Lip Service DRY Ooh, la la. The man behind matching nail and lip colors. ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM ASSOCIATE EDITOR only with us! Somerset Cleaners 40 Minute Cleaners Two Times The Size For Better Service All Work Done On Premises (12 Mile & Evergreen) r SAME DAY SERVICE UNTIL 3 P.M. I r Laundered r IS Shirts Coupon W. When presented with any incoming dry clean- ing order of $7.95. Coupon must be sur- rendered when leaving order for pressing. Som- erset Cleaners Not valid with any other coupon. Expires 11/11/96 L w CID CD F- LU LLJ F- 34 When presented with any incoming dry clean- ing order of $7.95. Coupon must be sur- rendered when leaving order for pressing. Som- erset Cleaners Not valid with any other coupon. Expires 11/11/96 J L With any $7.95 in- coming dry cleaners order. Cannot be used with any other coupon Somerset Cleaners. Expires 11/11/96 J L 1E A [141Z BIRMINGHAM BIRMINGHAM SOUTHFIELD 794 N. Woodward Ave. (4 Blks. N. of Maple) 608 S. Woodward Ave. TROY 19715 W.12 Mie 286 W. Maple (at Evergreen) (at Coolidge In Somerset Plaza) (5 Blks. S. of Maple) 644-6667 642-1660 559-9232 643-0807 Master Card MINIM VISA 1111M1M11111 I ill /1171 Q: I know that truth is stranger than fiction, but this has to be the most bizarre thing I have ever heard. I recently read somewhere that British singer David Bowie has a Jew- ish connection. I say, "No way!" but naturally I turn to the brilliant Tell Me Why to confirm my suspicions. A: There is a connection, all right, but it has to do with Bowie's half-brother, not the singer himself. David Robert Jones (aka David Bowie) was born in 1947, the son of Margaret Mary Burns and Haywood Stenton Jones. Margaret, or Peggy as she was known, had quite a few children by quite a few sweet- hearts. Her first love interest, to whom she was never wed, was Wolf Rosemberg. They had one son, Terence Guy Adair Burns (1937-1985). Peggy met Wolf, or "Jack" as he preferred to be called (didn't anyone in this family use his given name?) at a hotel. Jack was "the son of a prosperous Paris fir dealer, who had come to England in a youthful search for adventure," according to Pe- ter and Leni Gillman, authors of Alias David Bowie. He had "Latin good looks and a debonair manner that Peggy found enthralling She fell pas- sionately in love with him and said later that he had been the only true love of her life." When Peggy became preg- nant in 1937, Rosemberg first agreed to marry her. Then he vanished, and Peggy was left to raise Terry alone. Terry was a beautiful blonde baby (and would later be a handsome, dark-haired man), popular with everyone in the family. Rosemberg's parents wanted Terry to come live with them, and the father himself would suddenly appear during World War II and insist he wanted his son. But Peggy and her family always said no. Then Rosemberg disappeared and lost all contact with the boy. When Terry was a young man, Rosemberg tried again to establish relations with him. This time, it was Terry who wasn't interested. Terry, did, however, have a deep affection and admiration for his half-brother, David Bowie, throughout his life. He loved hearing David's music, and remained certain David would come save him when his life took a tragic turn. After numerous breakdowns, Terry in 1969 was sent to live in a mental institution where he was miserable. His only com- fort was listening to records; he loved Nat "King" Cole and Frank Sinatra. Terry tried twice to end his life by lying down on tracks in front of an oncoming train. The second time, in 1985, he was successful. Terry Burns was buried at Elmers End Cemetery in Beck- enham, England. Most of those present at the service were oth- er patients from the mental in- stitution. David Bowie was not among the mourners. Q: I know that, over the years, Jews have made many contribu- tions to the world. I know there have been Jewish leaders in the medical field, in politics, in art and other areas. But let's talk about something really important, like nail polish and lipstick. What — if any —vital contribu- tions have Jews made in this arena? A: If you've ever paint- ed your nails bright red, or your tops a lovely pink, you can thank your lucky stars for a young entrepreneur named Charles Haskell Rev- son. Born in Boston in 1906, Rev- son was employed in sales with a nail polish firm in 1923 when he decided to quit and start his own business. Working with his brother, Joseph, and chemist Charles Lachman, they formed a company called Revlon Inc. One of Revson's first cre- ations was a nail enamel of bright color (until then, the pol- ishes had been only clear). Then in 1939 he came through with a major coup: coordinating lip- sticks and nail colors. Revlon's future was secured, and to this day it remains one of the lead- ing cosmetics companies in the world. Incidentally, in addition to being a giant in the make-up world, Revson was a leading philanthropist with Jewish and secular organizations. He was a founder of the Albert Einstein School of Medicine at Yeshiva ( University, and chaired drives for the United Jewish Appeal and United Cerebral Palsy. Q: Tell me I'm not crazy. Years ago, my husband and I saw one of the funniest movies we've ever seen, The Mad Adventures of Rab- bi Jacob. We've been looking for the movie ever since — but it seems that absolutely no one in the world except my husband and I ever heard of it. The video shops tell us it's not out on video, and we don't know where to turn. We mustsee it again, and so must all of our friends who have been hearing us talk about it for years and are be- ginning to think that we imagined the whole thing. From reader J. G. in Bloomfield Township A: You are not crazy — I promise. The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob is a French film, pro- duced in 1974 and directed by Gerard Oury. Movie critic Leonard Maltin gave it three out of four stars and de- *- scribed it as a "broad slapstick comedy about a hot- . headed, bigoted busi- *nessman who — for ;--/ complicated reasons — is forced to disguise himself as a rabbi." It starred Louis De Fu- nes, Suzy Delair, Marcel Dalio and Claude Giraud. I can only hope this column will serve as proof enough for your doubting-Thomas friends. Unfortunately, The Mad Ad- ventures of Rabbi Jacob is not out on video, so you'll probably have to wait for it to make its ap- pearance at some small art the- ater — the kind of place where they don't sell malted milk balls and Coke, only espresso. 0 111 ,„ Send questions to Tell Me Why, The Jewish News, 27676 Franklin Road, Southfield, MI 48034, or fax to (810) 354-6069. All letters must be signed and in- clude the writer's address. Ques- tions answered in the column will feature only the writer's initials and city of residence.