Hollywood paid tribute Friday to actress Rose Marie, with a wreath of flowers placed on her Walk of Fame star, one day after her death at age 94.
Rose Marie had one of the longest-running careers in show business, highlighted by her work on “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” She died in Van Nuys at 2 p.m. Thursday, according to her official website.
Born Rose Marie Mazetta, she began her show-business career at age 3, performing in Atlantic City and touring the country as Baby Rose Marie. She went on to a career on radio, was given her own NBC radio show and sang for three presidents.
She moved to the big screen in 1929 with the short “Baby Rose Marie the Child Wonder,” and later appeared in films including “International House,” “Top Banana” and “The Big Beat.”
In 1946, she married trumpeter Bobby Guy, bringing her to California. Around the same time, she was hired by mobster Bugsy Siegel to headline shows at the new Flamingo hotel-casino in Las Vegas. She famously mingled with mob figures, even referring to Al Capone as “Uncle Al.”
She went on to make guest appearances on television shows such as “Gunsmoke,” “The Red Skelton Hour” and “The Bob Cummings Show” before landing the role of comedy writer Sally Rogers on “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” which ran from 1961-66, making her a household name.
She continued to work regularly for decades after the show’s run ended and continued working into the 2000s, most recently lending her voice to “The Garfield Show.”
“I was so sad to learn of the passing of Rose Marie,” Carl Reiner, who created “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” tweeted.
“There’s never been a more engaging & multi-talented performer. In a span of 90 years, since she was four, dear Rosie performed on radio, in vaudeville, night clubs, films, TV, & Vegas & always had audiences clamoring for more!!”
Bobby Guy died in 1964. Rose Marie said in a recent interview that her husband enjoyed the trademark bow she wore in her hair beginning as a child, so after his death, she wore a black bow every day in his memory. One of them is displayed at the Smithsonian museum.
Her death came about two months after the release of the film “Wait for Your Laugh,” a documentary that traces Rose Marie’s career and features interviews with the stars who worked alongside her over the decades. She recently became active on Twitter, with a post on her official account in the past day reminiscing about her days as a “Flamingo Girl” in Las Vegas.
She is survived by her daughter, Georgiana Marie, and son-in-law Steven Rodrigues. Funeral services were pending.
—City News Service