Roberta “Robbie” W. Crow, daughter of George Clifford Crow and Marie Mitchell, was born in Longview, Gunn Co., TX. She debuted on Halloween and swore her father originally wanted to name her Jacqueline Lana—yes, JACKIE LANA. Even by Robbie’s standards, and she did have some, that was overkill. But she loved Halloween, remarking that it saddened her that it was all over, all too soon.
Although we know her bio parents, she was somehow the immaculately conceived love-child of Joan Rivers, Tallulah Bankhead, and Roseanne (both Barr and Roseannadanna).
“I had never encountered anyone, much less a woman, that was as bawdy, brash, and completely unapologetic for being themselves, and fiercely talented to boot…Although she was diminutive in stature, Robbie occupied space as if she were a giant…There will never be another Robbie and conversely, I wouldn’t want one even if there was. To have known her, good, bad, and everything in between was really a treat, and I can’t imagine I’ll ever forget the impact she made on me both artistically and personally.” – CHRIS CLARK
When the Crow family moved to the Rocket City, Robbie blasted off at Westlawn Elementary School. During her younger years, she was selected to compete in the “Miss Teenage America” Pageant, representing the state of Alabama. In 1967 at the Dallas competition, she and her mom met special guest Jimmy Durante (mom danced with him!); later, Robbie was selected “Miss Teenage Personality”—surprise—tying via secret ballot with the rep from NEW YORK, a harbinger if ever there were one.
A short while later, she graduated from Huntsville High School (Class of 1968), where she’d served on the feature staff for “Red and Blue”; Robbie was also a member of the Drama Club, Literary Club, Pep Club, French Club, and Home Economics Club. Naturally, she appeared onstage there; one instance was as “Anita” in “West Side Story,” a tellingly sedate role.
“…Robbie was a dame, a broad, a gal. She had no problem being called ‘a girl,’ she loved it. If you wanted to find her at a party, just figure out where all the guys were hanging out – straight or gay – and that’s where she’d be holding court, puffing a smoke, jangling her bracelets, gossiping, flirting, telling stories about her club days at Studio 54 and cracking dirty jokes…” – SAM MARSH
Robbie followed HHS with a stint at the Mississippi University for Women and then UAB (1970), where she studied Theatre Arts. From there, she attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Manhattan, again majoring in Theatre Arts (Associate of Fine Arts, 1972).
So, the Big Apple had formally beckoned. In ensuing years, Robbie would appear in over thirty professional productions, from repertory and touring companies to the original Broadway production of “Hair.” Other professional credits included “The Jackie Mason Comedy Revue”; “Elly Stone in Concert at Carnegie Hall”; and national TV commercials for Clairol and Pepsi.
During her extended stay in and around Manhattan, Robbie had many unique experiences beyond mere dramatic achievement. For example, when one Gary Stuart Shafer, the only child of Leon Sherrill Shafer and Rose Finkelstein, was applying for a job in nearby Boston, he met said diva, who would prove to be the love of his life. They married on 8 July 1988 in Huntsville, Madison Co., AL, where her family lived at the time.
Two of Robbie’s OTHER greatest loves were her wire-haired fox terriers, Ginger-Mae Shafer and later, Trevor Flintstone Shafer. They were her children before “fur-babies” became a byword. Supposedly they, along with Robbie’s zoo of stuffed animals, cussed like drunken-yet-verbose sailors…one had to see it to disbelieve it. Under Robbie’s tutelage, Charlie McCarthy would’ve been the first Talky Tina.
Of the myriad NYC stories Robbie shared, we heard of her friendship with Olive Watson, the IBM heiress, and consequent flying to Paris for lunch; presumably getting hit on by Hedy* Lamar during an Off-Broadway ushering job; and rounding a corner carrying a briefcase that made a good attempt at emasculating an oncoming Omar Sharif. She even hobnobbed with some of the Warhol gang. For his part, her hubby Gary was a buyer for Bloomingdales, which resulted in a frenemy-ship with a pre-Ralph Lauren Ralph Lauren and a later interview at London’s famed Harrod’s with then-owner Mohamed Al-Fayed, pop of the infamous Dodi. Robbie loved the NYC nightlife (if not always the people) and, interestingly, some of her nocturnal forays were captured by prime photographers, as evidenced by two pictures attending this memorial.
* Not Hedley
“I met Robbie Shafer back in the early 80’s when she lived in Great Neck, NY. We both commuted on the Long Island Railroad to go into the city and, since we were both smokers at the time, we rode the ‘smoking car’…I made the first move and invited her to join us. And when she opened her mouth to say thank you and ask me my name, I heard that accent and said, ‘Where the hell are you from?’ She said, “Probably Mars, according to you. but no, just Huntsville, Alabama.” We all just howled in laughter and so did she. You know. her cute ‘tee-hee laugh’ that had something so sinister yet refreshing at the same time…” – MADELINE DETRANO YULE
Meanwhile, Robbie buckled down on the work front, founding Career Crafters (later, Career Crafters of Alabama, then Career Crafters International), a private consulting business where she offered corporate outplacement and career marketing services. She was a member of the National Association of Personnel Consultants, New Business Network (Charter Member, Board of Directors), and the Women’s Economic Development Council. Naturally, she remained a whiz with résumés, but ended the company in later years, following Gary’s untimely passing.
“I can’t imagine anyone who’s ever been in her presence saying: ‘…I’m not sure if I remember her’…” – JEFF ROBERTSON
They say “all good things must come to an end,” and a serious accident in their penthouse home curtailed Gary’s employability. In the mid-1990’s, the couple with Ginger in tow returned to Huntsville to stay. As Gary had also been an actor in his youth, even working once with Béla Lugosi, they wasted no time introducing and involving themselves with local theater. In the ensuing years, Robbie in particular worked with Ars Nov (AN), Theatre ‘Round the Corner (TRTC), Renaissance Theatre (RT), and Theatre Huntsville (TH), as actress, director, assistant director, or techie. She loved to hang out after shows and practices and hosted some tumultuously insane cast parties.
“…Every time I was ever fortunate enough to tread the boards with Robbie, she generously gave 100% of herself to make sure every other actor had what they needed to perform at their highest level. And when I was still new to the stage, she supported and comforted and lifted me up…If you knew her, she made you better. She made you laugh. And she made you feel loved.” – KIMBERLY PARKER
Robbie’s community roles included:
AN – “Pitti-Sing” in “The Mikado” (2001); Narrator, “Othello/Otello” (2001); “Lady Piggie Gilpen”/Ensemble in “Hands Across the Sea”/“Oh, Coward!” (2010)
TRTC – “Sarah Bernhardt” in “The Ladies of the Camelia’s” (1997); “Myrna Thorn/Emily Brock” in “Ruthless!” (1998); the first of many turns as the diabolical diva “Thelma Greenwood” in sundry “The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society” productions
TH – Assistant Director/Publicity Team/“Senator Clark” for “The Boys Next Door” (2003); Ensemble in “The Laramie Project” (2003); “Marley’s Ghost/Tess’s Voice” in “Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge” (2007); “Thelma” in “Farndale…Macbeth”; Director, “The Laramie Project” (2012); “Vera” in “The Odd Couple (Female Version)” (2010, WINGS Award); Director, “Same Time Next Year” (2011, WINGS); “Sedalia Ellicot” in “Always a Bridsemaid” (2017); “Charlotte Hay” in “Moon Over Buffalo” (2018)
TRTC – “Martha” in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” (2003); “Eleanor of Aquitaine” in “The Lion in Winter” (2004); AD/Sound, Eastern Regional Première of “The Maltese Falcon” (2008); Assistant Director/“Jacqueline,” “La Cage Aux Folles” (2008); “Ma Beckoff” in “Torch Song Trilogy” (2008); “Sister Aloysius Beauvier” in “Doubt, a Parable” (2009, WINGS); “Ethel Banks” in “Barefoot in the Park” (2009, WINGS); “Mortimer” in “The Fantasticks” (2010); Director, “Cabaret” (2010); “Ouiser Boudreaux” in “Steel Magnolias” (2011, others); “Melissa Gardner” in “Love Letters,” (2014); “Mrs. Peacock” in “Clue” (2015). Whew! Robbie also performed independent voiceover and video work, a well as solos in cabaret productions.
“…I never forgot meeting her! And no matter she was about four feet tall, she was big, she could play big…no matter the rest of the cast on stage, she was the one you quite often watched. She didn’t deliberately steal the spotlight or upstage the other actors; she was there and you had to deal with it…Actors who worked opposite her have said she gave you 100% with her body, her lines, her eyes, and that beautiful face. She gave you the meat, raw, bloody red, or well done with side dishes. She made you look good, and she held the stage no matter what…” – BOB BAKER
In “The Mikado,” the ‘maids’ had some impressive trains (which got in their way at every opportunity), so they rehearsed with sheets, bedspreads, and such tied around their waists, in order acclimate to both the costumes’ weight and length while keeping the kimonos clean. Hence it was a scream at IHOP when Robbie, ever-frustrated at move-in practice in general and one actor and our choreographer in specific, responded to our waitress’s suggestion that she have “pigs in a blanket” with, “I don’t WANT any damned pigs in a blanket! I’ve seen enough of them tonight to last a LIFETIME!” That’s another one of those lines one doesn’t get the chance to say twice.
“…Robbie was an unapologetic force. She had grit and drive, and would tell you just what you needed to do…She didn’t always align with most because she was unlike most – having left AL for NYC and living there for some 26 years before returning to our hometown…She – and what memories of her I can hold onto – will remain a driving force until I hang it up…not that I ever plan on it…” = JAY POFF
For a while, Robbie lived in the apartments near Earth Touch where, over the years, Lee Deal and Brandon and Jessica Zeller also lived. While backstage at “Lion in Winter,” “Brando” discussed seeing Robbie outside…she was trudging about in a housecoat, smoking via her omnipresent cigarette holder. Said Brando, “I thought it was The Penguin.” Inexplicably, he is still with us.
“Robbie was over one Halloween. She plopped down in a beanbag…whereupon she was engulfed and found she couldn’t get OUT. Picture a big, black Pac-Man vomiting a pair of screaming, cursing high heels and you will understand why we couldn’t stop laughing long enough to unearth her. Matt Growden had tears in his eyes. Another time, I drove Robbie to a party. While there, Enzie Willet announced that she and Russ had quit smoking, and deduced they’d thus save enough money to ‘buy a major appliance every month.’ As we headed home, Robbie yelled aloud, ‘Who the HELL wants to buy a major APPLIANCE every month?!’ We had great times, and we had times when we fought. It was par. But she praised my acting and directing, laughed at my jokes, and told me I had a New York sense of humor and she thought I belonged there. That’s the greatest compliment she could give. As a Huntsville community actress, her apogee was undoubtedly ‘Eleanor of Aquitaine’ in ‘The Lion in Winter.’ You either knew she was a queen, or you were blind.” – JIM ZIELIŃSKI
If ever there were an “amasser” of vintage collectibles, antiques, and tchotchkes, it was Roberta Flack. Her house or apartments teemed with the knickknacks to which she was gleefully addicted…hubby once collected fine watches, while Robbie collected everything else, with a particular eye towards crystalware and jewelry. She was just as happy scouring Fayetteville’s Host of Christmas Past as she was Sak’s or Bloomie’s, and would forgo food before she’d miss out on a bracelet. Donny Becht, who could barely navigate her rooms, described one visit as touring “a frightening museum.” One might find objets d’art, soapstone sculptures, and even evidence of Dalí and Picasso…and of course, theater memorabilia. And lipsticks. And shoes.
“Yank me!” – ROBBIE SHAFER
She was involved with the Episcopal Church of the Nativity for years, whether in the choir, performing readings, or singing solos, and lightning never once struck. Robbie even saw to it that a portion of Gary’s ashes were scattered in the Memorial Garden there. It is somehow meet that church was occasionally followed by “Beer Ministry” at Judge Crater’s.
“My precious friend, back porch visits, long dinners, silly late-night dancing (when we were younger), and brilliant actress. How I LOVED sharing the stage with you, being directed by you, and having you in my life. Flights of angels…you know the rest (as she would say!) I love you.” – SHERRI RYAN
Robbie was proud of her Lebanese heritage; she painstakingly made a mean kibbee—cooked or raw—and relished attending Birmingham’s Maronite Festival, allowing her to meet Natas, the Five Points South Fountain Storyteller Goat=Man, after satiating her need for fatayer and baklawa. Her ancestry was important to her, as were her friends and family.
Robbie was predeceased by her parents, her husband, her aunts and uncles, and Ginger and Trevor. She is survived by her sister, Priscilla Kay Crow; nephew, Hunter Mitchell Cowing (Samantha); niece, Taylor “Tay” Kristin Cowing; and extended family.
“One of the best. The perfect combination of beauty and strength. She was both intimidating and enticing at the same time. There was nothing that she couldn’t do. And she empowered those around her to feel the same way.” – JEFF WHITE
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.ml on Monday, February 20 at the Church of the Nativity Episcopal.
