Elaine Latz; Was On Radio Soap Operas

By Sari Harrar, Special to The Inquirer
Posted: October 10, 1988

Elaine Sandra Grahn Latz of Margate, known in the late 1930s as the ''Garbling Garbo" for her performances on Philadelphia radio soap operas, died Friday at Thomas Jefferson University Medical Center in Philadelphia.

Mrs. Latz was the wife of Mack Latz, the owner of the Knife and Fork Inn in Atlantic City.

Mrs. Latz, according to her son Andrew, was responsible for some of the ''behind-the-scenes talks with people who had power and money in New York and Los Angeles" to bring casino gambling to Atlantic City. She was known for her quick wit, her high heels, her curly red hair and her ever-present large hats, he said.

"A lot of the atmosphere you see in the restaurant is her influence," he said. "She never worked here per se but she and my father discussed everything. And she was always here, talking to people. She had a great sense of humor and a real lust for life."

Born in Philadelphia, Mrs. Latz was a graduate of Simon Gratz High School and the Bessie Hicks School of Dramatic Arts. She was heard on radio soap operas on radio station WIP and also modeled for illustrations for detective magazines and fashion shows. She met her first husband, Esquire Magazine's men's fashion artist Robert Goodman, on a South American cruise she had taken to get a tan for a swimsuit-modeling assignment. Mr. Goodman died in 1937, and she married Mack Latz in 1938.

Surviving, in addition to her husband and son, are sons Gordon of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Geoffrey of Waco, Texas, and four grandchildren.

Calling hours are 10 a.m. today at the Jeffries & Keats Funeral Home, Tilton Road and Infield Avenue, Northfield. The funeral will follow at 11 a.m. at the funeral home. Burial will be in Beth Israel Cemetery in Pleasantville.

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