# Mara Gaye

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{{short description|American showgirl and burlesque dancer (1920–2005)}}
{{Infobox person
| name          = <!-- use common name/article title -->
| image         = <!-- filename only, no "File:" or "Image:" prefix, and no enclosing [brackets](/source/brackets) -->
| alt           = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software -->
| caption       = 
| birth_name    = Marjorie Helen Ginsberg
| birth_date    = {{Birth date|1920|09|16}}
| birth_place   = [Bronx, New York](/source/Bronx%2C_New_York), US
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|2005|07|22|1920|09|16}} 
| death_place   = 
| other_names   = 
| occupation    = [Burlesque](/source/Burlesque)  dancer
| years_active  = 
| known_for     = 
| notable_works = 
}}
'''Mara Gaye''' (September 16, 1920 – July 22, 2005), born '''Marjorie Helen Ginsberg''' in [The Bronx](/source/The_Bronx), [New York](/source/New_York_City), was a professional showgirl, dancer with the [Radio City Music Hall](/source/Radio_City_Music_Hall) [Rockettes](/source/The_Rockettes) (1938–1943), and exotic [burlesque](/source/burlesque) [striptease](/source/striptease) dancer of the 1940s through the 1960s. She also performed under the name Marjorie Gaye.

== Biography ==
Gaye was cast as a dancer alongside the then-unknown [Ann Miller](/source/Ann_Miller) in the 1936 film ''[The Devil on Horseback](/source/The_Devil_on_Horseback)''. She won both the Miss North Dallas and Miss Dallas beauty contests in 1936. In the mid-1930s, she performed at the Little Theatre of Dallas. She traveled with her mother to [California](/source/California) in search of a talent agent that turned out to not exist. At that time, she was also contemplating forming a tap-dancing duo with Miller until her father made her return home. She studied professional dance in [Los Angeles](/source/Los_Angeles).

In April 1936, she was chosen to participate in the "Discoveries of 1936" show at the Wilshire-Ebell Theatre by the Assistance League of Southern California located in [Hollywood, California.](/source/Hollywood%2C_Los_Angeles)

In 1937, Gaye performed at the [Casa Mañana](/source/Casa_Ma%C3%B1ana) 4,000-seat theatrical restaurant in [Texas](/source/Texas) as part of the [Fort Worth](/source/Fort_Worth%2C_Texas) Centennial Frontier Fiesta exhibition produced by [Billy Rose](/source/Billy_Rose). Fan dancer [Sally Rand](/source/Sally_Rand) was the main attraction of the show. Gaye continued to perform in the Casa Mañana show when it moved and opened in New York City.

In 1943 and 1944, she was a dancer in the [Broadway](/source/Broadeay_(theatre)) and traveling show ''Mexican Hayride''. Other shows she performed in include ''Yankee'', ''Riviera'', and ''My Dear Public'' with [Nanette Fabray](/source/Nanette_Fabray). During 1944, she danced with the Sande Dancers in musical shorts called the [Soundies](/source/Soundies) such as "Home Again Polka" with [Lawrence Welk](/source/Lawrence_Welk). In 1945–46, she became the captain (lead dancer) at the Clover Club in [Miami](/source/Miami), working for [Boots McKenna](/source/Boots_McKenna). Other jobs included that of hat check and [cigarette girl](/source/cigarette_girl).

In the 1950s-60s, during her exotic striptease dance career, Gaye performed at [Minsky's](/source/Minsky's_Burlesque),<ref>New York Journal American Jan 29, 1954</ref> Theaters of the I. Hirst Circuit (Wheel) such as the [Troc](/source/Trocadero_Theatre) in [Philadelphia](/source/Philadelphia), the [Hudson Theater](/source/Hudson_Theatre), Empire Theater, Club Samoa on 52nd Street Broadway NYC,<ref>Daily Mirror June 12, 1953</ref> the Willows in [Rochester, NY](/source/Rochester%2C_NY),<ref>The SUN Sept 24, 1953</ref> on stage in [Detroit, Michigan](/source/Detroit%2C_Michigan), as well as numerous private functions such as the Outdoor Knitwear Association Convention at the [Waldorf Astoria](/source/Waldorf_Astoria) in New York.<ref>NY Herald Tribune June 6, 1955</ref>

While on the Izzy Hirst Circuit, she was a new strip feature with a different undress-and-dress routine.<ref>The Billboard, Burlesque Bits by UNO May 10, 1952 page 49</ref>
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At the Holiday Theater, Broadway, New York City, on the marquee "On Stage Michael Rose Capers PARIS SPICE, in person Mara Gaye. Her many shows were met with reviews such as "An Instant Hit" Boston Record,<ref>The SUN, Rochester NY Jan 7</ref>

Gaye was once the birthday surprise for Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop [Phil Rizzuto](/source/Phil_Rizzuto). Numerous display ads for her act appeared in the NY Daily News, NY Daily Mirror, NJ newspapers, as well as mentions in the NY Burlesque Bits and gossip columns.

On stage, she performed with Peaches at the Empire,<ref>Program for Empire May 16, 1952</ref> [Lili St. Cyr](/source/Lili_St._Cyr) at Minsky's, Lotus DuBois, Flash O'Farrell,<ref>The Philadelphia Inquirer April 27, 1952</ref> [Georgia Sothern](/source/Georgia_Sothern), and many others. Her friends included [Ann Corio](/source/Ann_Corio), Comic Lou Ascol and his wife stripped talker Petti Dayne who named their child after Gaye.<ref>The Billboard, Burlesque Bits by UNO Dec 4, 1954</ref>

In 1954 at Minsky's in [Newark](/source/Newark%2C_New_Jersey), Mara Gaye and Lili St. Cyr had a feud over who would be the first to introduce the black eye patch to burlesque.<ref>New York-Journal American-Feb 2, 1954 in The Voice of Broadway column by Dorothy Kilgallen</ref>

In the 1960s, she and [Tana Louise](/source/Tana_Louise) started an exotic bizarre costumes mail-order catalog company called Tana and Mara. Tana was the wife of Lenny Burtman, who published [Exotique](/source/Exotique) Magazine.

Photographs of Gaye can be found in many of the early pin-up magazines and publications of the 1950s and 1960s, including ''Bold'', ''Calvacade of Burlesque'', ''Cherchez la Femme'', ''Dazzle'', ''Frolic'', ''Gala'',<ref>November 1953-pg 26,27</ref> ''Hollywood Confidential'', ''Night and Day'', ''Play'', ''[Playgirl](/source/Playgirl)'', ''Pose'', ''Tab'', ''Tom Boy'', ''Uncensored'', and ''Vue''. The magazine photos do not always credit her by name.

Mara Gaye's vanity and a few personal items are on view in the ongoing spotlight section of the [Museum of Sex](/source/Museum_of_Sex) in New York City.

==References==

<references />

==External links==
{{Portal|Biography}}
*{{IMDb name|2177035}}
*{{IBDB name}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaye, Mara}}
Category:American burlesque performers
Category:American stage actresses
Category:Actresses from New York City
Category:1920 births
Category:2005 deaths
Category:American female erotic dancers
Category:American erotic dancers
Category:20th-century American dancers
Category:20th-century American actresses
Category:21st-century American women

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mara Gaye](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mara_Gaye) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mara_Gaye?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.