Not Bad for Delancey Street

July 16, 2018
Cohen—author of Overweight Sensation, a biography of 1960s comedian Allan Sherman—moves from the fringes of the entertainment world to the center of the action with a biography of show business legend Billy Rose, a songwriter, impresario, nightclub owner, art collector, and producer who for good measure was also a central figure in the American Jewish community of the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s. Cohen ably describes Rose’s mind-bending shows and productions, like a 1935 production entitled Jumbo that included horses, monkeys, and an elephant and was performed in New York City’s Hippodrome, and a production for the Fort Worth Centennial featuring an outdoor-theater restaurant constructed on an artificial lagoon that boasted the world’s largest revolving stage. Cohen also chronicles Rose’s efforts to aid European Jews caught up in the vortex of WWII and to support the newly created Israeli government by, among other things, helping engineer a cloak-and-dagger arrangement to secure military arms. Although Cohen doesn’t ignore Rose’s penchant for tough dealing, or his celebrity divorces (one from the original Funny Girl, Fanny Brice), he focuses on Rose’s successes and affectionately captures Rose’s outsize personality. Readers will find Rose entertaining company.

Starred review from August 1, 2018

This comprehensive biography of Billy Rose (1899-1966), the ultimate "showman," vaudeville producer, husband to Fanny Brice (as well as four other marriages), is a compelling story of a man who had a talent for promoting the theatrical arts. Cohen (Overweight Sensation: The Life and Comedy of Allan Sherman) traces Rose's early days, his relationship with his mother, Fanny Rosenberg, whom he idolized, and his remarkable success in vaudeville and New York show business. Rose also nursed a desire to "add to his nightclub and producer credentials the role of Jewish hero." Affected by the Holocaust and the rise of anti-Jewish actions in Europe and anti-Semitism in the United States, he became an important supporter of Jewish movements and a great philanthropist of Jewish causes. For example, he donated his famed sculpture collection for a new sculpture garden designed by Japanese American artist Isamu Noguchi to Jerusalem's Israel Museum. Rose's great success with the Israel Museum and his extraordinary wealth were for him the culmination of his extraordinary Jewish American life. VERDICT Highly recommended for readers interested in Jewish American culture and New York show business in the mid-20th century.--Herbert E. Shapiro, Lifelong Learning Soc., Florida Atlantic Univ., Boca Raton

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2018

This comprehensive biography of Billy Rose (1899-1966), the ultimate "showman," vaudeville producer, husband to Fanny Brice (as well as four other marriages), is a compelling story of a man who had a talent for promoting the theatrical arts. Cohen (Overweight Sensation: The Life and Comedy of Allan Sherman) traces Rose's early days, his relationship with his mother, Fanny Rosenberg, whom he idolized, and his remarkable success in vaudeville and New York show business. Rose also nursed a desire to "add to his nightclub and producer credentials the role of Jewish hero." Affected by the Holocaust and the rise of anti-Jewish actions in Europe and anti-Semitism in the United States, he became an important supporter of Jewish movements and a great philanthropist of Jewish causes. For example, he donated his famed sculpture collection for a new sculpture garden designed by Japanese American artist Isamu Noguchi to Jerusalem's Israel Museum. Rose's great success with the Israel Museum and his extraordinary wealth were for him the culmination of his extraordinary Jewish American life. VERDICT Highly recommended for readers interested in Jewish American culture and New York show business in the mid-20th century.--Herbert E. Shapiro, Lifelong Learning Soc., Florida Atlantic Univ., Boca Raton

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.