Muzak To Your Ears

It's enough to make you prouder than all get-out.

ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM ASSOCIATE EDITOR

---Our Holiday Hours---
Monday Thru Friday 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. • Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Open December 24 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

GENERATION

FOURTH

JEWELERS

AT BIG BEAVER & 1-75 JUST EAST Of THE SOMERSET COLLECTION

755 West Big Beaver • Troy, Michigan 48084 • 810-362-4500
Main Floor, Top of Troy Building
12 Months Same As Cash On All Purchases
With Approved Credit From 11-29 Thru 12-24.

Tired of matchmaking services?
Tired of eating alone?
Tired of paying for a blind date's meal?

TRY

A Unique
Food & Fun Experience
for Single Jewish Men and Women

(ages 22-44, 45-65)

THE CASUAL DINING CLUB

Leave a message for Marcie at

312-482-8700
1-888-655-8700

(toll free)

The Casual Dining Club is a unique service that provides you with the opportunity

to network with other Single Jewish Men and Women
while dining at Metro Detroit restaurants.

(1)

CC)

w

C:)

CC

w

LLJ

30

A
■

Aii

DAVID ROSENMAN'S

MUM

L PlUIROLISEIRS

NEW & USED CAR BROKER
Sales • Leasing • Buying
(810) 851-2277
(810) 851-CARS

Q: The other day my girl and I had movie The Benny Goodman
the radio tuned to one of those sta- Story, featuring Ziggy playing
his horn.
tions that plays "easy listening"
Back in the days when every-
songs from the past. Hey, so I dig one actually admired the State
Jerry Vale; what can I say? I'm a of Israel and the pioneering
sensitive male. Anyway, we hear spirit of its people, a modern Is-
"Volare" — whoa whoa whoa whoa raeli folk song made it really big
in America. In 1950, "Tzena,
— and my girl turns to me and she Tzena, Tzena" was a top hit for
says, "Biff," — that's my name, a folk-music group called the
Biff — "Are the Italians the only Weavers. The lead — in He-
ones who can come up with some- brew! — was sung by Pete
thing so great?" I hastened to re- Seeger.
The song originally was by
mind her about that popular Israeli composer Issichar
Japanese number, "Sukiyaki" and Miron; in 1947, Julius Gross-
the French hit, "Dominique," by the man rewrote the music, which
Singing Nun. But she wanted some- was published in Songs of Is-
thing Jewish, and I'm ashamed to rael. Later, Gordon Jenkins
wrote English lyrics, and with
say I couldn't think of a single one his orchestra recorded the song
that ever made it to the Hit Parade.
with the Weavers.
Although it can't really
Can Tell Me Why help
count
as Jewish, "My
0
out?
Heart Belongs to
A:I've got ---=®
Daddy" has
your number,
a tenuous
pal! In fact, I've
Jewish con-
got three of them.–
nection. The
At least three
song was intro-
easy listening
duced by
Jewish songs
Mary Martin
have made it big
in Cole Porter's
in American
1938 show, Leave
music, starting
It To Me!. Porter, of
with the most popular, "Bei Mir
Bist Du Schoen" ("I Think upper-class WASP origins,
You're Beautiful"), made fa- said he always wanted to write
mous by the Andrews Sisters a "Jewish" song. "My Heart Be-
(none of whom was Jewish). longs To Daddy" was the re-
They introduced the English- sult.
language version in 1937.
Q: I read recently that Wyatt Earp
The song, with Yiddish
words by Jacob Jacobs and mu- is buried in a Jewish cemetery in
sic by Sholom Secunda, was northern California. Is this true, and
written for the 1932 Yiddish if so how did it come about that
musical comedy I Would If I Earp is there?
Could and first performed by
From reader LW. in Baltimore
Aaron Lebedeff (best known for
A:Wyatt Earp is indeed
"Rumania, Rumania").
Sammy Cahn supplied the buried in a Jewish cemetery.
English lyrics and the Andrews He was not Jewish, of course,
Sister recorded the song, which but his wife was; her name was
became the first-ever million- Josephine Sarah Marcus.
Josephine was the daughter
selling record for a female vo-
of Sadie and • Hyman (also
cal group.
In 1939, America was known as Henry) Marcus of
swinging to a new number Oakland, Calif., owners of a
from Benny Goodman. "And candy store. They were assim-
the Angels Sing" featured ilated German Jews whose
words by Johnny Mercer and daughter was a voluptuous,
the vocal talents of Martha pretty girl who dreamed of be-
Tilton. What most Americans ing in show business. In 1879,
did not know was that Ziggy Josie and a friend ran off and
Elman, trumpet soloist on the tried to join a theatrical troupe
record, had written the tune traveling east. She never made
and first recorded it with his it big on the stage, but she did
orchestra as a klezmer instru- fall in love with Tombstone
mental number called "Fralich sheriffJohnny Behan after set-
tling in the Arizona Territory.
in Swing."
Johnny even brought Josie
The song was featured in the
1944 musical film And the An- to Tombstone, where they in-
gels Sing, and again in the 1955 tended to marry. But then

along came Wyatt, a deputy
federal marshall. He was mar-
ried to Mattie Blaylock at the
time, but that didn't stop him
from wooing young Josie.
So who was this Wyatt Earp?
He came from a troupe of broth-
ers all active in law enforce-
ment. Not surprisingly, they
had made a lot of enemies along
the way. In 1882, Wyatt's broth-
ers Virgil and Morgan were am-
bushed, resulting in the latter's
death. Wyatt tracked down and
ended the life of the killer,
whose clan vowed revenge.
For this reason (or so he
said), Wyatt sent Mattie to the
safety of her parents' home in
California. Then he left for Col-
orado and soon brought Josie,
whom he eventually married.
When Mattie found out, she
committed suicide in 1888.
Wyatt remained loyal to
Josie, with whom he had two
children, both of whom died at
birth. During the gold rush,
Josie and Wyatt moved to
Nome, Alaska, where they
owned a saloon and gambling
hall. Later, they settled in the
Southwest, where Wyatt was a
prospector. In 1905, he struck
gold west of what is today Earp,
Calif., and became a well-to-do
businessman.
The Earps spent their sum-
mers in Vidal (no relation to
Sassoon), Calif., near the mines;
and their winters in Los Ange-
les. Wyatt kept in touch with
his large family, who knew
Josie as "Aunt Sadie."
Wyatt died and was cre-
mated in 1929. Josie had his
ashes buried in the Marcus
family plot in the Hills of
Eternity Cemetery, owned by
Congregation Sherith Israel,
in Colma, Calif., just outside
San Francisco. His wife died in
1944 and is buried next to him.
In the 1930s, Josie was in-
terviewed for a book about her
husband. Apparently, howev-
er, it was lost and didn't resur-
face until 1976, when historian
Glenn G. Boyer discovered the
notes and, together with new
material, published I Married
Wyatt Earp.

0

❑

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.

C.

