ENTERTAINMENT
gtEnD __
Special to The Jewish News
h
ere in Hollywood,
where highways to
heaven are marked
by audience ratings, Michael
Landon has mapped a major
career for himself out of
family outings.
In "Little House on the
Prairie" and "Highway to
Heaven," Landon has played
father figure to a corps of
actors, serving as series star-
producer-writer-director.
Landon says he has been for-
tunate to work with people
who feel like family.
That continued with
"Where Pigeons Go to Die,"
a two-hour tele-movie. Based
on a book by R. Wright Camp-
bell, "Pigeons" explores the
relationship between a boy
and his grandfather (Art)
Carney), who share a pas-
sion for homing pigeons.
Landon served as the film's
executive producer-writer-
director and starred as the
boy grown up.
The emotional bond bet-
ween boy and his "Da" de-
velops sweetly and naturally
in the movie. While Lan-
don's grandfathers died
before he was born, the actor
admits that this tale focus-
ing on homing pigeons hit
home nevertheless. "The
love and the caring portion
reminded me of my dad," he
says.
Memories are what movies
can be made of, and Landon
recalled his past for a picture
called Sam's Son some years
back. Landon's early life
was spent as a youngster
named Eugene Orowitz in
Collingswood, N.J.
He was singled out for be-
ing Jewish and taunted by
neighborhood toughs. Lan-
don learned how to battle
back, winning his personal
wars against anti-Semitism
by-believing in himself.
"My sense of Jewishness is
probably what helped me the
most as I was growing up,"
the actor says. "It meant
taking additional respon-
sibilities," which included
helping to make a minyan
at his local synagogue, Tem-
ple Beth Sholom, in Haddon
Heights, N.J.
It is no small irony that
this family man — in busi-
ness and at home, where
Michael Elkin is the enter-
tainment writer for the Jewish
Exponent in Philadelphia.
nine children call him Dad —
grew up in a home of con-
flict.
"I had a Catholic mother
who was anti- Semitic and a
Jewish father who wasn't
too thrilled with Catholics,"
Landon says.
It was at the synagogue
that he found a family he
could feel comfortable with.
"When I was 13 and bar
mitzvahed at Temple Beth
Shalom, I wanted to be a
cantor."
Instead, Landon lent his
voice to other projects,
stories about families.
Yet Landon, who rode to
fame as a member of TV's
"Bonzana" Cartwight clan
for 14 years beginning in
1959, is one of a few show-
business personalities able
to generate interest in fami-
ly fare.
"I think that people go in
afraid of failing instead of
really relying on a good,
honest show," he says.
"You've got to understand
you're not going to please
everybody."
Don't tell Landon that
"G"-rated material means
saccharine scripts. He is
proud of his ac-
complishments — stories
that tug at basic emotions.
There is not enough of that
on TV, says Landon.
"Television certainly bom-
bards you with enough greed
and violence."
As a writer, Landon has no
problem putting his ideas
into words; after all, the first
book he remembers reading
was a dictionary. "It had pic-
tures of animals," he says
with a smile. "I loved
animals when I was a kid."
Landon is a TV natural, fit
at 52 and leading-man hand-
some. He has been called a
workaholic, but he even sur-
prised himself when he had
no trouble taking it easy
during a self-imposed year
off from TV.
"I spent a lot of time with
my kids," he says, "and
traveling and doing a lot of
playing and a lot of talking
— having a good time." Time
off was pleasant. "I was, I
must say, very surprised
that I enjoyed it that much,"
Landon says. "I've worked
straight for 30 years, and I
thought, well, I'm going to
say I'm going to do this and
then I'm going to go ab-
solutely crazy."
Instead, it was a terrific
year.
If Landon is on-target with
his family dramas, there are
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critics who have been put off
by some of his efforts. There
was one exchange between a
reporter and the actor, who
at the time was earning
$10,000 an episode starring
as Little Joe on "Bonanza."
Landon is not averse to
rocking the boat — especially
when it comes to broad-
casting his views on
government interference in
TV programming. He
wouldn't mind censoring
censorship.
❑
Cantorial Concert
At B'nai David
Congregation B'nai David
will host its third annual
Gala Cantorial Concert 7:30
p.m. May 22.
The program of cantorial,
Hebrew, and Yiddish selec-
tions will feature Cantor
Stuart Friedman and Cantor
Emeritus Hyman Adler of
Congregation B'nai David,
and guest Cantors Moshe Ba-
zian of Brooklyn, N.Y., and
Kenneth Koransky of San
Francisco, Calif.
Cantor Bazian was born in
Bessarabia, and immigrated
to the United States in 1949.
He has held the position of
cantor for several New York-
area congregations. He is
presently the cantor of Con-
gregation Etz Chaim in the
Flatbush section of Brooklyn.
Known by his colleagues as a
"cantor's cantor" due to his
unique cantorial and vocal
style, he has also been involv-
ed in passing on the cantorial
tradition by teaching young
cantors. Cantor Bazian has
concertized extensively
throughout the United States
and Canada.
Cantor Koransky is a
native of Johannesburg,
South Africa. His musical
and vocal talents were
recognized by Cantor Shlomo
Mandel, with whom he
studied. In the United States
since 1974, Cantor Koransky
has held major positions in
New York and Cleveland and
presently serves as chazzan of
Congregation Beth Shalom in
San Francisco. Cantor Koran-
sky has also pursued exten-
sive operatic training and has
appeared in numerous operas.
Max Sosin is concert
chairman.
The cantors will be accom-
panied by pianist Cantor
Sholom Kalib.
There is no charge. Tickets
may be reserved by calling
the synagogue office,
557-8210.
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