Mary Olga Moore, Model Who Sang In 'Happy Hooker', 54
DGH
Mary Moore, a professional singer and a former model, who had lived
with her husband in Concord, Massachusetts, since 1985, died Saturday
April 9, 2005, of cancer in Concord Health Care Center, at the age of
54.
Mary Olga (Troshkin) Moore might have seemed an unlikely cast member of
a somewhat racy movie in the 1970s.
A statuesque beauty with a cool grace and a parochial school education,
she was picked to sing the title song and play a bit part in "The Happy
Hooker," about the life and times of Xaviera Hollander, the former
Manhattan, New York, madam.
The film was based on the 1970s book of the same name by Hollander and
Mrs. Moore's husband, Robert L. "Robin" Moore, author of other
bestsellers such as "The Green Berets" and "The French Connection." He
wrote the lyrics for the song "The Happy Hooker" for his wife to sing
in the movie.
Mrs. Moore had many other achievements, but her singing in "The Happy
Hooker" was her biggest moment in showbiz. She didn't brag about it,
though. "Mary Olga just didn't talk about it a lot," said her mother,
Margaret A. Troshkin of Riverdale, New York. "She had always wanted to
be a singer and an actress."
Mrs. Moore gave up any thought of pursuing a career in Hollywood after
she met Moore at a party in Manhattan and married him 32 years ago. She
traveled the world with him-- living in such places as Dubai, United
Arab Emirates, Jamaica, and Zimbabwe (when it was known as Rhodesia) --
while he researched and wrote books set in the countries. They traveled
so much that an older family member dubbed her "Mrs. Marco Polo,"
according to Mrs. Moore's stepdaughter, Margo Moore of Dartmouth, New
Hampshire.
Mrs. Moore was born in New York. Her mother believes her beauty did not
come from either of her parents but the commingling of their heritages
-- he was Russian; she is Irish.
"She had an adorable short nose. She looked like a model," Troshkin
said.
Mrs. Moore was named for relatives on both sides of her family. Proud
of her heritage, she always introduced herself by her two first names.
After attending parochial school in the Bronx, Mrs. Moore graduated
from the Professional Children's School in Manhattan and the former
Finch College in New York. She modeled for Bergdorf Goodman in New
York.
Early in her singing career, Mrs. Moore performed in the Catskills, on
a riverboat in Manhattan, and in a restaurant in the Empire State
Building. "The Happy Hooker" was made soon after the Moores were
married.
When not globe-trotting, the couple made their home for 13 years in
Westport, Connecticut, where Mrs. Moore became known as an outstanding
hostess. She also opened their home to a number of pets that otherwise
might have been put to sleep. (She did the same in Concord.) Mrs.
Moore, with brown hair and brown eyes, never lost her striking looks,
friends said.
Mrs. Moore was known for other humanitarian acts in Concord. For 20
years, she volunteered at Emerson Hospital, wheeling patients to
appointments every Tuesday morning. Her "wonderful smile" lighted up
patients' lives, said Joan Schiller of Lincoln, another longtime
volunteer at the hospital.
"Mary Olga was a beautiful, dignified, and classy lady, exceedingly
committed to friends and family," Schiller said. "She had a lot of
humor and loved the lightness of life."
In addition to her husband, mother, and stepdaughter, Mrs. Moore leaves
four stepgrandchildren.
Boston Globe
O
deb...@comcast.net
Louis Epstein
>
> Mary Moore, a professional singer and a former model, who had lived
> with her husband in Concord, Massachusetts, since 1985, died Saturday
> April 9, 2005, of cancer in Concord Health Care Center, at the age of
> 54.
>
> Mary Olga (Troshkin) Moore might have seemed an unlikely cast member of
> a somewhat racy movie in the 1970s.
> Hooker" was her biggest moment in showbiz. She didn't brag about it,
> though. "Mary Olga just didn't talk about it a lot," said her mother,
> Margaret A. Troshkin of Riverdale, New York. "She had always wanted to
> be a singer and an actress."
> Mrs. Moore was named for relatives on both sides of her family. Proud
> of her heritage, she always introduced herself by her two first names.
> Boston Globe
An article recounting the early career of another entertainer
told how that entertainer was asked by a casting agent bothered
by having five Mary Moores in the waiting room that day if she
had a middle name.
"Uh...Tyler",she responded.
"Fine",said the casting agent."From now on you are Mary Tyler Moore."
Perhaps the recently deceased was one of the other four,
although apparently she was not a Moore yet when M.T.M.
was at the stage in her career depicted in the article.
-=-=-
The World Trade Center towers MUST rise again,
at least as tall as before...or terror has triumphed.
