The On The Bookshelf Podcast

Learn about an iconic Jewish-American Stage Star of the turn of the last century

“The Man Who Lit Lady Liberty: The Extraordinary Rise and Fall of Actor M.B. Curtis” by Richard Schwartz (RSB Books)

This is the incredible true story of a Hungarian Jewish immigrant actor. MB Curtis was the first actor to create and perform a Jewish character on stage that was not a caricature but a positive example. His seminal role, “Sam’l of Posen”, was acclaimed and applauded for twenty years, and then put on film in 1910. During his years as a professional touring actor, with his wife Marie, Maurice Bertrand Curtis was one of America’s most popular performers. He ran his own theatrical company, tried his hand at real estate development, managed one of the greatest black singers of his day on a tour to Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii, and showed the world that young industrious immigrants Jews could be genuine heroes. Curtis popularized the humble “drummer”, traveling salesmen.

When France gave the USA the Statue of Liberty and Congress refused to fund its necessary pedestal, Jewish Hungarian immigrant and newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer initiated a fundraising campaign that paid for it. When opening day arrived for the Statue, the US government again failed to fund the lighting of the torch. Three days after the dedication, another Hungarian Jewish immigrant, actor M.B. Curtis offered the pay to light the Statue’s torch while he was performing in New York. He gave $800 directly to the electro-dynamo workers to light the Lady.

Sadly, Curtis contended with actors in his troupes, and spent money  he didn’t have. His worst misadventure was being charged with murdering a California policeman while inebriated late one night. After two mistrials, Curtis was exonerated, but the stress was devastating, and the legal bills were about $50,000. His later years were difficult. New plays were not successful, his real estate ventures were disasters, he and his wife filed separately for  bankruptcy, and he struggled with alcoholism. Attempts to manage other acts met with mixed success. He never lost his optimism, but toward the end of his life Curtis seemed to be snake-bitten. After his film career began with a recorded version of his iconic play, the producer was murdered by a schizophrenic Japanese janitor at the movie studio. That ended Curtis’ hope for a great movie career.

He is largely forgotten now, but MB Curtis was a pioneer of the American stage. His creation of an ethnic character that was beloved by all audiences had a positive affect on relations between Jews and Christians in the USA.

 

Paul Carter on California's Native Son, Richard Nixon

“Richard Nixon: California’s Native Son” by Paul Carter, foreword by Tricia Nixon Cox (Potomac Books)

For President’s Day, it’s time to change your attitude about the 37^th President of the USA, whose image has been mostly shaped by journalists who took a dislike to Nixon in the early 1950s and carried that acrimony to the Watergate debacle. This book will introduce you to a decent, Christian family man, who came from a poor working family in the sticks of southern California, played the piano at his Quaker church, was in theater and debate and chorus at Whittier College, fought in combat zones in the South Pacific during WWII in the US Navy, and was beloved of every person who actually met him. That included civil rights icon Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Nixon’s Quaker faith looked at civil rights for all people as simple justice, and he counted many African-Americans as friends since his youth. Furthermore, he worked alongside Hispanics from childhood, and when he became President insisted that they needed a separate category on the Census.

 Richard Nixon was respected and beloved across his small town and later into the larger world of California. He was elected to three major national positions in six years: the House of Representatives, the Senate and the Vice-Presidency, and was the only person elected twice as Vice-President and as President. Only he and FDR appeared on 5 national ballots! Yet his motivation for public office was the natural outgrowth of his determination to humble serve his nation. He continued to be a devoted family man: father to two daughters and grandfather to their children, all while happily and faithfully married to Pat Nixon for 53 and a half years. (After her death, he was terribly lonely and lived only a few months more.)

While VP he was invaluable to President Eisenhower, traveling internationally more miles than any previous vice-president and meeting with rulers of foreign nations, including our arch-rival the USSR (The Kitchen debates with Khrushchev.) He lost his bid for presidency by the smallest margin in American history (still) and yet refused to contest the election or demand a recount, out of respect for the office and the voters. He lost a close race for Governor of California two years later, but was determined to rebuild his voter base and was elected President in 1968.

In his first term, Nixon ended the draft, ended our involvement in the Vietnam War, established the Environmental Protection Agency, opened trade with Red China, and his proposals became the National Environmental Policy Act; Clean Air Act; Oil Pollution Act, Noise Control Act; Clean Water Act; Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act (also known as the Ocean Dumping Act); and Coastal Zone Management Act (he was a great lover of the beach his entire life). Nixon also created 642 new parks with excess federal lands to make national parks more accessible to all the American people. He hosted Soviet Premier Brezhnev at his California home as they continued a summit meeting far from DC, which was received with great affection by the premier. During the OPEC embargo, Nixon took a flight on a commercial airplane to save the expense of Air Force One!

After winning re-election by the largest margin (still) in US history in 1972, Nixon learned of the Watergate operation. He was horrified but was loyal to people who didn’t deserve it. When he realized the situation was destroying the reputation of the Presidency, he resigned. It was his greatest heart-break, and he suffered physically for months. Eventually Nixon recovered and became a prolific author and a senior statesman before his death.

He remains the first and only US President born and raised in California!

Jack D. Warren Jr on "Freedom: The Enduring Importance of the American Revolution"

“Freedom: The Enduring Importance of the American Revolution” by Jack D. Warren, Jr. (Lyons Press)

This beautiful coffee-table sized book is loaded with full-color illustrations of the most important participants in our War for Independence (American, French and British) and wonderful maps. But the most important part of this new history is that it explores the significance of the War, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution.

For the first time in the history of the world, a group of people decided that they no longer wanted to be subjects but citizens. They envisioned a world where every man was equal under the law, and that this worthiness came not from the whims of kings or Parliaments but from the Creator. This new land would allow the citizens thereof to worship in way manner they wished, gather openly to protest without fear of severe reprisal, read a press unencumbered by a government agency, to protect themselves from invasion or attack, and to be safe in their own homes.

We take these things for granted in a modern world that sees these as normative, but 250 years they were radical thoughts embraced by colonies that revolted against the tyranny of their remote empirical government. That same empire treated them with benign neglect for more than a century until they had to actually spend money and military might to defend these American colonies. Their high-handed manner of dealing with people who considered themselves loyal and equal British subjects, turned the attitudes and allegiance of those subjects into open rebellion.

JennyBoyd with "Icons of Rock" talking about being creative

Jenny Boyd, 1960's fashion model, ex-wife of Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood and popular session drummer Ian Wallace, and former sister-in-law of George Harrison and Eric Clapton, spent much of her life in the proximity of musical and cultural influencers. Her access allowed her to interview some of the world's most recognizable musicians regarding their thoughts about the creative process. Her new book Icons of Rock-In Their Own Words from Mango Publishing  is a compendium that provides an intimate insight into how some the world's greatest musicians and producers created some of their greatest work.  

Boyd originally conducted and compiled most of these revealing interviews as part of her Ph.D dissertation some 30 years ago. She talked with dozens of artists about how they made music and whether natural talent or external influences were the key factors in their work.

She carefully guarded 75 cassettes of interviews with these unique talented people for years. Some particular phrases that icons shared:

Don Henley of the Eagles “Songs just keep us company, that’s all”

Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac-”There is some tie between religion and art”

Peter Gabriel of Genesis-”Everyone has the potential to be creative”

Eric Clapton—”Music is transcendent”

Huey Lewis of The New--”Songwriters have to get away from society so they can reflect on society”

Many of the great musicians mentioned family members who were musicians, like Stevie Nicks’ grandfather who sang country & western, Michael McDonald’s dad was an Irish tenor, and Randy Newman the great film composer had two uncles who wrote music for movies.

In the interviews with Ringo Starr, Graham Nash, and David Crosby, they were a lot more introspective and deep than their cheery public persona.

And Jenny includes some new faces in music plus legendary Blues musicians.

 

Three guests-Jenny Boyd, Mark Bego, and Jock Grantley!

I combined these three recent interviews courtesy of Premiere Networks:

Jenny Boyd and her new book "Icons of Rock: In Their Own Words" from Mango Publishing (in the USA)

Mark Bego on his recent biography of the legendary Blues singer Joe Cocker "I get by with a Lot of Help from My Friends", and

Jock Grantley of the iconic 1970s vocal band Firefall on their new LP!