Rosa Alice "Valetti" Singer (Hertz)

Rosa "VALETTI", married SINGER, divorced HERTZ, née VALLENTIN: b. 26 Jan 1876, Berlin - d. 10 Dec 1937, Wien

Information courtesy of various sources, including the following:

Rosa Valetti was born in Berlin, the daughter of industrialist Felix Vallentin and sister of actor Hermann Vallentin. She played her first roles in the theatres of suburban Berlin. Inspired by the November Revolution and her meeting with political satirist Kurt Tucholsky, Valetti began performing in cabarets. In 1920, she founded the Café Grössenwahn ("Café Megalomania"), which has been recognized as one of the most important literary and political cabarets in 1920s Berlin. Café Megalomania was frequented by Expressionist writers, and the program of sketch comedy and political songs reflected Valetti's belief in the cabaret as an instrument of political and social criticism.[1] The inflation of 1919 to 1923 and the subsequent collapse of the German economy forced Valetti to close Cafe Megalomania. She directed the cabaret Rakete for a time, then launched another cafe of her own, the Rampe, which hosted the works of revolutionist poet and singer Erich Weinert. Valetti was among the founders of the floating cabaret Larifari during the late 1920s.[2] In 1928 she performed as Mrs. Peachum in the original cast of Bertolt Brecht's Threepenny Opera, which was staged under the direction of Erich Engel at Berlin's Theater am Schiffbauerdamm.[3] Rosa Valetti acted in film roles from 1911. Her age and sturdy mien ensured that she acted mostly in motherly roles, as in the 1925 film Die Prinzessin und der Geiger (The Princess and the Violinist), in which she played a 46-year-old grandmother. In Josef von Sternberg's 1930 film Der Blaue Engel (The Blue Angel) she plays the wife of the magician, Kiepert (Kurt Gerron). Valetti also appears briefly in Fritz Lang's 1931 classic M as the proprietor of an underworld cafe. In 1933, Valetti went into exile, performing first in Vienna and Prague, then in Palestine in 1936. She married actor Ludwig Roth and had a daughter, the actress Liesel Valetti, with him. Rosa Valetti died in Vienna on 10 December 1937. She was buried at the Urnenhain. The grave existed until 2001. A street in Berlin's Malsdorf district is named "Rosa-Valetti-Strasse" in her honour.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_Valetti

Further details in German version:

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_Valetti

Rosa Valetti (eigtl. Rosa Alice Vallentin, * 26. Januar 1876 in Berlin[1]; † 10. Dezember 1937 in Wien) war eine deutsche Schauspielerin, Kabarettistin und Chansonnière.

Leben:

Sie war die Tochter des Holzhändlers und Fabrikbesitzers Felix Vallentin und Schwester des Schauspielers Hermann Vallentin. Rosa Valetti sammelte ihre ersten Erfahrungen an Berliner Vorstadtbühnen, bevor sie – animiert durch die Novemberrevolution und durch die Begegnung mit Kurt Tucholsky – zum Kabarett ging. 1920 gründete sie das Kabarett „Größenwahn“ im Café Größenwahn, das zu einem der bedeutendsten, literarisch und politisch ambitioniertesten Kabaretts im Berlin der 1920er Jahre wurde. 1928 spielte sie bei der Uraufführung der Dreigroschenoper die Rolle der Frau Peachum. Im gleichen Jahr gründete sie zusammen mit dem Musiker und Texter Erich Einegg in Berlin das Kabarett „Larifari“, bei welchem u. a. Ernst Busch, Max Colpet, Valeska Gert, Trude Kolman, Werner Finck, Kate Kühl, Hubert von Meyerinck, Rudolf Platte, Marcella Salzer und Aribert Wäscher auftraten.[2][3][4]

Ab 1911 erhielt Rosa Valetti auch Filmrollen. Die eher resolut wirkende Schauspielerin war meistens in Mutterrollen zu sehen, in dem Film Die Prinzessin und der Geiger spielte die 46-Jährige bereits eine Großmutter. In der berühmten Produktion Der blaue Engel ist sie in der Rolle der Guste, der Ehefrau des Direktors und Zauberkünstlers (gespielt von Kurt Gerron), zu sehen. Neben Josef von Sternberg drehte sie auch mit anderen bekannten Filmregisseuren, sie spielte etwa die böse Haushälterin in Friedrich Wilhelm Murnaus Tartüff und war in Fritz Langs Filmklassiker M in einem Kurzauftritt als Wirtin zu sehen.
1933 ging Rosa Valetti in die Emigration, es folgten Auftritte in Wien und in Prag, 1936 in Palästina. Sie heiratete 1899 in erster Ehe den aus Warschau stammenden Pianisten Edmund Hertz, deren Ehe 1906 geschieden wurde.[5] In zweiter Ehe heiratete Rosa Valetti dann 1907 den aus Wien stammenden Journalisten Karl Singer.[6] Später war sie in dritter Ehe mit dem Schauspieler Ludwig Roth verheiratet und hatte zusammen mit ihm eine Tochter, die Schauspielerin Lisl Valetti.

Nach ihr ist die „Rosa-Valetti-Straße“ in Berlin-Mahlsdorf benannt.

Ihre Grabstätte befand sich bis 2001 im Urnenhain der Feuerhalle Simmering in Wien (Abteilung 6, Ring 3, Gruppe 8, Nummer 270).

N.B. Most sources state that Rosa was married three times and that her daughter Lisl was fathered by Ludwig ROTH.

In fact, though there is clear evidence that Rosa was first married to the pianist Edmund HERTZ and then later to the journalist Karl SINGER, there is no indication that she was ever married to her acting colleague Ludwig ROTH.

Indeed, at the time of Elisabeth "Lisl" VALETTI's birth on 14 Nov 1914, Berlin, Rosa was clearly married to Karl SINGER. As far as can be ascertained, this couple remained together until Rosa's death in December 1937.

Not only are there numerous mentions of them e.g. holidaying together as husband & wife - with "daughter" on sevral occasions but in the few obituaries dedicated to Rosa VALETTI, it is said that she was married to Karl SINGER.

In Adolph LEHMANN's Wien address book for 1937, Rosa & Karl are listed at the same address. (Lisl isn't listed - presumably living with them in same home?):

Elisabeth "Lisl" stage-surname VALETTI like her mother is to be found in various mentions under the surname of SINGER or SINGER-VALETTI. On her emigration records to the USA she is named SINGER/VALETTI - never ROTH.

SO one wonders where this came about that Ludwig ROTH was attributed fatherhood for Lisl VALETTI ... various possibillities include:

- a misunderstanding on the part of biographers.

- a claim made by Lisl at a later date - for some reason ...

- Lisl could well have been the product of an extra-marital affair between Rosa VALETTI-SINGER & Ludwig ROTH

- is it conceivable that Karl SINGER, desiring to have a child but unable to father one himself, even encouraged this ...?

Until further facts may be found this remains a mystery ...

-

ist. husband: Edmund HERTZ:

Engagement announcement:

Berliner Börsenzeitung - 1898-06-24 - Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin - Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Germany - Public Domain.
https://www.europeana.eu/de/item/9200355/BibliographicResource_3000...

Page 12

Marriage announcment:

Volkszeitung (1890-1904) /Berliner Volkszeitung (1904-1930) - 1899-05-19 - Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin - Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Germany - Public Domain.
https://www.europeana.eu/de/item/9200355/BibliographicResource_3000...

Page 3

2nd. husband: Karl SINGER:

Numerous mentions of couple - sometimes with "daughter" holidaying together include:

ANNO, Ischler Bade-Liste, 1909-07-23, Seite 2

https://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/anno?aid=cur&datum=19090723&seit...

&

ANNO, Ischler Bade-Liste, 1933-07-07, Seite 3

https://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/anno?aid=cur&datum=19330707&seit...

And also -

cf. 1937 listings in Adolph LEHMANN's Wien address book:

Wienbibliothek / Retrodigitalisierung / 1937 [1252]

https://www.digital.wienbibliothek.at/wbrobv/periodical/pageview/6595

SINGER Karl, Vertr.(Vertreter), VII, Döblergasse 4

&

Wienbibliothek / Retrodigitalisierung / 1937 [1251]

https://www.digital.wienbibliothek.at/wbrobv/periodical/pageview/6590

SINGER Rosa, Schauspiel. (Schauspielerin) VII, Döblergasse 4

Rosa VALETTI obituaries - also, mainly, mentioning husband & daughter include:

ANNO, Die Stunde, 1937-12-11, Seite 3

https://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/anno?aid=std&datum=19371211&seit...

&

ANNO, Neue Freie Presse, 1937-12-10, Seite 26

https://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/anno?aid=nfp&datum=19371210&seit...

&

ANNO, Neues Wiener Tagblatt (Tages-Ausgabe), 1937-12-10, Seite 22

https://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/anno?aid=nwg&datum=19371210&quer...

More to follow ...

And also -

cf. advertisement for a stage production of "Grössenwahn" in which this couple both featured:

ANNO, Neues Wiener Journal, 1921-05-21, Seite 11

https://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/anno?aid=nwj&datum=19210521&seit...