Abbe Lane
Lane in 1961
Born	Abigail Francine Lassman[1] (1932-12-14)December 14, 1932 (age 92) New York City, New York, U.S.
Other names	Abbe Marshall
Occupation(s)	Singer, dancer, actress
Spouses	Xavier Cugat ​ ​ (m. 1952; div. 1964)​ Perry B. Leff ​ (m. 1964⁠–⁠2020)​ (his death)

Abbe Lane (bornAbigail Francine Lassman; December 14, 1932) is an American singer and actress. Lane was known in the 1950s and 1960s for her revealing outfits and sultry style of performing. Her first marriage was as the fourth wife ofLatin bandleader and musicianXavier Cugat, more than thirty years her senior.

Born Abigail Francine Lassman on December 14, 1932, to Jewish parents, Abbey and Grace Lassman,^[2][3] inBrooklyn, New York, Lane had a brother, Leonard. She began her career at the age of four as achild actress onVitaphone and radio. She began dancing onBroadway in 1947 as a teenager.^[4][5] On Broadway, she portrayed "Bobo" inOh Captain! (1958), starringTony Randall.^[6]

Early in her career, Lane was billed as "Abbe Marshall", her adopted forename possibly in tribute to her father, who was known as "Abbey".^[7][8] Using that name, she appeared in the Broadway showsBarefoot Boy with Cheek (1947) andAs the Girls Go (1948).^[9]

Because of her work in Europe, Lane was known as an actress before she became recognized for her singing and dancing. She had a television program in Europe and made 21 films there early in her career.^[10]

In 1952, she married bandleaderXavier Cugat, more than 30 years her senior. During the 1950s and early 1960s she worked as a nightclub singer and was described in a 1963 magazine article as "the swingingest sexpot in show business."^[11] Cugat's influence was seen in her music, which favoredLatin andrumba styles. In 1958 she starred oppositeTony Randall in the Broadway musicalOh, Captain! but her recording contract prevented her from appearing on the original cast album of the show.Eileen Rodgers performed her songs for the cast LP; Lane later recorded her songs on a solo album.^[6]

Lane made several recordings forRCA Victor andMercury. She worked withTito Puente on the albumBe Mine Tonight released in 1958. She appeared on talk shows with Cugat until 1963. In 1964, Lane and Cugat divorced.

Lane attracted attention for her suggestive comments, such as "'Jayne Mansfield may turn boys into men, but I take them from there." She was the first female star of the Italian television, where she appeared in various shows starting from 1955. She said she was considered "too sexy in Italy". Her costume for an appearance on theJackie Gleason Show was considered too revealing and she was instructed to wear something else. She was a guest on the television shows ofRed Skelton,Dean Martin andJack Benny.^[12]

In the later 1960s Lane starred in several Italian films. She performed on television variety programs such asThe Ed Sullivan Show,The Steve Allen Show,The Jack Paar Program,The Mike Douglas Show,The Hollywood Palace,The Joey Bishop Show,The Merv Griffin Show andThe Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson from the 1950s into the 1970s. She played guest roles inNaked City,The Man From U.N.C.L.E.,The Flying Nun,F Troop,The Brady Bunch,Hart to Hart, andVega$. Her last movie appearance was inTwilight Zone: The Movie (1983) in the minor role of an airline stewardess.

In 1992, Lane wrote the semi-autobiographical novelBut Where Is Love? which described the painful memories of a teenage girl married to an older man.^[13]

Lane received a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame at 6381 Hollywood Boulevard for her contribution to television.

In 1952, at age 19, Lane married bandleader Xavier Cugat — who was more than 30 years her senior — as his third wife.^[14] In 1964, Lane and Cugat divorced.^[15] They had no children together during their marriage.

In December 1964, she married theatrical agent Perry Leff,^[16] remaining married until Leff's death in 2020, at age 93.^[17][18] Lane and Leff had two sons, Steven and Andrew.^[12]

As leader:

• Be Mine Tonight, withTito Puente and His Orchestra (RCA Victor, 1957)
• The Lady in Red, withSid Ramin's Orchestra (RCA Victor, 1958)
• Where There's a Man, with Sid Ramin and His Orchestra (RCA Victor, 1959)
• Abbe Lane with Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra (Mercury, 1961, produced byHal Mooney)
• The Many Sides of Abbe Lane (Mercury, 1964, produced by Hal Mooney)
• Rainbows (Butterfly Records, 1980)

With Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra:

• Dancetime with Xavier Cugat (RCA Victor, 1953)
• Ole! (Columbia, 1953)
• Cha Cha Cha (Columbia in western hemisphere and South Africa,Philips in Europe, 1955)
• Meet Xavier Cugat and Abbe Lane (10" album, Philips, 1955)
  • Compilation:Pan, Amor Y .... (RCA, 1981)

• Lane, Abbe (1992).But Where Is Love?: A Novel.Warner Books.ISBN 978-0446515986.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toAbbe Lane.

• Abbe Lane atAllMusic
• Abbe Lane discography atDiscogs
• Abbe Lane atIMDb
• Abbe Lane at theInternet Broadway Database
• https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/abbe-lane Abbe Lane] atGetty Images

• 1930s births
• Living people
• Actresses from Brooklyn
• American women singers
• American film actresses
• Jewish American actresses
• Jewish American musicians
• Jewish American singers
• Mercury Records artists
• RCA Victor artists
• Singers from New York City
• 20th-century American actresses
• Nightclub performers
• 21st-century American Jews
• 21st-century American women

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• Articles lacking reliable references from February 2019
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
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• Commons category link from Wikidata
• Internet Broadway Database person ID same as Wikidata
• Year of birth missing (living people)