The original brassy broad who influenced everyone from Mae West to Bette Midler to Madonna, Sophie Tucker began her six-decade career in the age of vaudeville and persisted through the advent of rock ‘n’ roll into the 1960s. With her powerful voice, raunchy personality and roster of risque songs, “The Last of the Red Hot Mamas” secured a place as one of the most popular entertainers in America during the first half of the 20th century.
The 2015 documentary “The Outrageous Sophie Tucker” tracks the life of this Jewish immigrant from Russia (born while her parents were en route to the United States) through interviews, songs from the American songbook and still photographs and images from her scrapbooks (film footage is hard to come by because she appeared in only a handful of movies). Commentators include Tony Bennett, Carol Channing and Barbara Walters (whose father, a nightclub owner, had a long professional relationship with Tucker).
A screening is Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst. $8 general; $4 students. yiddishbookcenter.org