THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
4•-
San Francisco's Royal Jewish King
By WARREN FREEDMAN
NEW YORK — In 1819,
Joshua Abraham Norton
was born in London, and for
his first 30 years led an un-
eventful life as an English
Jew. (He was Bar Mitzva in
South Africa).
But in November 1849
Norton arrived in San
Francisco, with the enor-
mous sum of $40,000. He
attended Temple Emanu-
El, occasionally accom-
panied by his two dogs!
He speculated in rice and
other commodities, building
San Francisco's first rice
mill. At one time he had
over $250,000.
His first financial adven-
ture was an effort to corner
the rice -Market, but with
his colleagues he lost his
fortune. Norton went into
seclusion, becoming men-
tally unbalanced.
He sent a notice in 1857
to the local newspaper
identifying himself as
"Emperor Norton I, High
Ruler of the United States
and Protector of
Mexico." Norton dressed
himself in a shabby uni-
form with a military cap,
a small sword dangling at
his side, and a blue um-
brella in his hand. He
paraded about the streets
of San Francisco, and
soon became a familiar
figure.
From time to time, he is-
sued his "imperial" procla-
mations to the press: he dis-
solved the Republican and
Democratic parties; he dis-
solved a steamship com-
pany because a purser had
thrown him off the ship; he
ordered the citizens of San
Francisco to replenish his
military wardrobe; and he
proposed a bridge across
San Francisco Bay.
Emperor Norton was
treated kindly by San Fran-
cicans who permitted him to
eat, drink and amuse him-
self without charge! Banks
recognized his checks up to
50 cents (drawn upon his
non-existent account). Nor-
ton also issued 50 cent
bonds which were similarly
honored. (These "docu-
ments" are today housed in
the library of the California
Historical Society.)
In January 1880, at the
age of 61, he collapsed and
died on a San Francisco
sidewalk, and was buried in
Redgrave Sisters Disagree
Over the Issue of Zionism
By HERBERT LUFT
(Copyright 1980, JTA, Inc.)
HOLLYWOOD — Lynn
Redgrave was attending a
foreign press interview ses-
sion dealing with her cur-
rent television series,
MCA's "House Calls," when
an Israeli correspondent
pointed out that his listen-
ers and readers back home
were interested to hear
Vanessa Redgrave's per
sonal view point on Zionism
but the actress' phone was
always answered by a secre-
tary and Lynn's sister never
returned the call.
Lynn replied that she dis-
agrees with her older sister
on almost everything but
didn't wish to get into this
subject. The Israeli jour-
nalist persisted with his
line of questioning and the
actress cut him off by re-
peating that she is not in ac-
cord with Vanessa "but,
after all, she is my natural
sister." •
ROMAIN GARY, who
died so tragically in Paris at
the age of 66 earlier this
month, was a Lithuanian-
born Jew, son of Jebba
Kacew,. who was proud of
his heritage. During World
War II, he served with the
French army and after the
fall of Paris joined the Free
French forces in Britain
serving with the "Lorraine"
squadron in North Africa,
Palestine and Russia. While
flying with the RAF, he took
the najne of "Gary." He held
post-War diplomatic posts
with Charles De Gaulle and
Andre Malraux and was
French Consul General in
Los Angeles in the early
1960s.
LEE GRANT makes her
debut as a film director with
"Tell Me A Riddle," from the
award-winning novella by
_Tillie Olsen with a screen
play by Joyce Eliason and
Alev Lytle. The picture was
made by Michael -Rosenberg
and Saul Zaenth, with three
young ladies under thirty,
Mindy Affrime, Rachel
ZLyon and Susan O'Connell
putting the financial deal
together and acting as pro-
ducers.
Melvyn Douglas and Lila
Kedrova, both Academy
Award winners, star in the
heartwarming simple story
dealing with the tragic
plight of two elderly people
who have drifted apart and
find towards the end of their
lives that their childhood
love has been rekindled by
their common fate of being
alone.
ALLEN GOORWITZ
who, under the assumed
name of Garfield, has ap-
peared in numerous films
and stage plays whose sc.;
reen credits include the
most recent "The Stunt
Man,'" also "Nashville,"
"The Conversation," "The
Front Page," "Brinks Job,"
and "The Candidate," now
has been signed for a key
role in the modern romantic
comedy, "Continental Di-
vide," scripted by Lawrence
Kasdan and Jack Rosent-
hal. It deals with a muc-
kraking columnist (por-
trayed by John Belushi)
who -has to cool off.
Goorwitz, himself a fomer
journalist-turned actor, also
is a lyricist-composer and
conducts his own acting
classes on both coasts. On
the stage, he received na-
tional attention in the
thought-provoking play,
"Are You Now or Have You
Ever Been?"
In this world it is not what
we take up, but what we
give up, that makes us rich.
—H. W. Beecher
the old Masonic cemetery.
Fifty-four years later, on
June 30, 1934, his body was
reinterred with formal
ceremonies (20,000 mour-
ners) at Woodlawn Cemet-
ery in Colma, Calif. Finally
in July 1980 Emperor Nor-
ton's remains were reinter-
British War Hero
Let Adolf Hitler
Off the Hook
red in the cemetery of the
Beth Israel-Judea Syna-
gogue.
It took 100 years for Em-
peror Norton to receive his
proper burial in a Jewish
cemetery. Since Norton had
proclaimed himself "King of
the Jews," the local rabbi-
nate in 1880 had refused to
allow burial in a Jewish
cemetery.
LONDON — Private
Henry Tandey, Britain's
most decorated soldier of
World War I, may have
gained more notice for a war
feat he didn't perpetrate,
than the acts of heroism
that earned him the Vic-
toria Cross, the Distin-
guished Conduct Medal and
the Military Medal.
In 1918, during hand-to-
hand fighting, Tandey held
a wounded and frightened
young German corporal at
bayonet point, and then let
him go. Tandey often re-
gretted his compassion later
when the young German
also went on to make a
name for himself— as Adolf
Hitler.
The incident was recalled
recently at an auction of
Tandey's war medals at
London's Sotheby House.
The collection was sold for
$65,000.
Friday, December 26, 1980 23
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