Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 24 August 1945 — Page 8

THE JEWISH POTT

Friday, August 24, 1946

Our Film Folks of HOLLYWOOD Copyrlffht, Jewtck Tel«grapblc Affix'7 By LEON GUTTERMAN HOLLYWOOD—For patriotic fervor, for good old fashioned allwool andayard-wide boosting of America and its opportunities, John Garfield is a Hollywood standout. And he has been more vociferous than ever since his latest Warner Bros, hit, ‘‘Pride of the Marines,” in which he stars as Sgt. A1 Schmid, blinded marine hero of Guadalcanal. John tells me: “At 14 years of age I was hitting the alleys of Gotham, talking out of the side of my mouth, shooting snipes (cigarette butts) with professional skill, fighting anybody for the brag of it and so tough that I was regarded, quite correctly, as an ‘incorrigible youngster.’ ” John (his real name is Julius Garfinkle) asserts that at this particular point in his career the future was dim indeed. In fact, he lived on six dollars a week which he earned by peddling the Bronx Home News on New York’s East Side. “I might possibly have missed the shady side of legality,” he declares, "but that would have been accidental. I might have become an honest truck driver, but that would have been a miracle. Then I met Angelo Patri; attended his school. (The Patri School, New Y'ork, is a famous institution for underprivileged children). He discovered that I was a natural ‘showoff’ and generously dubbed the fault a talent for dramatics. Through his encouragement I became an actor. My fault became profitable virtue and X became a motion picture star. Where else, but in this, our great America, can such things happen?” ♦ * * Which brings to mind the interesting fact that the late George Gershwin, whose life, loves and triumphs are told in Warner’s musical biography. “Rhapsody in Blue,” was known to friends as “a confident individual who knew he was good and going to get better.” He w'as not at all conceited according to those who knew him well. He was just pleasingly naive about his actomplishmelits. An anecdote quoted to illustrate the great composer’s naivete tells of an admirer who enthused to Gershwin about one of his concerts. “It was wonderful!” sighed the admirer . . . “Just wonderful?” asked George. “Is that all?”

Writer-producer Mark Hellinger who just concluded an eightyear association with Warner Bros, which was interrupted by a two-picture tour at 20th Century-Fox and five months overseas as a war correspondent will move into Universal this week under a term contract under which the studio will release his pictures. Mark made a dozen pictures for Warners his latest being the BogartBarbara Stanwyck starrer soon to be released, “The Two Mrs. Carrolls.” He expects to get his first production at Universal under way around the first of the year. Mark tells me that he also intends to continue his newspaper articles and radio work. * * * Latest quip regarding the new P-80 jet-propelled Army plane comes from Faryakarkus (Harry Einstein) who tells of the Army pilot flying over Texas. Pilot talking to a control tower there said: “This sure is a nice state—wasn't it?”

WHY DO WE COUNT I, 2, 3, 4 JEWS? BECAUSE WE FEEL INSECURE By BERT ROSENBERG ^VNE, two, three or four Jews were concerned with the adaptation V-/ of Atom energy for destructive purposes. Let us count them again, one-two-three-four Jews. (As Hitlerian classification has it). There is Dr. Robert K. Oppenheimer a full Jew by birth, Dr. Lise Meitner a full Jewess by birth, Dr. Niels H. David Bohr, one-half a Jew by birth, and Dr. Fermi a claimant by marriage. Jewish* families throughout the nation are beating upon their collective breasts for this Victory of “Jewish” intelligence. The neon lights of “Jewish” accomplishment burn dazzling in the hearts of us all. * * * AFTER ALL, this Atomic justice so reminiscent of the obliterative force heaped upon Sodom stems largely from the efforts of the descendants of that One God, Jehova. But why is it that we so eagerly fly the kite of our increased esteem? Why do we attach ourselves as a people to the solar achievements of a few? The answer is the answer to another, different set of question^. Why do we so fearfully turn our heads from the evildoings of the few evildoers in our assembly? Why do we build mountains of innocent protestations over the Buggsy Goldsteins, the shyster lawyers, and all the other filth? We do all of these things because we feel insecure. We are still trodding the decks of the second class passageways aboard the mighty ship "America.” Sailing in waters that are calm and clear, we find pleasant communication with those above us, but once the bag of winds and rain explode to shake the vessel, we fear lest there may be a movement to throw us overboard. * * * SOME OF' US ascend the ladder to escape, others conceal themselves, while the rest seem to watch in helplessness. But all combine in an attempt to prove to the first-class passengers as well as the captain and the crew of the ship, that we are constructive and necessary members. To do this there can be no better prime example than the exploits of men who are contributory to the ship’s welfare in an emergency. v Thus we count, one-two-three or four Jews. (Jewish Past Syndicate)

dot’s lino By DOT MEYRERG

T TOWDY FOLKS—Just had a JTX letter from Eddie Cantor urging further assistance to the United Jewish Welfare Fund. . . . Eddie’s sincere in: “let’s not say ‘kaddish’ for Jews who are still living ... it will be necessary if we don’t help now.” ... As a smashing follow up to the rousing “American City in action” mass rally several weeks back in direct opposition to Gerald L. K. Smith, a community wide conference of civic, labor, religious DOT and business groups will be held Sunday to ‘mobilize for democracy’ aimed at sweeping this locale clean of propaganda, anti-Semitism, etc. . . . You have to hand it to Frank Sinatra for he is urging many of our bigger stars to take part (for nothing) in a series of short subjects to promulgate better understanding and justice. The picture he made, which Mervyn LeRoy directed, is in demand and making money, which is being turned over to charity. • • • CHATTER—Guess there will be the same preparation for the holy days as happens every year. . . . Norma Shearer, who was converted when she married the late Irving Thalberg, attends services and generally sits with her former in-laws. ... In front of. me for many years, are the Archie Mayo seats. Lucile Mayo passed away about six months ago, and the new Mrs. Mayo will no doubt be on hand. . . . Next to me is Eddie Small, one of the United Artist

Attends Holiday Services

producers who just completed arrangements for a set budget of six million dollars to be put into five major pictures. In launching the elaborate production schedule, Small hailed “the era of the independent producers” which he believes is here now. . . . Then Rufus LeMaire, 20th Century-Fox casting production head, generally divides one of his seats with Sophie Tucker who never bats an eye once she sits down. Sophie carries an old prayer book that is brown with age. It is entirely in Hebrew and she follows the services so earnestly, keeping her finger gliding across the pages. . . . Although the David Selznick* have many seats, I wonder will he be present, for when his brother Myron passed away, I recall, another Rabbi held the services. . . . Yes, the Jack Warners, Harry Warners and others of the picture world will congregate to humbly observe the high holy days. • • • DOT’S DIARY. Hope Warners will not get stung like Goldwyn

seems to have been in buying the biographies of great personages. Warners hope to make the story of Churchill’s life, which negotiations I’m told, were started when Jack went to Europe with the movie moguls to view’ the German atrocities and attempt to find a solution to educating the people to a new way of life. . . . Understand the only hitch is that Churchill is interested in the picture being made in English; but I recall that the Warner studio outside of London was blitzed early in the war, and never rebuilt. . . . Irving Berlin evidently was just showing his two daughters how the movies are made; but, the look on his face when he visited Cary Grant on the 'Night and Day’ set proved that Mary Ellen and Linda Berlin were being shown to the studio moguls, I’m thinking. * * • MAIL DEPT. Thanks to E.M.R. for your remarks relative to this column and your criticism and quote “too much about Los Angeles doing and too local . . . we people prefer hearing more about movie stars in articles”. ... 1% answer, I hasten to point out that a national publication gives news of everywhere. The movie stars definitely are of interest to the greatest amount of people; but don’t you feel you should read of local doings in which the stars are interested? Albert Dekker who is a state congressman, is turning every effort toward the fight against racial prejudice, even though he just signed a movie contract with the famous King Brothers who made Dilhnger famous.

Between You and Me By BORIS SMOLAR

TG TOW that the war is over and J. N demobilization of the Armed Forces is in process, various phoney, crackpot and anti-Semitic organizations are resorting to exercise influence on veteran groups, springing POST-WAR up all over the ACTIVITIFIS country. . . . AntiJewish propaganda and fear of unemployment are among the baits used by the proFascists for returning soldiers. The Ku Klux Klan is contacting ex-servicemen.. . . The Protestant War Veterans, a creation of antiSemitic Edward James Smythe, is being revived. . . . The American Order of Patriots with its slogan “Gentiles Only” is becoming active. . . . Other anti-Semitic groups which were dormant during the war because of their proFascist records, are also beginning to come into the open. . . . The “Gentile News” is reprinting the notorious “Protocols of the Elders of Zion”. . . . The same publication lauds the efforts of “over 3000 nationalist groups”. . . . One of the tricks now used by anti-Semites is the dissemination of a letter allegedly sent out by the Synagogue Council of America asking Jews to sign a pledge that they “will be honest in all business and private transactions”. . . . The letter pretends to be written in the interest of Jewish welfare, but at the same time it promotes the idea that all Jews should leave the United States and go to Palestine within three years. ... It slyly suggests that Jews themselves admit that their co-religionists are crooked

and intolerant of their non-Jew-ish fellow citizens. . . . Needless to say, the Synagogue Council of America, whose correct address is given in the letter, has nothing to do with it. . . . And—believe it or not—there are anti-Semites in the United States who are now spreading the theory that Hitler was nothing but a secret Jewish agent. . . . One of them is Carl Mote who makes this assertion in a booklet just published, which also asserts that Roosevelt was part Jewish and that Churchill is part Jewish. * • • When the American delegation to the World Zionist Conference returns to the United States, there will be important ZIONIST changes in the Zionist TRENDS political activities in Washington. . . . The U. S. Department of Commerce believes that “the stage is set for continued economic progress in Palestine.” . . . The Department is also of the opinion that there exist possibilties which “may make Palestine a modern community with a diversified agricultural, industrial and commercial life.” . . . British propagandists in the United States are disseminating information stating that Moscow is now displaying “a persistent tendency” to show sympathy towards the Arabs. . . . And a British “memorandum of information” which was cabled from London this week for private circulation says that the “flirtation between the Soviets and some prominent Zionists” turned out to be “not a very suc-

cessful experiment”. . . . The memorandum devotes quite a lot of space to the argument that in Britain there is suspicion that Moscow, after flirting with Zionists for a few months, “is now moving toward an anti-Zionist policy” and is at present “experimenting” in flirtation with the Arabs. . . . Speaking of Russia’s attitude toward Zionist claims on Palestine, it is worthwhile knowing that Zionist leadership was made aware of the fact that the reconstituted Greek- Orthodox Church in Russia will play an important role in Moscow’s decision with regard to the future of Palestine. ... In consequence of this reconstitution, the Church will now regain possession of vast properties in Palestine. . . . Many of the Palestine government institutions, including the courts in Jerusalem, are Iqcated in buildings which are the property of the Russian Church. • • • The decline of age-old Jewish traditions among Jews in the United States is graphically brought out in a AMFIRICAN study conducted of SCENE assimilation in America. . . . The findings are now published by the Yale University Press in a 300page volume “the Social Systems of American Ethnic Groups”. . . . Working with a comparatively large research staff, W. Lloyd Warner and Leo Srole, the authors of the volume, took a small industrial community in New England—naming it Yankee City —as basis for theic study. . . . This Yankee City, the authors claim, is representative of any average American town with a mixed population of Irish, Jews, Poles, Russians, Greeks, Italian, and other ethnic groups. . . . Studying each of these group% the authors contend that Jews js (Continued on Next Page)