Articles written by Curt Schleier

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The formerly Orthodox character on 'The Good Doctor' is inspired by the creator's family

(JTA) - Writer and producer David Shore didn't have to look far when developing a key new character for his hit ABC-TV series "The Good Doctor." He went straight to his nieces and nephews, the...

 
 By Curt Schleier    News    December 4, 2020

Chanukah photography exhibit offers a window into Hasidic Jewish life

When the Yiddish New York Festival kicks off on the first night of Chanukah, the coincidence of the weeklong celebration of Yiddish culture, food, music and dance with the Festival of Lights will be...

 

6 Jewish-themed films to watch through this year's online DOC NYC festival

(JTA) - DOC NYC is one of the world's foremost documentary film festivals, and this year it's all online, just like most other arts festivals in this pandemic moment. Among its 200-plus films are six...

 
 By Curt Schleier    Features    June 5, 2020

The coronavirus didn't just upend Broadway - it put indie projects in limbo

(JTA) - Emma Seligman is trying to stay optimistic. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the 25-year-old came extremely close to fulfilling every film student's fantasy: having her debut indie film played...

 
 By Curt Schleier    Features    May 22, 2020

Jerry Stiller was a mensch, he could act with the best of them, too

(JTA)-The first thing Jerry Stiller said to me when we met was a compliment. Several weeks earlier, I had interviewed him over the phone for an article tied to an appearance in an HBO miniseries. But...

 

Mel Brooks gets serious in HBO special-but there's plenty of shtick, too

(JTA)-Mel Brooks' new HBO special is a departure from the comedian's typical belly-laugh fare. In place of the slapstick gallows humor-though there's plenty of that, too, in "Mel Brooks Unwrapped"-is... Full story

 

The king of farce's new play is inspired by his parents' love letters

(JTA)—You may not know who Ken Ludwig is, but you almost certainly know his work. Ludwig is the reigning king of theatrical farce. Among his 28 plays are six that made it to Broadway and seven to London’s West End, including “Lend Me a... Full story

 
 By Curt Schleier    News    November 1, 2019

Netflix to air miniseries on trial of Nazi guard 'Ivan the Terrible'

(JTA)-John Demjanjuk was a retired Ukrainian-American autoworker living a comfortable life in the suburbs of Cleveland-until his past caught up with him. A group of Holocaust survivors identified him... Full story

 

'Adolf Island,' a British isle that housed concentration camps

(JTA)-Many are familiar with the names of the larger Nazi concentration camps like Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen. But some estimate the Nazis had as many as 40,000 satellite camps around Europe.... Full story

 

In 'To Dust,' a Hasidic cantor and a biology teacher played by Matthew Broderick are quite the odd couple

(JTA)-A Hasidic cantor and a jaded community college biology teacher don't seem like two individuals who would be fast friends. In "To Dust," the debut film from director Shawn Snyder, they make a... Full story

 

Sarah Silverman opens up on 'Finding Your Roots'

(JTA)—“I was the hairy Jewish monkey in a sea of blond kids.” That’s not Seth Rogen or Jonah Hill—it’s Sarah Silverman talking about her upbringing in Bedford, New Hampshire, on an upcoming episode of  “Finding Your Roots,” the... Full story

 

George R.R. Martin discovers he's nearly a quarter Jewish

(JTA)—PBS’ celebrity genealogy show “Finding Your Roots” has had plenty of Jewish guests—Bernie Sanders, Larry David, Paul Rudd and Scarlett Johansson—and the occasional guest, like Paul Ryan, who learn they have a Jewish ancestor on... Full story

 

'Clueless' creator Amy Heckerling on her Jewish roots and how men have it much easier in the film industry

(JTA)-Officially and for the record, despite her Jewish-sounding name, Cher Horowitz is not a member of the tribe. In fact, the Valley Girl heroine of the iconic 1995 film "Clueless" was never... Full story

 

Felicity Jones on playing Ruth Bader Ginsburg before she was the 'Notorious RBG'

(JTA)-The young attorney seems unsure of herself. As a law professor, she is unaccustomed to appearing in court, so she hesitates at first, unable to begin her summation. But once she gets going,... Full story

 

Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin mine aging for laughs in Chuck Lorre's latest, 'The Kominsky Method'

(JTA)-"The Kominsky Method" is the wisest and saddest new comedy on television. That might be its biggest problem. The protagonist of the eight-episode Netflix series that debuts Friday is Sandy Komin... Full story

 

'Manchester by the Sea' director's latest Broadway play follows a Jewish family dealing with tragedy

(JTA)—On the phone last week, just before the revival of his play “The Waverly Gallery” opened on Broadway, Kenneth Lonergan sounded harried. There had been some set malfunctions earlier in the week, just as critics were getting ready to start... Full story

 

Argentine film about a Holocaust survivor

(JTA)-When the Argentine-Jewish filmmaker Pablo Solarz was 5 or 6 years old, he asked his grandfather if he was Polish. On the phone recently, in heavily accented English, he described his... Full story

 
 By Curt Schleier    News    August 3, 2018

An all-female Orthodox ambulance corps gets a film of their own

(JTA)-Like many heavily Orthodox sections of Brooklyn, Borough Park has been served for decades by an all-male volunteer ambulance corps called Hatzalah. The corps caters to a religious Jewish... Full story

 
 By Curt Schleier    Features    May 11, 2018

Rachel Bloom on Michelle Wolf, her first movie and post-'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' plans

(JTA)-It should not be surprising that Rachel Bloom is on Team Michelle Wolf-supporting the comedian who may have singlehandedly killed the White House Correspondents' Dinner with her scathing public... Full story

 

Jewish-American soldiers didn't just fight Nazis-they endured anti-Semitism

(JTA)-"GI Jews: Jewish Americans in World War II" begins as many Holocaust documentaries do, with a history of the rise of Hitler and Nazism in Germany mixed with what is now standard archival footage... Full story

 

Zach Braff is happy to be back on TV

(JTA)-Lightning struck Zach Braff in 2001. The up-and-coming Jewish actor, who had appeared in a few films-perhaps most notably a small role in Woody Allen's "Manhattan Murder Mystery"-landed the... Full story

 

Arthur Miller's daughter made an intimate HBO documentary about her father

(JTA)-"Arthur Miller: Writer," a lovingly crafted documentary about the award-winning playwright set to air on HBO, doesn't reveal a lot of new information. A good portion of the film involves Miller... Full story

 

Comedian Gilbert Gottfried isn't a cranky loudmouth, as documentary about him shows

(JTA)-"It was very peculiar," said Gilbert Gottfried, 62, about becoming the subject of the aptly named bio-documentary, "Gilbert." "The filmmaker, Neil Berkeley, came to me and said he'd always... Full story

 

Rob Reiner on Judaism, movies and his experience 'home shuling'

(JTA)-By his own admission, Rob Reiner was not the right person to direct "LBJ," a film biography of Lyndon Baines Johnson, the 36th president of the United States. "I had a lot of trepidation," he... Full story

 

Once New York's toughest cop, now a TV star

(JTA)-There are almost as many reality cop shows on television as there are Real Housewives. "Cops" is the granddaddy of them all, in its 30th season, plus there's "Night Watch" and "Live PD," to... Full story

 

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