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Corner of Haggerty (313) 669.6760 26 E L FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1989 L-- • jewelry < ■ accessories L.L• apparel 0 co . furniture ■ bridal registry 0 ■ wish list ■ executive gifts neering Jewish mother. Lewis joked that his real mother felt threatened by her because she was so real. "The network has never said a word about Jewish jokes, but it was concerned about having us do things that would not be understood," Myman said. That did not stop the show's writers — many of whom are Jewish — from having a character say, "I won't get around to it until Sukkot" in a recent episode. In a theme that runs through the lives of all the Jewish characters on television, Marty Gold will develop a relationship with a non-Jewish woman, who is played by Jamie Lee Curtis. Myman said the show will not explore any Jewish-Gentile roman- tic conflicts this season. Next season, if the show lasts, may be different. "I want to see a set designer build a chuppa," joked Lewis, who works on some of the show's scripts. "I might have to build my own." Nonetheless, Jewish-gentile romances — both humorous and serious — have found their way into many of the other current television shows featuring Jewish characters. Perhaps the most clear-cut example this fall is the new ABC show, "Chicken Soup," starring comedian Jackie Mason. The show was created for Mason by two veteran television producers and writers, Saul lbrteltaub and Bernie Ornstein, both of whom are Jewish. Mason plays a Jewish bachelor, not unlike himself, who works at a community center. He develops a relationship with an Irish Catholic widow with several children played by Lynn Redgrave. Mason's character has a Yiddish-speak- ing mother living with him who is unhappy about the relationship, while Redgrave's character has a militantly Irish brother who also complains. Redgrave said the show has already received some criticism for its Jewish- Catholic romance, but she said the con- troversy will only help the show's ratings. "In 10 years, if people are still saying we're controversial, I'll be very happy," Redgrave said. A more serious review of the issues that develop between Jews and gentiles in rela- tionships or marriages has taken place in recent years on "L.A. Law," NBC's Emmy- winning drama. On the show, Jewish attorney Stuart Markowitz fell in love with and ended up marrying Protestant lawyer Ann Kelsey. Markowitz is played by Michael Tucker, a short Teddy bear of a man while Kelsey is played by Tucker's real life wife, the elegant and patrician Jill Eikenberry. Finkelstein, who has a law degree to go along with his Emmy nominations, said NBC has been very supportive of the show's efforts to portray the complexities inherent in the Markowitz and Kelsey characters. "God knows there is conflict between Jews, but it is an easily accessible conflict if you have a Jewish worrier married to a tall aristocratic Gentile woman," Finkel- stein said. "It immediately sets something up which for TV is very useful." In one of last season's more dramatic episodes, Markowitz toppled a breakfront filled with dishes to protest his future mother-in-law's obvious anti-Semitism. In true television fashion, however, Kelsey's mother came around. At the end of the show, she declared her respect for Marko- witz and a new found appreciation of his world view. Finkelstein said he believes- TV will someday portray a Jewish couple's trials and tribulations, but he argued that the mixed marriages and relationships on TV today reflect life outside the TV tube. "lb a certain extent, TV mirrors what people see in society, he said. "I know an inordinate number of people who have mixed marriages." Some in Hollywood, however, respond by saying the reality that Finkelstein is discussing is a limited view that comes from living in the insular world of the entertainment industry. "Intermarriage is the norm here," said Powell, who conceded he is not happy about that reality. "It's why the shows have Jewish characters involved with non- Jewish characters." Even though Finkelstein has faced criti- cism for portraying a world in which Jewish men seem to fall in love only with non-Jewish women, he said his Jewish identity informs his view of the world and gives him a perspective on life. "There is an aspect to being Jewish and living in a gentile society that can't be ignored," he said. "How it's expressed in my work, however, is less clear." "What Hollywood and TV does is portray Jews as weak and perpetuates the image of the Jew who needs a non- Jew to go to battle for him."