Already in the post-war times, biographies were made about her life, she fell in love with artists and attracted people with both her talent and beauty. The intriguing Gilda Gray, however, was born as Marianna Michalska – she maintained that she was born on October 24, 1901 in Krakow. The girl lived in an orphanage for some time, and the details of her childhood are unknown. Some speculate that her parents died in street riots or in an accident, but it is to her allegedly adoptive parents that she owes her career. Official documents indicate that they did not necessarily have to be adopted – according to information from the registry office, Michalska came from Rydlewo and was born in 1985 as their biological daughter. One thing is certain – in 1909 the Michalskis emigrated to America and settled in the suburbs. It didn’t take long for the West to fall in love with Marianna, whom he christened Gilda.
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“Shimmy” Polish or American?
Contrary to rumors, Gilda did not get married at the age of 11, but the most likely version can also be controversial today – she married her husband, violinist John Górecki as a 14-year-old, and a few months after the wedding she gave birth to a child – son Martin. It is worth noting that the newspapers of the time took into account the date of birth presented by Marianna – but if the documents are to be believed, young Gray became a mother at the age of 18. The role of housewife, however, did not satisfy the young artist, who earned money singing in her father-in-law’s bar, Cudahy’s Saloon. One of the most popular rumors about the life of the star says that it was in it that she first danced in a characteristic way, becoming a pioneer of the most popular dance of her era – the shimmy. When she forgot the words to the American anthem, she decided to improvise, rhythmically moving her hips and breasts.
When the audience asked what she danced, she replied: “I’m shaking my chemise.” Due to the Polish accent, “chemise” became “shimmy”, giving the name to the famous choreography, which she repeated many times in Hollywood productions, dancing e.g. in “Lawful Larceny” from 1923 and “The Devil’s Dancer” from 1927. However, Gray herself maintained that the origin of the shimmy is different, and that we owe the dance to Native Americans.
The original shimmy dance has never been properly exposed in New York. I know because I studied Indian dance moves for a long time and they are responsible for the shimmy they called “Shima Shiwa”.
she told Variety in an interview in 1919.
She conquered Broadway and Hollywood. After losing health and money, she did not leave Poles in need
It was only when Michalska gave up family life and performing with a repertoire that promoted Polish culture on the stages of Wisconsin that her real career gained momentum. In 1918, after separating from her husband, she went to Chicago and began introducing herself as Mary Gray alongside the pianist Frank Westphal. It was his wife, singer Sophia Tucker, who suggested she change her name to Gilda. Soon after, in 1919, she made her Broadway debut. In the same year, she also began acting in films, starting with “A Virtuous Vamp” by David Kirkland and Sidney Franklin. She continued to promote shimmy in New York, including getting a role in the revue “Ziegfeld Follies”, and the local press called her a pioneer of this However, Broadway did not satisfy the artist’s appetite and she fell in love with Hollywood in 1923. She starred in eight productions, proving that she was versatile.
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Looks like Miss Gray has been rediscovered as an actress. For a long time, she was only considered a “shimmy” dancer, but in “Piccadilly” she shows that acting is not beyond her reach.
– wrote about her in the “New York Times” in 1929. In the meantime, she continued to act in theaters, mainly as a dancer, due to financial problems (she lost most of her fortune as a result of the stock market crash on Black Thursday). When health and family problems also came to them – a heart attack and the death of her parents – she suspended her career. In order to revive, she decided to travel – in the second half of the 1930s she visited South America and Africa, and after the outbreak of World War II, which surprised her on the road, she was also to return to Poland and see Warsaw falling into ruin with her own eyes. It turned out, however, that the story of Gilda’s visit was made up by American newspapers. However, she did not leave her compatriots in need and, while staying in the United States, she collected funds to help war victims. She also provided the selected emigrants with a stay in America and education, despite the fact that she herself was in debt at the time. Her merits were distinguished in the program “This Is Your Life” by journalist Ralph Edwards.
Gilda Gray, who remained Marianna Michalska until the end, died in 1959 in Los Angeles after another heart attack.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
