Dorothy Wegman Raphaelson

Dorothy Deborah Wegman Raphaelson (November 24, 1904 – November 7, 2005), known professionally as Dorshka, was an American dancer, Ziegfeld Girl, vaudeville performer, and novelist.

Dorothy Wegman Raphaelson
Dorshka, from a 1921 publication
Dorshka, from a 1921 publication
Born
Dorothy Deborah Wegman

November 24, 1904
New York City, U.S.
DiedNovember 7, 2005 (aged 100)
New York City, U.S.
Other namesDorshka
Dorska
Occupation(s)Dancer, novelist
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1927; died 1983)​
Children2
RelativesPaul Raphaelson (grandson)

Early life

Dorothy Deborah Wegman was raised in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City. Her parents were immigrants from Eastern Europe. She had a sister Esther and a brother Daniel; their mother was Pasha Wegman,[1] and their father was an engineer.[2][3]

Career

Dorothy Wegman left high school to work full-time after her father's death. She worked for a clothing manufacturer while auditioning for stage roles. She danced in The Whirl of New York (1921), Bombo (1922), Topics of 1923 (1923–1924), Big Boy (1925), No Foolin' (1926), and Rio Rita (1927–1928).[4] She left Rio Rita and retired from the stage when she eloped.[5]

Raphaelson wrote two published novels: Glorified (1930), based on her time as a dancer, and Morning Song (1948), which was also autobiographical.[6][7]

Personal life

Dorothy Wegman married writer Samson Raphaelson in late 1927.[8][9] They had a son, Joel (born 1928), and a daughter, Naomi (1930–2009).[10] She was widowed when Samson Raphaelson died in 1983.[11] She died in 2005, aged 100 years, in New York; at the time of her death, she was believed to be the second-to-last surviving Ziegfeld Girl.[2] Her husband's papers, archived at the University of Illinois, includes a taped interview with Dorothy Wegman Raphaelson.[12]

References
  1. "Esther Ellsworth". Arizona Republic. February 16, 1960. p. 22. Retrieved April 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. Martin, Douglas (November 12, 2005). "Dorothy W. Raphaelson, A Ziegfeld Girl, Dies at 100". The New York Times. p. A12. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  3. Mutti-Mewse, Austin (2005-12-05). "Obituary: Dorothy Wegman". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  4. "A Group of Rio Rita Beauts with Flo Ziegfeld". Star Tribune. June 21, 1931. p. 55. Retrieved April 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Kuhn, Irene (February 12, 1935). "Follies Girls Retired". The Pittsburgh Press. p. 21. Retrieved April 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Raphaelson, Dorshka (1948). Morning Song. Random House.
  7. "New York Girl Learns of Life". The Los Angeles Times. August 22, 1948. p. 76. Retrieved April 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Sternlicht, Sanford (2004-12-16). The Tenement Saga: The Lower East Side and Early Jewish American Writers. Terrace Books. p. 118. ISBN 9780299204839.
  9. "Raphaelson Weds Dorothy Wegman". The New York Times. March 13, 1928. p. 23 – via ProQuest.
  10. "Naomi (Raphaelson) Yocom". LancasterOnline. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  11. Van Atta, Burr (July 19, 1983). "Samson Raphaelson; Wrote Plays, Movies". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 18. Retrieved April 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Samson Raphaelson Papers, 1921-1976 | University of Illinois Archives". archives.library.illinois.edu. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
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