Marion "Kiki" Roberts (née Strasmick) (born 1909 in Boston, Massachusetts) was an American dancer and showgirl. She was better known as the girlfriend and moll of American gangster

Legs Diamond Jack "Legs" Diamond (possibly born John Thomas Diamond, though disputed; July 10, 1897 – December 18, 1931), also known as Gentleman Jack, was an Irish American gangster in Philadelphia and New York City during the Prohibition era. A bootle ...

Early life

Roberts dreamed of being a celebrity from a very young age and she placed eighth in a children's beauty pageant. She won a contract to participate at the

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' was a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934 and 1936. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as ''The Ziegfeld Follies of the Ai ...

as a "

Ziegfeld girl Ziegfeld Girls were the chorus girls and showgirls from Florenz Ziegfeld's theatrical Broadway revue spectaculars known as the '' Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), in New York City, which were based on the Folies Bergère of Paris. Desc ...

", but as she was too young to sign that contract, she could not participate at that time. At age 16, however, searching for bigger fame, Roberts and her mom moved to New York, New York. She began working for

Texas Guinan Mary Louise Cecilia "Texas" Guinan (January 12, 1884 – November 5, 1933) was an American actress, producer and entrepreneur. Born in Texas to Irish immigrant parents, Guinan decided at an early age to become an entertainer. After becoming a st ...

at Guinan's nightclub, the Moritz. Finally, at the age of 17, she was able to sign on as a Ziegfeld girl.

Legs Diamond

Jack "Legs" Diamond was a major Irish-American bootlegger and mobster of the 1920s and 1930s. There are various accounts as to how Diamond and "Kiki" Roberts met, but one was that she had befriended a lady named Agnes O. Laughlin, who was in turn friends with Diamond and introduced them. The two soon became lovers, gaining Roberts the celebrity she longed for. Diamond helped Roberts get introduced to New York City choreographers, in order to improve her dancing skills. It is widely believed that Roberts was one of the last people to see Diamond alive before he was gunned down in December of 1931. "Kiki" Roberts and Diamond's wife Alice were both questioned in connection with the murder's investigation, but they were not suspected of wrongdoing.

Later life

Not much is known about Marion Roberts after the death of "Legs" Diamond. She did an interview for the

Boston American The ''Boston American'' was a daily tabloid newspaper published in Boston, Massachusetts from March 21, 1904 until September 30, 1961. The newspaper was part of William Randolph Hearst's chain, and thus was also known as ''Hearst's Boston Americ ...

newspaper which was recorded in film in 1931, and, in 1935, she moved to the

Lehigh Valley The Lehigh Valley (), known colloquially as The Valley, is a geographic region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County and Northampton County in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a component valley of the Great Appalachian Valley bound to the no ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, hoping to find work, and she did, as by 1937, she was headlining a show named "Crazy Quilt" at the

Allentown Lyric Theater Allentown may refer to several places in the United States and topics related to them: *Allentown, California, now called Toadtown, California *Allentown, Georgia, a town in Wilkinson County *Allentown, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Taze ...

Allentown Allentown may refer to several places in the United States and topics related to them: *Allentown, California, now called Toadtown, California *Allentown, Georgia, a town in Wilkinson County *Allentown, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Taze ...

. But, by the 1940s, she had moved on. She disappeared from the limelight. Attempts at finding out her whereabouts and also her death date have, so far, been unsuccessful.

In pop culture

"Kiki" Roberts features prominently in writer William Kennedy's novel about "Legs" Diamond, also named "Legs". She is played by actress

Amanda Greer Amanda is a Latin feminine gerundive (i.e. verbal adjective) name meaning, literally, “she who must (or is fit to) be loved”. Other translations, with similar meaning, could be "deserving to be loved," "worthy of love," or "loved very much b ...

in the 2019 biopic "

The Last Day of Legs Diamond ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Marion 1909 births Year of death missing People from Boston People from New York (state) American female dancers