Luba Lisa

Luba Lisa Gootnick (March 10, 1941 – December 15, 1972) was an American actress, singer, and television presenter. She received a Tony Award nomination and won a Theatre World Award for her performance in the 1964 musical I Had a Ball.

Luba Lisa
Born
Luba Lisa Gootnick

(1941-03-10)March 10, 1941
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedDecember 15, 1972(1972-12-15) (aged 31)
Colchester, Vermont, U.S.
Cause of deathPlane crash
Occupations
  • Actor
  • Singer
  • Television presenter
Years active1960–1966

Personal life

Luba Lisa Gootnick was born in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of Jewish parents Esther (née Diamant 1908–1999) and Louis Gootnick (1910–2005), a former New York City police officer. Her brother is Dr. David Gootnick.[1][2]

Theatre

Her Broadway credits include Carnival as Princess Olga in 1961, and I Can Get It for You Wholesale in 1962 with a cast that included Barbra Streisand. In 1964 she starred in a Broadway revival of West Side Story as Anita. The show closed after 31 performances. Luba received rave reviews for her role as the floozy Addie in the musical I Had a Ball in which she sang the song called 'Addie's at it Again'. The song was added to the show by the producers before the show opened on Broadway, once they realized her talent.[3]

A New York Times Critic said of her, "Luba Lisa, as Addie, the girl of easy virtue, gets to demonstrate her talents as a seductive babe and a lively dancer in a number called 'Addie's at It Again' and in another with a group of lifeguards called 'Boys, Boys, Boys'".[4] For her role as Addie she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and received a Theatre World Award. Luba danced with Maurice Chevalier in the film Pepe. She was also a television personality.

In 1972 Lisa starred in the Off-Broadway musical revue They Don't Make Em Like That Anymore at the Plaza 9 Music Hall with Arthur Blake.[5] The show was built around Blake's impersonations of celebrities like Marlene Dietrich and Jimmy Stewart.[5]

Death

Luba Lisa died on December 15, 1972, in a plane crash near Colchester, Vermont. The plane was on its way to an airport in Burlington, Vermont. Winter weather hazards during night travel were thought to have caused the crash. All four on board (the pilot, Lisa, and two others) perished. She is interred with her parents at Mount Ararat Jewish Cemetery in Farmingdale, New York.[6][7][8][9]

References
  1. Esther Gootnick death notice. Retrieved August 3, 2015
  2. Louis Gootnick death notice. Retrieved August 3, 2015
  3. "Supporting Casts – 1964". Lambertville Music Circus. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  4. "Re: Karen Morrow on Luba Lisa". Newsgroups.derkeiler.com. October 7, 2005. Archived from the original on May 31, 2016. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  5. Dan Dietz (2010). Off Broadway Musicals, 1910-2007: Casts, Credits, Songs. McFarland. p. 449. ISBN 9780786457311.
  6. "Luba Lisa – American actress -Theiapolis". People.theiapolis.com. December 15, 1972. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  7. "Broadway To Vegas May 11, 2003". Broadwaytovegas.com. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  8. "The Montreal Gazette – Google News Archive Search". Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  9. "NewspaperArchive® | 15,723 Historic Newspaper Archives".
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