I was watching a “CBS Sunday Morning” profile of Noah Wyle, the star and executive producer of the Emmy winning “The Pitt,” when I realized I was becoming my parents.
Growing up, whenever our family would be watching television, my parents—usually my mother—would point out Jewish notables—actors, musicians, playwrights, authors, politicians and other public figures. It didn’t matter if they were observant or not, or offspring from a mixed marriage. Or married a gentile. Or had anglicized their name.
They were Jewish. The actors that played Ben and Little Joe Cartwright on Bonanza were Jewish. Jewish comedians and writers saturated 1950s TV—Milton Berle, Jack Benny, Gertrude Berg, Sid Caesar, Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, Phil Silvers. As we got older we became aware of more Jewish notables—Philip Roth, Woody Allen, Steven Allen, Alan Arkin, Peter Falk, Peter Yarrow, Lauren Bacall, Sandy Koufax …
Now, when I’m watching TV, even if they know it, I find myself pointing out to Gilda, our kids and grandkids the Jewish roots of entertainers and athletes. Noah Wyle, I told Gilda, was born to a Jewish father.
Of course, not every Jewish public figure deserves recognition and respect. Stephen Miller does not.
What’s in a Name?: It was recently reported that British author Joanna Trollope died. Her novels “grappled with adultery and the complexities of family life,” according to her obituary in The New York Times.
Was anyone else darkly amused that her name was an “e” longer than “trollop,” defined as “an immoral or sexually promiscuous woman”?
Was She, He or It Beloved?: Probably the most overused word used to describe public figures who have passed on, or retail stores and restaurants that have outlived their reason to exist, or a product that no longer commands patronage, is “beloved.”
No disrespect, but can’t writers and their editors think of different descriptors, such as “venerable,” “respected,” “esteemed,” “revered,” “venerated,” or “admired”?
Something Worthy of Being “Beloved”: Because Donald Trump stripped $500 million from the budget of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, it officially closed down last week. NPR and PBS will continue contributing to the nation’s intelligent media offerings, so don’t think that “Masterpiece Theater,” “Nova,” “The American Experience,” “Firing Line” et al have gone dark. Nor has NPR’s “All Things Considered” or “Morning Edition” been silenced.
But the ability of the CPB to support local, often rural, stations with programming has ended. Many of those stations will have to either shut down or dramatically cut back their offerings.
When I read about the hundreds of millions of dollars wealthy elite and business leaders and their companies have stuffed into Trump’s pet projects, I am left wondering, are there no billionaires and corporations with enough intelligence and heart willing to step up and donate sufficient funds to keep public broadcast lifelines alive? If not billionaires, how about millionaires, Hollywood moguls, actors, musicians and singers?
