Francesca Braggiotti (October 17, 1902 – February 25, 1998) was an Italian dancer, actress, dubber, and first lady of

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

Biography

Francesca & Bertha Braggiotti LCCN2014716100

Francesca Braggiotti was born in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

, her father was an Italian tenor, born in

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...

; her mother was an American mezzo-soprano from

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. Both her parents were converted to Buddhism, among the earliest Westerners to do so; she was the second of eight brothers and sisters, all destined for success in the arts. She began her career as a dancer, forming the Braggiotti Sisters, a duo with her sister Berthe. The duo was an overwhelming success in Boston after World War I. Writer Alden Hatch wrote: "Two polyglot strikingly attractive and talented sisters, call Berthe and Francesca Braggiotti, were the biggest event of the Bostonian Society since Jack Gardner smoked a cigarette in public and built Fenway Court ". Francesca and her sister Berthe opened a dance studio above the barracks of the Brookline Fire Department. For a public performance sponsored by the exclusive Vincent Club, the Mayor was asked about the limits of public decency, as he had authorized their costumes for some artistic purposes, although too small to be admitted to a public beach. The poet

Amy Lowell Amy Lawrence Lowell (February 9, 1874 – May 12, 1925) was an American poet of the imagist school, which promoted a return to classical values. She posthumously won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1926. Life Amy Lowell was born on Febru ...

was so enchanted that she composed an ode in honor of Francesca.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Isabella Stewart Gardner (April 14, 1840 – July 17, 1924) was a leading American art collector, philanthropist, and patron of the arts. She founded the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Gardner possessed an energetic intellectual cu ...

asked them to a private performance at Fenway Court. Stephen Hess, ''America's Political Dynasties'', Garden City, N.Y., Doubleday & Company Inc., 1966 The dance school of Braggiotti Sisters, as well as being the most expensive and requested, first introduced dance Expressionist movement in Boston and a new vision of health and beauty. After the untimely death of her elder sister in 1928 Braggiotti went to work in cinema and began dubbing in Italy. She starred in ''

Rasputin and the Empress ''Rasputin and the Empress'' is a 1932 American pre-Code film directed by Richard Boleslawski and written by Charles MacArthur. Produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), the film is set in Imperial Russia and stars the Barrymore siblings (John, a ...

'' (1932), '' Little Women'' (1933), '' Scipio Africanus: The Defeat of Hannibal'' (1937), and Tonight at Eleven (1938). She was the first Italian voice of Greta Garbo and talk the first bar dubbed in Italian film history: "Give me a cigarette!" in the movie ''

Mata Hari Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod (née Zelle; 7 August 187615 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari (), was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I. She was executed ...

'' by George Fitzmaurice. She also dubbed the Swedish actress in '' Inspiration'' (Yvonne), ''

Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise) ''Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise)'' is a 1931 American pre-Code film directed and produced by Robert Z. Leonard and starring Greta Garbo and Clark Gable. The film was based on the novel by David Graham Phillips and made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. ...

'', ''

Grand Hotel A grand hotel is a large and luxurious hotel, especially one housed in a building with traditional architectural style. It began to flourish in the 1800s in Europe and North America. Grand Hotel may refer to: Hotels Africa * Grande Hotel Beir ...

'' (Grusinskaya), '' As You Desire Me'' (Zadar / Countess Maria Varelli). Braggiotti married

John Davis Lodge John Davis Lodge (October 20, 1903 – October 29, 1985) was an American film actor, lawyer, politician, and diplomat. He was the 79th governor of Connecticut from 1951 to 1955, and later served as U.S. ambassador to Spain, Argentina, and Swit ...

in 1929, and worked with him on the set of '' Tonight at Eleven''. After her husband's entry into politics, she withdrew from artistic life; he was a Republican politician, U.S. Representative from 1947 to 1951, governor of Connecticut from 1951 to 1955 and diplomatic ambassador to Spain, Argentina and Switzerland. She had two children, one of whom is

Lily Lodge Lily Lodge (April 12, 1930 – August 7, 2021) was an American actress, acting coach and etiquette consultant. She was the co-founder of Actors Conservatory in New York City and worked with actors such as Alec Baldwin and Brooke Shields. Per ...

References

Filmography

*''

'', (1932) *'' Little Women'', directed by

George Cukor George Dewey Cukor (; July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an American film director and film producer. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO when David O. Selznick, the studio's Head ...

(1933) *'' Scipio Africanus: The Defeat of Hannibal'', directed by

Carmine Gallone Carmine Gallone (10 September 1885 – 11 March 1973) was an early Italian film director, screenwriter, and film producer, who was also controversial for his works of pro-Fascist propaganda and historical revisionism. Considered one of Itali ...

(1937) * '' Tonight at Eleven'', directed by Oreste Biancoli (1937)

Bibliography

* Gloria Braggiotti, ''Born in a crowd'', Crowell,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, 1957. * Salvatore John LaGumina, ''The Italian American experience: an encyclopedia'', Garland Pub.2000, page 169. * Jody Marie Weber, ''The Evolution of Aesthetic and Expressive Dance in Boston'', Cambria Press, 2009. {{DEFAULTSORT:Braggiotti, Francesca 1902 births 1998 deaths Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Italian female dancers Italian film actresses Italian voice actresses Italian emigrants to the United States First ladies and gentlemen of Connecticut Dancers from Massachusetts Italian Buddhists Italian people of American descent Actors from Florence American people of Italian descent