Martha Lorber

Martha Lorber
Martha Lorber as photographed by Nickolas Muray, from a 1922 publication
Martha Lorber as photographed by Nickolas Muray, from a 1922 publication.
BornJune 11, 1900
Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedJuly 2, 1983 (aged 83)
Lebanon Township, New Jersey, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)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

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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

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Young woman posing with arms and legs extended, near stairs.
Martha Lorber in the 1920s, from the George Grantham Bain collection, Library of Congress.

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

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

References

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