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Friday, November 30, 1945
DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE and The Legal Chronicle
FROM 2nd AVENUE TO WORLD FAME - - -
ON PAUL MUM'S 50th BIRTHDAY
By ALFRED WERNER
c
Pegs Five
A photographic exhibit, "The
Jew in American Life," is no w
travelling from State to State.
Intended to show the Jews' in-
tegration into American life, it
demonstrates by means of en-
gravings, portraits and photo-
graphs, that American Jews are
farmers as well as scientists,
athletes as well as artists. Hol-
lywood's Jewish-born actors and
actresses are represented by
lovely Sylvia Sidney, flanked by
Edward G. Robinson and Paul
Muni. The latter's name recent-
ly loomed in papers, not in such
special columns as "The Screen,"
"Hollywood News" or "Speaking
of Movies," but on front pages,
in connection with the name of
Robert Elliott Burns.
Burns, as you will recall, was
convicted in 1922 for participa-
tion in the hold-up of an At-
lanta. grocer. A veteran of the
first World War, he had return-
ed to the States to find his old
job gone. Winding up in Atlan-
ta, Georgia, he became, against
his will, involved in the rob•
bery: two strangers, who had
bought him food, threatened to
shoot him if he refused to par-
ticipate in the hold-up. He did
not fully realize what was go-
ing to be done, yet he was found
by the police and sentenced to
a decade of hard labor. Three
months later he escaped from a
chain gang, fled to Chicago
married and started a business
magazine. After seven years of
liberty, in which he proved to
be a perfect citizen, he was di-
vorced and his former wife be-
trayed his whereabouts to the
Georgia authorities. Promised a
pardon if he would return, Mr.
Burns came back, but was dou-
ble-crossed and imprisoned once
again. After several months on
another chain gang, he escaped
anew. That time he went, to
New York where he wrote a
stirring hook, "I Am a Fugitive
from a Georgia Chain Gang."
In 1932 Warner Brothers de-
cided to make a movie from the
hook, with Mr. Burns as techni-
cal adviser, and a relatively
unknown Jewish actor starring
in the title role. It was a full
success! Paul Muni's honest,
straightforward characterization
was a terrible indictment of the
South's way with prisoners. For
many years nothing came from
Hollywood that was as exciting
and socially vital as "I Am a
Fugitive from a Chain Gang."
Some faint-hearted people ob-
jected to the horror of the mo-
vies realism — but should not
people b e aware of the cruelties
often practiced on mankind by
man?
Burns settled in New Jerse:i
where he prospered and married
again. Though he was a model
citizen and family man, the in-
famous Talmadge, Georgia's la-
bor — and Negro-baiting gov-
ernor — tried to catch him, but
the New Jersey authorities de-
flied Georgia's extradition ap- na, on their way to Palestine.1 to us in Yiddish, and we wet.•.!
peal. Last October, the strange At that time I was on the staff ; thrilled by his simple humanity,
case of Robert of the Juedisches Kultur-theater by the kindness emanating from
Elliott Burns which was part of the state- his dark, expressive eyes and by
came to a dram- approved Jewish Cultural Asso- the charm of his quick smile. He
elation of Vienna, and had on lacked completely the manner,
atic end when its repertoire German versions , isms so often marring the per-
t h e Georgia of plays by Sboic m Aleichem, sonality of a star, he was not
State prison and Hirschbein Peretz, Ossip Dymov "Louis Pasteur" or "Emile Zo-
parole board un- and other Yiddish dramatists. la," but just an actor amongst
der the govern- Muni attended one of our per- colleagues. Muni explained that
orship of Ellis formances, and after the show he and his wife were on their
Arnall commut- spent some time with the cast way to the Holy Land which
ed to time served and the literary staff. He spoke for many years they had desired
Burns' 28 - year
old sentence of -
six to ten years.
The happy news
Extend Chanukah Greetings and
reached Paul
Paul Muni
Muni about the time he was
Good Wishes to All
celebrating his fiftieth birthday,
May Victory and Peace Be Forever
and all those who know the ac-
tor as a staunch champion of
human rights, can imagine that
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no better birthday gift could
have been presented than these
good tidings. There is no doubt
REICHHOLD CHEMICALS
that Muni's superb acting, thir-
teen years ago, was highly in-
INCORPORATED
strumental in convincing millions
of Americans that the atrocious
chain gang system was a blot
on America's shield of honor
SYNTHETIC RESIN - INDUSTRIAL CHEMICALS
that must be erased!
I happened to meet Paul Mu-
•
ni five years after his first hit
DETROIT, MICHIGAN
as a movie star. The time was
December, 1937. Paul Muni and
his wife were stopping in Vier , -
•
n-erti-O-Ct
Chanukah Greetings
To All!
CHANUKAH GREETINGS
CHANUKAH
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GREETINGS
•
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