Put Grace into Film Jew

When the idea that Jews are human beings and require the complete intregration with dignity that other humans possess ceases to be a novelty, we might turn our attention to the movies and the manner in which they present Jewish characters.

Every time a man with a Jewish name is shown in one of these films, he is always presented with an accent and funny manners. Even when an attempt is made to dignify this the poor Jewish character remains a poor, lopsided ghetto creature who, withal, is still goodhearted.

THERE ARE GRACEFUL JEWS

Since in my daily rounds I have met a great many Jews, many of them handsome, and brilliant, graceful women, I am constrained to believe that there are other Jews in existence besides the gesticulating cartoons that the movies offer. There may be something quite horrible in the notion of presenting Jews as graceful, cultured people but it seems to me that there is nothing necessarily impossible about the idea.

It was suggested that perhaps the producers are modelling their Jewish characters after themselves and maybe this is the reason for it.

Perhaps some sympathy and understanding for their attitude can consequently be introduced.

THE ACTOR, GREEN

There is one fat fellow named Harry Green, fairly well known, whose clumsy antics personify the whole affair. Even when Joseph Schildkraut, who used to be on the Yiddish stage, was given the part of Herod in the recent picture “Cleopatra” the producers could not miss marring his self-apparent handsomeness with a tailor-made Jewish leer.

There is no reason to assume that a mere appeal to the producers themselves will have any effect, since they are hypnotized on the subject of presenting Jews as crafty-eyed but good-hearted herring-eaters.

I realize, of course, that my own attitude of direct action is heretical as the devil, but it occurs to me that when Catholics and others don’t like what the moving picture producers dish out they stop patronizing the theatres.

COULD USE BOYCOTT

Some people would call this a boycott. My own suggestion is that Jews who have the unfortunate habit of going to see this kind of drivel should adopt the same attitude. We cannot compel these producers to present intelligent, handsome Jewish characters who are fully aware of culture and the social amenities, but we can roast them in their own grease by carefully staying away from all plays and films which portray Harry Green and all the other “oi-oi” artists. At the same time one might mention to a theatre manager that while the idea of Jewish dignity might be heretical it exists just the same. One might even go so far as to bespeak a mild desire to stay away from all films put out by the offending companies.

MANY STARS JEWISH

The Jewish producers who are being quietly pin-pricked because they are Jews will find us incongruously joining in the attack because we consider them anything else but.

Many of our leading stars are Jewish and if the producers will take the trouble to call upon them sometime at their homes, maybe they can get an idea as to how Jews actually live and act.

Otherwise, perhaps, many of us will prefer to go to the roller-skating rinks.