Polly Adler
Encyclopedia
Pearl "Polly" Adler was an American madam
and author of Russian-Jewish origin.
The oldest of nine children of Gertrude Koval and Morris Adler, Polly Adler emigrated to America
from Yanow
, Russia, near the Polish
border at the age of 14 just before World War I
. The war stopped her family from joining her. She worked in clothing factories and sporadically attended school. At 19, she began to enjoy the company of theater people in Manhattan
, and moved into the apartment of an actress and showgirl
on Riverside Drive in New York City
.
She opened her first bordello in 1920, under the protection of mobster Dutch Schultz
and a friend of mobster Charles "Lucky" Luciano
. One building in which she plied her trade was The Majestic at 215 West 75th Street, designed by architect
s Schwartz and Gross
and completed in 1924 with hidden stairways and secret doorways. Her brothel there boasted such patrons as Robert Benchley
, New York City mayor Jimmy Walker
, and mobster Dutch Schultz
.
In the early 1930s, Adler was a star witness of the Seabury Commission
investigations and spent a few months in hiding in Florida
to avoid testifying. She refused to give up any mob names when apprehended by the police. She survived by providing half of her income to her underworld
safety net. For over 20 years, Adler kept active by moving her brothel from apartment to apartment. She retired in 1944.
Adler attended college at age 50, and wrote a bestselling book, ghosted by Virginia Faulkner, A House is Not a Home
(1953), allowing her to live off the proceeds. She died in Los Angeles, California
in 1962. A House Is Not a Home
was made into a movie two years later, starring Shelley Winters
as Adler. Her notoriety led her to be included in Cleveland Amory
's 1959 Celebrity Register.
TV-movie Musical Murder revolved around a faux-musical based on Adler.
Adler was portrayed by the actress Gisèle Rousseau in the 1994 film Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle
.
The television show 'M*A*S*H' episode "Bulletin Board" features a party/picnic called the "First Annual Polly Adler Birthday Cook-out Picnic and Bar-B-Que," with all proceeds going to Sr. Teresa's Orphanage. The picnic scene climaxes with a tug of war
between the officers and enlisted men.
(of which she served 24, scrubbing the jail floors in May and June 1935) and paid an additional $500 fine.
"A plea of guilty was entered for Polly Adler in Special Sessions yesterday to a charge of possessing a motion picture machine with objectionable pictures in her East Fifty-fifth Street apartment when it was raided by the police last March 5."
"Another unexpected plea of guilty to maintaining an objectionable apartment at 30 East Fifty-fifth Street blocked in Special Sessions yesterday the trial of Polly Adler on that and another charge that she kept an obscene motion picture film in the suite last March when it was raided."
"A charge of keeping and maintaining a house for prostitution against Pearl Davis, better known as Polly Adler, was dismissed by Magistrate Thomas H. Cullen
in Woman's Court yesterday after the court ruled that police had failed to establish a case." -- N.Y. Times: Jan. 27, 1943, p. 23
Pimp
A pimp is an agent for prostitutes who collects part of their earnings. The pimp may receive this money in return for advertising services, physical protection, or for providing a location where she may engage clients...
and author of Russian-Jewish origin.
The oldest of nine children of Gertrude Koval and Morris Adler, Polly Adler emigrated to America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from Yanow
Ivanava
Ivanava is a city in the Brest Province of Belarus, an administrative center of the Ivanava district.First mentioned in 14th century, initially it was a village named Porkhovo. In 1423 it was granted by the king Władysław Jagiełło to the cathedral in Lutsk. Renamed to Janów, in 1465 it was granted...
, Russia, near the Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
border at the age of 14 just before World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The war stopped her family from joining her. She worked in clothing factories and sporadically attended school. At 19, she began to enjoy the company of theater people in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, and moved into the apartment of an actress and showgirl
Showgirl
A showgirl is a dancer or performer in a stage entertainment show. Showgirl is also often used as a term for a promotional model in trade fairs and car shows, etc...
on Riverside Drive in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
She opened her first bordello in 1920, under the protection of mobster Dutch Schultz
Dutch Schultz
Dutch Schultz was a New York City-area Jewish American gangster of the 1920s and 1930s who made his fortune in organized crime-related activities such as bootlegging alcohol and the numbers racket...
and a friend of mobster Charles "Lucky" Luciano
Lucky Luciano
Charlie "Lucky" Luciano was an Italian mobster born in Sicily. Luciano is considered the father of modern organized crime in the United States for splitting New York City into five different Mafia crime families and the establishment of the first commission...
. One building in which she plied her trade was The Majestic at 215 West 75th Street, designed by architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
s Schwartz and Gross
Schwartz and Gross
Schwartz and Gross was a New York City architectural firm active from at least 1901 to 1963, and which designed numerous apartment buildings in the city during the first half of the 20th century. The firm, together with the firm Neville & Bagge and the firm owned by George F...
and completed in 1924 with hidden stairways and secret doorways. Her brothel there boasted such patrons as Robert Benchley
Robert Benchley
Robert Charles Benchley was an American humorist best known for his work as a newspaper columnist and film actor...
, New York City mayor Jimmy Walker
Jimmy Walker
James John Walker, often known as Jimmy Walker and colloquially as Beau James , was the mayor of New York City from 1926 to 1932...
, and mobster Dutch Schultz
Dutch Schultz
Dutch Schultz was a New York City-area Jewish American gangster of the 1920s and 1930s who made his fortune in organized crime-related activities such as bootlegging alcohol and the numbers racket...
.
In the early 1930s, Adler was a star witness of the Seabury Commission
Seabury Commission
The Seabury Commission investigations into the New York magistrate's courts and police department in the early 1930s led to wholesale changes in the method of arrest, bail and litigation of suspects in New York City....
investigations and spent a few months in hiding in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
to avoid testifying. She refused to give up any mob names when apprehended by the police. She survived by providing half of her income to her underworld
Underworld
The Underworld is a region which is thought to be under the surface of the earth in some religions and in mythologies. It could be a place where the souls of the recently departed go, and in some traditions it is identified with Hell or the realm of death...
safety net. For over 20 years, Adler kept active by moving her brothel from apartment to apartment. She retired in 1944.
Adler attended college at age 50, and wrote a bestselling book, ghosted by Virginia Faulkner, A House is Not a Home
A House Is Not a Home (book)
A House is Not a Home is the 1953 autobiography of the famous New York madam Polly Adler.-Editions:* P. Adler: , Rinehart & Co. Inc. N.Y. Toronto, 1953,...
(1953), allowing her to live off the proceeds. She died in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
in 1962. A House Is Not a Home
A House Is Not a Home (film)
A House Is Not a Home is a 1964 drama film loosely based on the 1953 autobiography by madam Polly Adler. The film stars Shelley Winters, Robert Taylor, Cesar Romero, and Kaye Ballard.Raquel Welch made her film debut in a small role as a prostitute.-Plot:...
was made into a movie two years later, starring Shelley Winters
Shelley Winters
Shelley Winters was an American actress who appeared in dozens of films, as well as on stage and television; her career spanned over 50 years until her death in 2006...
as Adler. Her notoriety led her to be included in Cleveland Amory
Cleveland Amory
Cleveland Amory was an American author who devoted his life to promoting animal rights. He was perhaps best known for his books about his cat, named Polar Bear, whom he saved from the Manhattan streets on Christmas Eve 1977...
's 1959 Celebrity Register.
Television and film portrayals
The 1989 Perry MasonPerry Mason
Perry Mason is a fictional character, a defense attorney who was the main character in works of detective fiction authored by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason was featured in more than 80 novels and short stories, most of which had a plot involving his client's murder trial...
TV-movie Musical Murder revolved around a faux-musical based on Adler.
Adler was portrayed by the actress Gisèle Rousseau in the 1994 film Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle
Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle
Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle is a 1994 film scripted by writer/director Alan Rudolph and former Washington Star reporter Randy Sue Coburn...
.
The television show 'M*A*S*H' episode "Bulletin Board" features a party/picnic called the "First Annual Polly Adler Birthday Cook-out Picnic and Bar-B-Que," with all proceeds going to Sr. Teresa's Orphanage. The picnic scene climaxes with a tug of war
Tug of war
Tug of war, also known as tug o' war, tug war, rope war or rope pulling, is a sport that directly pits two teams against each other in a test of strength. The term may also be used as a metaphor to describe a demonstration of brute strength by two opposing groups, such as a rivalry between two...
between the officers and enlisted men.
Song
Pearl "Polly" Adler is remembered in the song "Pearl Polly Adler"http://www.myspace.com/robinaigner by Brooklyn musician Robin Aigner.Spring 1935
During Fiorello La Guardia's time as a mayor, Polly Adler and three of her girls were brought to court. She was pleaded guilty and subsequently sentenced to 30 days of jailNew York Women's House of Detention
The New York Women's House of Detention was a women's prison in New York City which existed from 1932 to 1974.Built on the site of the Jefferson Market Prison that had succeeded the Jefferson Market in Manhattan's Greenwich Village, the New York Women's House of Detention is believed to have been...
(of which she served 24, scrubbing the jail floors in May and June 1935) and paid an additional $500 fine.
"A plea of guilty was entered for Polly Adler in Special Sessions yesterday to a charge of possessing a motion picture machine with objectionable pictures in her East Fifty-fifth Street apartment when it was raided by the police last March 5."
"Another unexpected plea of guilty to maintaining an objectionable apartment at 30 East Fifty-fifth Street blocked in Special Sessions yesterday the trial of Polly Adler on that and another charge that she kept an obscene motion picture film in the suite last March when it was raided."
January 1943
"Polly Adler is in the prison ward of Bellevue Hospital, it became known yesterday, awaiting a hearing for the seventeenth time for maintaining a house of prostitution." -- N.Y. Times: Jan. 16, 1943, p. 28"A charge of keeping and maintaining a house for prostitution against Pearl Davis, better known as Polly Adler, was dismissed by Magistrate Thomas H. Cullen
Thomas H. Cullen
Thomas Henry Cullen was a United States Representative from New York. Born in Brooklyn, he attended the local parochial schools, and graduated from St. Francis College in 1880. He became engaged in the marine insurance and shipping business, and was a member of the New York State Assembly from...
in Woman's Court yesterday after the court ruled that police had failed to establish a case." -- N.Y. Times: Jan. 27, 1943, p. 23