Watch The Outrageous Sophie Tucker

As a young girl, Sophie Tucker was told she'd never make it on stage. Undeterred, she rose through vaudeville in the early 20th century to become one of the most iconic performers of her time. The Outrageous Sophie Tucker, a documentary released in 2014, chronicles the ups and downs of this larger-than-life personality and her unique impact on American entertainment.

Narrated by journalist and former host of The View, Barbara Walters, the film includes interviews with Tucker's peers and admirers, including Tony Bennett, Carol Channing, and Michael Feinstein. Together, they paint a picture of a trailblazer who defied expectations and paved the way for generations of female entertainers.

The film begins with Tucker's early years, when she was born on the Ukraine-Russia border in 1884 as Sonia Kalish. She emigrated to the United States with her parents when she was a child, settling in Hartford, Connecticut. Tucker's upbringing was far from glamorous; her family struggled financially and she left school at age 11 to work in a factory. But she also showed an early talent for singing, and began performing in amateur shows in her teens.

It wasn't until Tucker was in her 20s that she adopted the stage name Sophie Tucker and began performing professionally. She quickly made a name for herself in the vaudeville circuit, where her bawdy humor and powerful voice won over audiences. Tucker was known for pushing boundaries, both on and off stage; she was one of the first performers to use blue language in her act, and was unapologetic about her weight and sexuality.

As Tucker's fame grew, so did her ambition. She transitioned from vaudeville to Broadway, appearing in shows like the Ziegfeld Follies and the Shubert Brothers' Passing Show. She also began recording music, with hits like "Some of These Days" and "After You've Gone" becoming instant classics. Tucker toured the country extensively, and by the 1930s was one of the highest-paid performers in show business.

But as the film shows, Tucker's success wasn't without setbacks. She faced discrimination as a Jewish woman in the entertainment industry, and sometimes struggled to be taken seriously as an artist. The Great Depression also took its toll on Tucker's finances, and she was forced to declare bankruptcy in the 1930s. But even in tough times, Tucker remained resilient, continuing to perform and innovate.

One of the film's most touching moments comes when Tony Bennett recalls meeting Tucker late in her life. He had always been a fan of her music, and was thrilled to finally see her perform live. But when he went backstage to meet her after the show, Tucker was in tears. She told Bennett that she felt like her career was over, that she was too old to keep performing. Bennett remembers telling her, "Sophie, you're not old - you're a legend." It's a moving tribute to a performer who had spent her life blazing new trails.

The Outrageous Sophie Tucker covers a lot of ground, from Tucker's personal life (she was married three times and had a son) to her influences on later artists (Bette Midler and Joan Rivers are among those who credit Tucker as an inspiration). But at its core, the film is a celebration of a woman who refused to be boxed in by society's expectations of what a performer - or a woman - should be. Tucker's legacy is a testament to the power of individuality and perseverance, and The Outrageous Sophie Tucker does a great job of bringing her story to life.

The Outrageous Sophie Tucker is a 2015 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 36 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.2 and a MetaScore of 59.