| Invitation to Art “A Conversation with Ben Shahn” United States, video NET, 1964 Courtesy of Educational Broadcasting Corporation and WGBH, NJAB T1793 [duplicate from Online CORE] BShahnweb.mov |
Shot on location in Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, Invitation to
Art was a public television series of conversations with contemporary American
artists. Host Brian O’Doherty conducted interviews with notable painters
including Marc Chagall, Edward Hopper, and Jack Levine. In this excerpt,
Ben Shahn recalls a Talmudic parable that may have inspired him to create
art expressing social injustice. |
| A Time for Valor United States, 16mm film WRCA-TV, 1956 Courtesy of Jewish Chatauqua Society, NJAB T1369 [duplicate from Online CORE] Valorweb.mov |
In the 1950s, the Jewish Chatauqua Society (affiliated with the Reform
Movement’s National Federation of Temple Brotherhoods) produced a
series of films to promote interfaith education. Like many mid-20th
century Jewish organizations, JCS emphasized similarities between Christians
and Jews rather than differences. In this excerpt, a Jewish family welcomes
their Christian neighbors to celebrate the December holidays. |
| Genesis: A Living Conversation with Bill Moyers “The Test” United States, video PBS, 1996 Courtesy of Public Affairs Television, NJAB T1847 [duplicate from Online CORE] Genesisweb.mov |
Bill Moyers gathers thoughtful and engaging individuals – Biblical
scholars, writers, artists, psychotherapists, teachers, scientists, composers,
lawyers, college presidents, journalists, members of the clergy, and translators
– to discuss relevance of Genesis today. The series sparked the formation
of discussion groups nationwide. Writer P.K. McCary and Jewish Theological
Seminary Professor of Midrash Burton L. Visotzky personalize the story
of Isaac’s sacrifice using their own family experiences. |
| Directions “A Conversation with Abraham J. Heschel” United States, 16mm film ABC, 1971 Courtesy of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, NJAB T1000 [duplicate from Online CORE] Heschelweb.mov |
Directions (1960-1984), co-produced by ABC and the Conservative Movement’s
Jewish Theological Seminary, was one of several ecumenical broadcasts that
aired in the “Sunday Ghetto” time slots offered by networks.
Programs included original dramas, musical performances, interviews, and
panel discussions on ethics and politics.
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, Professor of Jewish Ethics and Mysticism
at the Jewish Theological Seminary, discusses his reasons for opposing
the war in Vietnam. |
GMeirweb.mov |
The Eternal Light (1958-1985), co-produced by NBC and the Conservative Movement’s Jewish Theological Seminary, originated as a radio program in 1944 and became the Jewish mainstay of ecumenical broadcasting. During the “Sunday Ghetto” time slots offered by NBC, The Eternal Light presented original dramas, musical performances, interviews, and panel discussions on ethics and politics. In an interview conducted by author Elie Wiesel, former Israeli prime minister Golda Meir describes her first encounter with Jerusalem’s Western Wall. |
The Dick Cavett Show DCavetweb.mov |
This was the fifth of several talk and variety shows hosted by the genial
comedy writer from Nebraska. Dick Cavett won critical praise for his intelligent
and intimate interviews. In his appropriation of Rembrandt’s Polish
Rider, artist Larry Rivers envisions the horseman as a 17th century Hasid. |
| The Goldbergs United States, video CBS, 1949 Courtesy of the Estate of Gertrude Berg, NJAB T2089 [duplicate from EA] goldbers.swf or |
Gertrude Berg was the producer, writer, and star of The Goldbergs from
1949 to 1956. After twenty years as a popular radio drama, The Goldbergs
became one of the first family sitcoms on TV. After The Goldbergs went off
the air, Gertrude Berg continued to portray Jewish matriarchs to great success
on television, recordings, and Broadway until her death in 1966. Every
week, The Goldbergs opened with Molly leaning out the window for a neighborly
chat that served to establish the plot and to plug the show’s sponsor.
She invokes World War II and her immigrant father to introduce Sanka Coffee. |
| Head of the Family United States, video CBS, 1960 Courtesy of Paul Brownstein Productions, NJAB T???? [duplicate from EA] dick_van.swf or |
The Dick Van Dyke Show, considered one of television’s classic comedies, was essentially an autobiographical treatment of Carl Reiner’s experience on Your Show of Shows and Caesar’s Hour (1954-1957). In the pilot version (entitled Head of the Family), producer Sheldon Leonard concluded that CBS would perceive Carl Reiner’s portrayal of Rob Petrie and the supporting character of Buddy Sorrell as too Jewish. Reiner was the only member of the original players who retained a role in the hit series that followed, but was re-cast as Alan Brady. The part of Rob Petrie went to a then unknown Midwesterner named Dick Van Dyke who, along with co-star Mary Tyler Moore, became entertainment icons. |
Ten from Your Show of Shows Yourshowweb.mov |
Your Show of Shows, conceived by impresario Max Liebman, was a 90-minute
extravaganza consisting of vaudeville, sketch comedy, song, dance, and rotating
guest stars. YSS was an important breeding ground for the writing talents
of Mel Brooks, Selma Diamond, Larry Gelbart, Lucille Kallen, Neil Simon,
and Mel Tolkin. While YSS sketches contained occasional Yiddish references,
its creators only acknowledged the show’s Jewishness a generation
after its original airing. In the following excerpt, a Teutonic officer
(Sid Caesar) dresses himself with the assistance of a valet (Howard Morris).
The punch line of this sketch is that the general is, in fact, a building
doorman. |
| This is Your Life United States, video NBC, 1953 Courtesy of Ralph Edwards Productions, NJAB T965 [duplicate from EA] this_is_your.swf or |
Hosted and produced by Ralph Edwards from 1952 to 1961, This is Your Life
was an emotional testimonial to unique individuals without their prior consent
or cooperation. Productions included extensive biographical research, photographs,
documentary images, and interviews.
This is the first known telecast of a Holocaust survivor\'s life story.
This episode celebrates the life of Hanna Bloch Kohner and stages tearful
reunions with family and friends. |
Manischewitz Wine Commercials Maniweb.mov
|
From 1963 to 1981, Manischewitz produced commercials that offer a glimpse
of changing attitudes towards alcohol, Jewishness, leisure, and lifestyles
in the late 20th century. Celebrity spokespersons included Sam Levene, Peter
Lawford, and Sammy Davis, Jr. “Man-o-Manischewitz!” In one
of the earliest commercials, two travelers on a commuter train discuss
the finer points of Medium Dry Concord. |
United Jewish Appeal Telethon “Call for Survival” Mostelweb.mov |
To support the philanthropic efforts of the United Jewish Appeal, Broadway and film star Zero Mostel sings a Yiddish folk song about a poor and pious tailor. |
Pressure Cooker Geulaweb.mov |
Sholom Rubinstein was a pioneer of independent Jewish radio and |
Execution of the Rosenbergs rosenbergs.jpg Rosenbergsweb.mov |
Ed Penet reports from Sing-Sing prison, where Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed on June 19, 1953. During the height of the Cold War, the Rosenbergs were convicted of conspiring to commit wartime espionage for the Soviet Union. Penet describes the detailed accounts of the executions provided by three eyewitnesses from the death chamber. |
The Jewish Bob Dylan dylan.jpg BDylanweb.mov |
Documentarian Bernard Timberg discovers historical and Biblical references in Dylan\'s lyrics that arguably root the musician (born Robert Zimmerman) within a Jewish tradition. This excerpt includes an interview with a family friend who attended Dylan\'s Bar Mitzvah in Hibbing, Minnesota. |