rt lament

problem, and bringing issues out of
the shadows is what film can do well.
The impact of using major stars to
show how it was considered OK to
discriminate but in poor taste to men-
tion discrimination was very signifi-
cant."

C

eleste Holm, 28 when
Gentleman's Agreement was
filmed, enters American
homes every week as she
stars with Gerald McRaney in the
CBS series "Promised Land," which is
broadcast at 8 p.m. Thursdays on
CBS.
Television roles are only one portion
of acting successes that also have placed
her on domestic and foreign stages and
in acclaimed films such as the drama
All About Eve and the romantic comedy
Three Men and a Baby.
In the years since Gentleman's
Agreement was completed, Holm has
been asked to lecture on her part as an
editor who forthrightly takes a stand
against bigotry, and she recently
recalled her experiences specifically for
the JN.
Besides discussing the serious and
sensitive issues associated with that
project, she offers some of the lighter
moments as well:

The film that
exposed
anti-Semitism in
America
celebrates a
golden
anniversary.

Above: In a memorable scene from
Gentleman's Agreement, Gregory Peck
and Celeste Holm watch aJewish G.I.
(played by real-life Jewish actor John
Garfield — real name Julius
Garfinkle) as he confronts an anti-
Semitic slur.

10/17
1997
100

SUZANNE CHESSLER
Special to The Jewish News

entleman's Agreement broke
filmmaking ground 50 years
ago by boldly confronting
the issue of anti-Semitism
and its effects on day-to-day living in
America.
Now, in its golden anniversary year,
the movie will be shown tonight in
Southfield to emphasize the ugly tar-
nish that results from discrimination.
Starring Gregory Peck as a non-
Jewish journalist posing as a Jew,
Gentleman's Agreement dramatizes big-
otry and its nuances manifested in
seemingly polite circles.
The film, which opened Nov. 11,
1947, at the Mayfair Theatre in New
York City, launches this season's
Classic Cinema Series at the
Southfield Centre for the Arts. Before
tonight's showing, Judge Stephen
Cooper of the 46th District Court will
discuss the film's content.
Gentleman's Agreement, periodically
scheduled on late-night network TV
and cable channels, played on

Gi

Broadway for 28 weeks after its pre-
miere and became 20th Century Fox's
top-grossing movie for 1948.
The New York Film Critics Circle
voted it the Best Picture of the Year,
and it similarly was included on the
Ten Best Films lists of many media
groups such as the New York Times
and Time magazine.
The movie won the Academy
Award as Best Picture of the Year, with
other Oscar kudos going to Elia Kazan
as director and Celeste Holm as Best
Supporting Actress. Gregory Peck
earned one of his five overall Best
Actor nominations for the film.
"Making Gentleman's Agreement was
an act of bravery in that it took an
issue that was real but not talked
about in 'polite society' or on the
screen, exposed it to worldwide audi-
ences and got the subject into the
open and discussed," said Elliot
Wilhelm, curator of film at the
Detroit Institute of Arts and host of
the PBS series "Film Festival," which
shows classic movies at 9 p.m. Fridays.
"It was an important first step in
acknowledging the existence of the

Q: When you look at it now, what do
you like about Gentleman's Agreement?
A: I like the people. I think they were
honest and trying hard and showed
that they were. I think the values were
brought out quite well.

Q: What did winning the Oscar for
your role in the movie represent to
you?
A: It represented a great deal because
[Gentleman's Agreement] won for Best
Picture that year. What I said in my
speech was that I was proud to be part
of a picture that is about understandin_
in a world that seems to need it so
much.

Q: Because of the environment at the
time the movie was made, were you
ever hesitant about accepting the role?
A: Not at all. I was delighted to have
the opportunity to make a difference.

Q: How did you get cast in the film?
A: I had given a benefit for an old the-
atrical club and went to the Brown
Derby afterward for dinner. Sitting
opposite me was a guy with a three-day
beard, a checked sport jacket and a
d,
white silk scarf He looked just the way