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All's Welles That Ends Wells

With the death of Orson's father, this Jewish physician
stepped in as the director's guardian.

ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Q: I remember once reading that
actor-director-producer Orson
Welles had a Jewish stepfather or
guardian or something along those
lines. Can Tell Me Why tell me the
story?

A: You must be referring to
Maurice Bernstein, who became
Welles' legal guardian following
the death of Welles' father, R.H.
Wells.
The senior Wells (who
changed the spelling of his last
name from the original Welles)
was 59 when he died. His 16-
year-old son, Orson, then
moved in with Bernstein and
his wife, singer Edith Mason.
Bernstein and Welles first
met when Orson was barely
a toddler. In Orson Welles: The
Road to Xanadu, author Si-
mon Callow recounts that the
physician came to the Welles
home after Orson's brother
had fallen and bumped his
head. Orson quickly informed
Dr. Bernstein, whom he would
later dub "Dadda," that "the
desire to take medicine is one
of the greatest features which
distinguishes men from ani-
mals." He was 1 1/2 years old.
By all accounts, Bernstein,
a native of Russia, was a man
of fiery temperament and
many wives. He was passion-
ate, dependent and manipula-
tive.
Not surprisingly, Bernstein
and Welles shared an often tu-
multuous relationship. Yet they
always remained close. After
Welles found fame and settled in
California, Bernstein practical-
ly pleaded with Welles to bring
him there. Welles agreed, even-
tually taking "Dadda" on as his
personal physician.

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a matter of which animals may of Jeannie." Sidney Sheldon has
be killed and eaten as kosher and since gone on to fame as the au-
which are treife, and on which thor of so many outstanding
days one is not permitted to kill books whose plots are even more
for food (the Sabbath and holi- complex, and dialogue more riv-
days). Yet in their writings the eting (if such a thing is possible!),
rabbis address the issue specif- than some of the "Jeannie"
ically as a moral question, con- episodes.
cluding universally that hunting
"I Dream of Jeannie" pre-
strictly for sport is wrong. It is miered Sept. 18, 1965, and, be-
adjudged, in the words of one lieve it or not, ran for five long
leading Halachic authority, Rab- years on NBC. And here's an-

other vital Jewish connection to
the program: Remember
Hadji, the genie master?
.?;
He was played by Abra-
.'7/*----, ham Sofaer! Isn't that
i‘V great news?
411 Pl%
Sheldon Leonard
did not create "Jean-
nie," but he did in-
deed produce a
number of the
episodes. He also
served as executive
producer on the
"Dick Van Dyke
Show," "I Spy"
and "Shirley's
World," which
A
made its debut
in 1971 and
'.\`
starred Shirley
MacLaine.
./A\ One TV histo-
rian
de-
scribed the
, A•Al•
short-lived
show as the story
of "a beautiful, wan-
'
derlust photojournalist
who possesses. an insa-
bi Ezekiel Landau (1713-1793), tiable curiosity and a warm-
to be nothing more than "cruel- hearted nature that involves her
ty. ),
with other people's problems."
One Jewish scholar, Rabbi Ooohhhh. It's enough to make
Meir of Rothenberg, even goes so your skin crawl.
far as to state that those who
In addition to his producing
hunt purely for enter-
skills, Sheldon
tainment will be denied
Leonard was an ac-
eternal life. "I ... declare,"
tor who appeared as
Q: I'm the kind of guy who likes he wrote, "that whosoev-
agent Phil Arnold in
to go for the big game. Give me a er hunts animals with
"Make Room for
Daddy," and starred
rifle and a can of beer and a dogs, as do the gentiles,
as reformed gambler
Pamela Anderson Lee calendar and will not be vouchsafed to
partake of the feast of the
Eddie in "Big Eddie."
I'm as happy a pig in mud! I feel leviathan (in the world to come)." Alas, "Big Eddie" was anything
sure that Judaism, being the wise
But this news will come as no but big with TV viewers. It was
religion that it is, concurs with my surprise to anyone at all famil- first broadcast on CBS in August
point of view that animals are there iar with the Torah, which is filled 1975, and was off the air three
to be killed. Now isn't that right? with directives about how hu- months later. 0

A: No, it isn't, you big bone-

(

man beings are to treat animals.
To wit: One is not permitted to
sit down himself to a meal until
his animals have been fed.

head. In fact, while rabbis
throughout history have held
countless perspectives on almost
every issue, you won't find a one
Editor's Note: Astute readers
advancing a Halachic basis for in Baltimore and California re-
killing animals for pleasure.
cently drew our attention to the
Interestingly enough, scant fact that Sidney Sheldon, not
mention of hunting is made in Sheldon Leonard, created the in-
the Torah, and here it's mostly comparable TV show, "I Dream

Send questions to Tell Me Why,
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Franklin Road, Southfield, MI
48034, or fax to (810) 354-6069.
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