up watching her on The Dick Van Dyke Show.
posted by bongo_x at 7:40 PM on December 28, 2017
posted by bongo_x at 7:40 PM on December 28, 2017
Wish I had known she was tweeting! What a career. What a pro. What a woman.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 8:41 PM on December 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 8:41 PM on December 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
I was going to add an "at least Betty White is still alive" but I was terrified I might jinx something. Still, the good news is Nichelle Nichols of Star Trek today celebrated her 85th birthday and ubiquitous Brit Maggie Smith hit 83 today... there's one famous male who's even older with a birthday today, but we hear plenty from him whenever a Marvel Superhero movie comes out...
posted by oneswellfoop at 10:06 PM on December 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by oneswellfoop at 10:06 PM on December 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
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posted by Nat "King" Cole Porter Wagoner at 10:13 PM on December 28, 2017
posted by Nat "King" Cole Porter Wagoner at 10:13 PM on December 28, 2017
The Dick Van Dyke Show is one of my earliest TV memories. Sad to see her go.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 10:15 PM on December 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 10:15 PM on December 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
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posted by LeftMyHeartInSanFrancisco at 10:19 PM on December 28, 2017
posted by LeftMyHeartInSanFrancisco at 10:19 PM on December 28, 2017
Rose Marie is being paid tribute by all the "show biz blogs" I follow, with various memories, including this one reprinting an article from 1943, when the former child star with "Baby" as part of her stage name was considered "an old hag at twenty". Most interesting how when she was still a 'cute kid', she'd appear on Jimmy Durante's radio show and do a near-perfect imitation of Durante. THAT's talent.
posted by oneswellfoop at 1:11 AM on December 29, 2017
posted by oneswellfoop at 1:11 AM on December 29, 2017
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posted by mikelieman at 3:02 AM on December 29, 2017
posted by mikelieman at 3:02 AM on December 29, 2017
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posted by Joey Michaels at 4:01 AM on December 29, 2017
posted by Joey Michaels at 4:01 AM on December 29, 2017
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the recent doc about her Is worth a look. In it she describes her own Me too when a Hollywood producer cut her scenes from a hit Broadway show after she refused him. The adaptation flopped.
posted by brujita at 5:07 AM on December 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
the recent doc about her Is worth a look. In it she describes her own Me too when a Hollywood producer cut her scenes from a hit Broadway show after she refused him. The adaptation flopped.
posted by brujita at 5:07 AM on December 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
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posted by misslucyjane at 7:17 AM on December 29, 2017
posted by misslucyjane at 7:17 AM on December 29, 2017
Even as a kid, I thought she seemed much funnier and more interesting than what was written for her in the Dick Van Dyke show. (Which, to be clear, I loved at the time.) Time to look up some of her other material.
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posted by eotvos at 8:26 AM on December 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
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posted by eotvos at 8:26 AM on December 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
. Hate that she's gone, but I'm so, so happy she got to experience the last year of acolades, Twitter stardom, etc. Glad she got to viscerally see how much she was loved before she went.
posted by BlahLaLa at 11:12 AM on December 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by BlahLaLa at 11:12 AM on December 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
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posted by hap_hazard at 2:28 PM on December 29, 2017
posted by hap_hazard at 2:28 PM on December 29, 2017
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posted by songs_about_rainbows at 3:48 PM on December 29, 2017
posted by songs_about_rainbows at 3:48 PM on December 29, 2017
. According to one source, until yesterday, she was the last person living to have charted a record before World War II. Bon voyage to her!
posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 7:37 PM on December 29, 2017
posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 7:37 PM on December 29, 2017
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posted by I_Love_Bananas at 6:22 PM on December 28, 2017 [15 favorites]