8
Friday, April 29, 1983
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
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Agents Honor MCA Founder Jules Stein Posthumously
By HERBERT LUFT
(Copyright 1983, JTA, Inc.)
HOLLYWOOD — Jen-
nifer Jones Simon (widow of
the late David 0. Selznick)
recently presented the M.C.
Levee Award posthumously
to Dr. Jules Stein. The
plaque was accepted by Sid
Sheinberg, president of
MCA, while Mrs. Doris
Stein and Lew Wasserman
stood by. The ceremony took
place at the annual lunch-
eon held at the Beverly
Hills Hotel and sponsored
by the Association of Talent
Agents.
The late Jules Stein, born
in South Bend, Indiana,
founded MCA in 1926 and
built it into one of the
largest talent agencies in
the world.
* * *
NEIL SIMON'S latest
screen comedy, "Max
Dugan Returns," has all the
ingredients for a successful
motion picture: a brilliant
script, a seasoned director
(Herbert Ross, who has
guided such Simon hits as
"The Sunshine Boys," "The
Goodbye Girl" and
"California Suite"), and
Jason Robards in the title
role. Robards, as ex-con Du-
gan, seeks out his widowed
daughter (Marsha Mason),
his grandson (newcomer
Matthew Broderick) and
Donald Sutherland as the
woman's boyfriend, who
happens to be a police offi-
cer, in this delightful comic
fable about gifts from
heaven and earth.
MY ANCIENT MARINER
A Man Has Lost His Mate
By MAURICE CROLL, M.D.
He sat alone, along the rail,
As we were rushing out
To look upon another tourist isle
That we had seen so many times before.
A huge, overpowering, hulk of a man,
Over his massive shoulders,
Huddled together,
A tattered, brownish, ragged shawl,
Draped carelessly over his
Slumping body;
His arms crossed over his chest,
As if to protect himself
From any outside hurt.
Was it by chance his huge arm
Reached out
And stopped me suddenly?
Alarmed, I looked into his eyes,
They spoke so eloquently
Of kindness, of gentleness.
His knotted hands, so large,
Bespoke in no uncertain terms
Of outdoor life.
A true man of nature.
His piercing eyes, in seeking
Look,
Held me like a vice.
I did not move.
I knew him not.
He motioned me to sit by him.
I cannot say for sure
-What held me in his grasp.
I looked again to see,
His eyes did hold me so.
Why did he single me out?
And then, as if by command,
I sat by him.
My island plans had gone
Astray.
For so long, it seemed,
We sat upon the deck.
We two,
Without a spoken word.
The magic spell was now complete.
It was on me now in full,
I sat immobile by his side.
The silence could be heard.
I waited anxiously for him to speak,
I waited as if in a trance,
And then, from deep within,
A plaintive, pleading voice
Boomed out of me:
You know, Sonny, one year ago,
Here upon this very ship,
She sat with me as you —
We sailed together in such joy.
The trip we planned together
So many years,
We romped together, everywhere,
To see the world that we
Pictured in our mind
And we enjoyed."
A smile broke out
Upon his craggy, beaten, face.
He winked at me knowingly.
We even became quite bold
And daring,
We even had a cocktail or two,
It was real heaven
With my. beloved Edna,
I called her 'Little Bit,"
My beautiful, 'loving Edna."
And then, four months ago,
God called her unto Him.
She rests now, in God's hands
And I am lost,
All alone with my memories.
Ah - such sweet memories."
"For forty-two years
She was ever at my side,
Rubbing off the rough spots,
Polishing my outlandish traits.
Little by little, she did it all,
And, even though I did not know it
At the time,
We melded well together
Into a happy frame."
"Why did not God call us together?
It would have been so kind."
His open hands reached out,
Then, pointing to his heart,
This is not living."
He paused, tense, His head
Dropped somewhat,
And then a deep, mournful sigh.
He shuddered._
I did not move, I did not speak.
His heart poured out-to me,
A stricken, lonely, friendly
Giant
Of a man, abandoned on this ship.
All I could recall at the moment
Was -
"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner."
I never imagined it could happen
To me.
He sighed a deep breath
And, turning, looked full
Into my eyes,
"She was such a 'Little Bit.'
She was five-foot-three."
He smiled softly within himself,
"But there was dynamite in her,
Tinged with kindness, gentleness
And common sense.
So very rare it seems,
Especially in these modern times.
Without me knowing it, she
Guided well my inner thoughts
To paths of righteousness
I would never have known
Without her."
A huge, giant, welling tear
Rolled down his face.
He wiped it away so quickly
I looked away.
We have a ranch, raising cattle,
Out west,
She raised our two boys and a girl,
All happily married.
Oh, what a joy we had
At Christmas time
When they all piled in —
Shouting, yelling, running
Full of mischief.
The very walls began
To live again.
I was, by far, the richest, happiest
Man in the whole world.
It was so good for both of us."
He paused again. And now
All I have are memories
That help me to go on living."
He lapsed, exhausted,
Into complete quiet.
My heart reached out to
Both of them.
He spoke again in trembling voice,
In unending stream
The burden of his tortured
Heart
And then his waning strength
Gave out,
He sighed, leaned back
And closed his eyes,
"Thanks, Sonny, for listening
To a tired old man.
God bless you, Sonny,
For my heart is heavy laden."
MEL BROOKS portrays
the character created by the
late Jack Benny in Ernst
Lubitsch's screen farce of 40
years ago, "To Be Or Not To
Be." Brooks plays the
pompous head of the
Bronski Theatrical group,
who inadvertently becomes
involved in an outrageous
scheme to save the Polish
underground in World War
II. Anne Bancroft portrays
his wife. Also in the cast of
the picture, now before the
cameras at 20th Century
Fox, are Jose Ferrer, Tim
Matheson, Charles Durning
and Christopher Lloyd.
* *
"MY
DARLING
SHIKSHA," now before
the cameras in New York, is
the objectionable title of a
film being produced and di-
rected by Israeli showman
Menahem Golan for his own
Cannon Company. The pic-
ture, originally titled "Al-
by's Delight," has
encountered union difficul-
ties. Though the strike
threat has been settled, we
are still worried about the
impression a title like "My
Darling Shiksa" will have
on the general public.
The film stars Elliott
Gould, Shelley Winters,
Margaux Hemingway, Sid
Caesar and Carol Kane.
* * *
SAM JAFFE, at 92, is
the oldest active actor in
Hollywood. A native of New
York, lie was born into a
show business family. His
mother was an actress on
the Yiddish stage. With his
wife Bettye Ackerman, he
co-starred for years in the
TV series "Ben Casey." The
veteran performer is an ar-
dent supporter of Israel.
Modai Charges
Misuse of Funds
for New Canal
He slumped, sighed mournfully,
Completely exhausted.
I sat for so long, it seemed,
I could not move.
My eyes, spellbound,
Still riveted on him.
I replaced his drooping shawl
To keep him warm, -
And then silently
I stole away.
To this day I do not
Know his name.
But I learned to love
This man,
And I loved his Edna, too.
,
ADDENDUM: On board ship so many unexpected, wonder-
ful things happen. This episode happened to
me. It recalled, so vividly, a poem I read as a
teenager:
"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"
"It is the ancient mariner
As he stoppeth one of three,
By his long, white beard
And withering eye.
Wherefore stoppest thou me?"
S.T. Coleridge
This man who lost his loving mate was a lost
soul in a world he no longer knew. How
often have I seen this "Lost Mate Syn-
drome" and I have had no words to soothe
their aching hearts.
JERUSALEM (JTA) —
The proposed Mediterra-
nean - Dead Sea canal has
emerged as a center of con-
troversy after Energy
Minister Yitzhak Modai ac-
cused the Finance Ministry
of diverting about $100 mil-
lion, raised for the massive
hydro-electric project
through the sale of Israel
Bonds, to other purposes.
The Finance Ministry did
not deny the charge nor did
it deny reports that it has
had second thoughts about
the viability of the canal
project. The Ministry main-
tained that purchasers of Is-
rael Bonds earmarked as
"seed money" for the canal
were informed that their in
vestments might not in fact
be used for it.
Role for Israel
in EEC Talks
BONN (JTA) — The West
German government has
assured Israel that it will be
- invited to participate in
negotiations between the
European Economic Com-
munity and Mediterranean
countries over trade prob-
lems arising from the
enlargement of the Com-
mon Market, especially the
impending entry of Spain
into the EEC.