"Rose of Washington Square"

Thirty years before Funny girl, there was Rose of Washington Square (1938). The third and final film pairing of the popular 20th Century Fox screen team of Alice Faye and Tyrone Power not only included several songs identified with singer-comedienne Fanny Brice (including the title song), it was also closely based on Brice's relationship with her second husband, con man and gambler Nick Arnstein...She sued Fox and the three stars for defamation of character, unauthorized use of her life story, and invasion of privacy--vendor information.