Nathanson's 'The Dirty Dozen,' First Rate
Novel Emphasising Penology, Psychology
If "The Dirty Dozen", the novel
by E. M. Nathanson, is not utilized
for a movie, it will amaze us.
The novel, published by Random
House, is far superior to some of
the reviews it has received. It is
a dynamic work, filled with dramat-
ic episodes, and is the result of
studies by the novelist that earn
for him respect and acclaim.
It is an Army story, and the
author is qualified to write it,
having been in our country's serv-
ice at 18. But it is the research
he has done that has given him
material that makes his story a
noteworthy study in sociology,
penology, human relations and
military leadership.
Nathanson majored in anthro-
pology at New York University,
and that, too, 'has been helpful to
him.
"The Dirty Dozen" is unique
in many respects. The title refers
to 12 men who were sentenced
to hang as rapists, murderers,
thieves. They were offered to
escape the noose by volunteer-
ing for a dangerous mission be-
hind the German lines prior to
the D-Day invasion. Captain John
Reisman, the half-Jew, who was
assigned to the task of training
the men, becomes the major hero
of this novel, and his brilliant
handling of the men is the
crux of the story.
The experiences during the se-
cret experimental training are
filled with action, with the rebel-
lious spirit of the men under guard
who were being trained for a task
they were not to be informed
about until nearly the time set for
their mission to destroy German
generals' headquarters. They re-
fused to shave or to wash, and
when the term "Dirty Dozen" was
applied to them by Corporal Bow-
Tamarack Lodge Plans
Tournament of Champions
The annual "Tournament of
Champions" weekend at Tamarack
Lodge, Greenfield Park, N. Y., will
be held Sept. 10-12, owner-host
Dave Levinson announced.
Winners in weekly golf, tennis
and other athletic contests will
return to Tamarack to compete for
trophies and other prizes.
Stevensville Hotel Features
August 'Parade of Stars'
Stevensville Lake Hotel at Swan
Lake, N.Y., is planing a parade
of well-known stars this month.
Myron Cohen is the headliner
Aug. 14, with Gloria De Haven
Aug. 21 and Morty Guilty in a
Broadway show Aug. 28.
Stevensville is also constructing
a new 18-hole championship golf
course to be Ira-Meted in the spring.
Included will be a modern club-
house, driving range, golf carts
and a professional staff.
.Culture
Capsule
ren who was one of Reisman's
right hand men, it stuck. But
Reisman permitted them to have
their way. They stank. But they
soon learned that when they had
to follow Reisman's orders it was
best that they should and they did.
The routines through which the
novelist takes his readers, intro-
ducing each of the stinking dozen,
relating the crime for which he
was to hang, describing the rela-
tionships between the men, the
hatreds among some, the special
case of the former lieutenant, the
Negro, Napoleon White, who was
hated by the southerner, Archer
Maggot, and the manner in which
this was overcome in the end; the
story of the boy who kept shouting
he was innocent and, when the
showdown came, disrupted the
operaiton by becoming panicky and
shouting in the German generals'
quarters, "I'm guilty"—these and
many other factors contribute to-
wards the making of a great novel
The psychological elements in
the story are equally as vital as
the penological, and in its en-
tirety the novel is a valuable so-
cial document that lends itself
to deep study and discussion.
There were many military com-
plications, but the mission was
attempted. It was not timed prop-
erly, several lives were lost, some
of the members of the mission
were missing in action, some
wounded.
The crude gang that set out on
the mission turned out to be cour-
ageous. It took a heavy toll from
the Germans. It worked against
uneven odds—especially since the
timing was off schedule. But the
recommendation was that similar
projects should not be undertaken
again.
The character and background of
Reisman are of special interest.
His father's Jewish loyalties are
explained in a letter he wrote to
his son imploring him to observe
yahrzeit for his mother who was,
to him, a Jewish woman. This
letter appears in the earliest por-
tion of the book where an incident
is recorded of a woman cousin
who upbraided the Jews, and John
Reisman shouted in protest against
the accusation that Jews had all
the money in the world.
Later it develops that John had
killed a gangster who, earlier, had
murdered a Jewish shopkeeper
who was dear to him and his fath-
er. But the Jewish detective, Leon
Osterman, to whom John told the
story, recognizing the cause and
the justified anger of the boy,
hushed up the matter. Later, both
were conferring over the guilt of
one of the men. Osterman had
been a member of the synagogue
in which John's father was active.
There was a relationship of great
friendship and understanding be-
tween the two men.
Shortly before the tragic mis-
sion, as the men were writing
letters to their relatives, John
wrote his father, imploring him
"don't knock the schvartzes .. .
they were there before you." It
was part of the human lesson
learned in association with the
Negro Napoleon White in the
course of training the filthy
dozen. -
Several' of the other characters
in this novel, Lady Margot on
whose grounds the men were train-
ing, Colonel Kinder, the psychol-
ogist and others, add color to the
story.
"The Dirty Dozen" is excellent-
ly motivated, ably knitting the
roles of men and the situations
that led them to crime. It is a
marvelous military narrative and
its penological-psychological as-
pects are superb. If and when it
hits the screen—as it should—it
will be a noted triumph, meriting
the splendor of the book itself.
P.S.
Israel Pavilion Adds
Mid-East Discotheque:
`Let My People Go-Go'
NEW YORK — There's a joke
floating around that goes:
"Did you hear about the new
discotheque at the America-Israel
pavilion at the World's Fair?"
"No—what's it called?"
"The Let My People Go-Go."
Not to be outdone, Bill Lubinsky
and Ron Haffkine, who have been
running an outdoor cafe at the ex-
hibit, plan to open a club with that
name within the next two weeks,
complete with fully-clothed belly-
dancing to 'add to the Mid-Eastern
atmosphere.
Already stocking up on handbills
and lighting fixtures, the t w
Greenwich Villagers plan to con-
tinue selling Israeli beer and an
Israeli punch made from the juice
of mandarin oranges and Jaffa
grapefruits and lemons.
Lubinsky aded, according to a
story in the New York Times, that
admission will be 25e to visitors
and free to employes of the Fair,
whom he hopes to induce to parti-
cipate hi a belly-dancing contest.
The question is, where do his
people go now?
.
Crowd Mobs Mrs. LBJ,
Lynda at 'Fiddler' Show
NEW YORK—Mrs. Lyndon B.
Johnson and her daughter Lynda,
21, were almost swamped by photo-
graphers and onlookers when they
attended Wednesday night's per-
formance of "The Fiddler on the
Roof."
In New York for a week of
shopping and playgoing, the Presi-
dent's wife and daughter were
jostled several times in front of
the theater as Secret Service
agents attempted to push back the
curious crowd.
'
Memo from Masada
A few weeks ago the second series of Masada excavations was
concluded. They were directed by former General, and now
Professor, at the Hebrew University, Yigal Yidan, who "com-
manded" an army of thousands of volunteers in an operation
that took eleven months.
Among the principal findings are:
• A Synagogue
• A'Schoolroom
• A Mikvah (Ritularium)
• Twelve "Dead Sea Scrolls"
(in fragments) — the only ones found outside
the caves. The most important of the Masada Scrolls,
"The Song of the SabbatirSacrifice", is, as Professor
Yadin declared, nearly identical with the Qumranic
MANUAL OF DISCIPLINE. Thus the "Dead
Sea Scrolls" can be dated with almost certainty.
They belong to the period prior to the destruction of
the Temple in 70 C.E.
The hall identified as a synagogue used by the
Qumran Community.
The Dead Sea Scrolls
are now housed in the "Shrine of Book", a - part,
of the Israel Museum Complex in Jerusalem.
A Tarbuth Foundation Feature
Grossinger Single Folk Week Set for Aug. 22-29
Grossinger Country Club, Gros-
singer, N.Y., has single people in
mind. That's why, last year, the
famous resort initiated a special
week for unattached fellows and
girls. Because of the huge success
of that innovation, Grossinger's is
going to have another special week
for singles this summer, Aug. 22
to Aug. 29.
classes conducted by dance-mas-
ters Tony and Lucille, a dis-
cotheque, tennis tournaments and
other contests, tennis instruction by
Eli E. Epstein, coach of the Yesh•
iva University tennis varsity and
the 1965 United States Maccabiah
tennis, golf and other attractions.
SHERIDAN GLAMOUR
AND HEALTH SPA
The single fellows and girls at
Grossinger's will enjoy seven days
and nights full of romantic fun,
frolic, and festivities. The resort
plans to make it easy for boy to
meet girl and for girl to meet boy,
provide the proper setting, and
then let Nature take its happy
course.
Only Women's Reduc-
ing Resort in the
Midwest
Summer Pool -
Open Year Round
821 - LAKE SHORE DR.
Michigan City, Indiana
TR 2-8595
_
Highlights will include get-togeth-
er parties, dancing to five great
bands, complimentary dance
THE .DETROIT JEWISH NEWS •
14—friday, August 13, 1965
At Mid-America's fabulous
resort...
a playtime paradise wh ere you'll enjoy:
• Terrific food
• Beautiful heated pool
REILLY'S
HURON HAVEN
COTTAGES
aAllid sppaotr io ts
• Gala tloor show*
), • - -
// • Planned Chil-
dren's Activi-
New Low Rates!
On Lake Huron
2 and 3 Bedrooms
Openings - July and August
Safe, Sandy Beach—No Stones
ties
"WHERE VACATION
DREAMS COME TRUEr
'85 140 week
P"
Tawas City
Box 303 Mich.
PHONE 362-2626
AUGUST PARADE of STARS
MYRON
COHEN
GLORIA
DE HAVEN
MORTY GUNTY
AUG. 21st
AUG. 14th
AUG. 28th
* DTOSA COSTELLO * TOTIE FIELDS
LATE, LATE SHOWS with Jackie Phillips, M.C. 4 famed Bonds
for nightly dancing. All sports. FREE GOLF, swell fishing and
boating, water skiing, Magnificent Main Building (2 elevators).
De Luxe, air conditioned accommodations. Dietary Laws.
Teen Age Nite Club & Band. Day Camp-Nite Patrol
RESERVE FOR A GALA LABOR DAY HOLIDAY
18 HOLE
CHAMPIONSH1
GOLF COURSE
ON PREMISES
LAKE HOTEL SWAN LAKE 21, N.Y.
292-8000
WRITE FOR COLOR BROCHURE /01 4 1"
OR PHONE HOTEL DIRECT la 14)
-
OR SEE YOUR TRAVEL AGENT
NOW BOOKING MIDWEEK & WEEK END CONVENTIONS THRU 1966
YOUR HOST: HARRY DINNERSTEIN
GROSSINGEWS
CALLING ALL SINGLES!
Summer Rendezvous
Week for Singles 1 '••••
sp
k
‘ssi*
August 22-29 co2
1. IF YOU'RE SINGLE, don't hesitate to
C make it a date. Join the fun! You'll enjoy
seven full days of romantic fun, frolic,
and festivities, all calculated to make it
easy for you to meet your dream. HIGHLIGHTS include cocktail,
cordial, and get-together parties • Dancing to five top bands.
• Afternoon dancing at the beautiful out-
door Olympic pool. • Dancing jamborees.
• Complimentary dance class. • Sweet-
heart golf and tennis tournaments. •
Boy-and-girl participation programs.
• Boating on private Grossinger Lake.
• Aqua show.
----
• Discotheques.
• Special late
shows in the
Terrace Room
Lounge. • Great entertainment. • Alan
King, TV's monarch of mirth, will head*
line the gala Saturday night show. '•
Other stars will perform.here during the
week. • Oooh, will that Dan Cupid be
busy! If romance -you seek, this is your
week, August 22.29, at Grossinger's1 -
ALAN KING c2
4 ? f*
OR YOUR TRAVEL AGENT
(AREA CODE 914) 292-5000
GROSSINGER, NEW YORK