WEST BLOOMFIELD

Fl

began working with Dwight Hemion
on the Perry Como series, where
Hemion was director.
The two formed their partnership
in 1965 for their first television spe-
cial, "Singer Presents Tony Bennett."
The duo's many TV triumphs have
included specials with Paul
McCartney, Elvis Presley, Bette Midler
and Bing Crosby as well as "Liberty
Weekend: The Unveiling of the Statue
of Liberty" and "The 25th
Anniversary of the Kennedy Center."
Smith also produced and staged the
last three Democratic National
Conventions and the opening cere-
monies of Israel's 50th anniversary cel-
ebration in Tel Aviv.
"People will say to us that they
always can recognize our specials and

STI VAL

June 1 3 ESL 1 4

Saturday & Sunday
10 AM - PM

9anked 35th Best Art Fest in the U.S.

Painting by: H ilda Rindom

caught up with the ones having Jewish
subjects, such as Schindler's List.
"There are many, many films that
have Jewish themes, whether it's
Fiddler or Gentleman's Agreement, and
I find them definitely appealing
because I find everything of Jewish life
appealing," he said. "I'm drawn to my
own culture."
Smith traces his interest in the
entertainment industry to his maternal
grandfather, David Abrams, who was
the drama critic for a Jewish labor
newspaper in New York.
"Zero Mostel was one of my closest
friends in the business, and I did a spe-
cial with him," Smith recalled. "I used
to spend a lot of time talking to him,
and I think his talent was extraordi-
nary. Zero knew my grandfather, and
that was a little bonding thing.
We would talk about that."
A graduate of Carnegie Tech's
theater department with a
degree in scenic design, Smith

The Jewish
Connection

Many of the 400 nominated
films on the American Film
Institute ballot feature Jewish
themes and/or characters.
What follows is a partial list.
Are your favorites included?

Featuring 200 top national & international

A scene from Woody Allen's 'Manhattan," one
of his three nominated films.

Ben Hur (1926)
The Jazz Singer (1929)
The Lift of Emile Zola (1937)
Gentleman's Agreement (1946)
The Ten Commandments (1956)
Ben Hur (1959)
The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
The Producers (1967)
Funny Girl (1968)
Fiddler on the Roof (1971)

artists from 30 states! Plus, a food fest
and live entertainment.

Cabaret (1972)
Blazing Saddles (1974)
All the President's Men (1976)
Annie Hall (1977)
Manhattan (1979)
Chariots of Fire (1981)
Sophie's Choice (1982)
The Big Chill (1983)
Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
Schindler's List (1993)

FREE ADMISSION!

Located at

Henry Ford Medical Center

6777 West Maple Road, opposite the JCC

Among the Jewish celebrities
who will share their favorite
films on "AFI's 100 Years ...
100 Movies" are Woody
Allen, Mel Brooks, David
Copperfield, Stanley Donen,
Richard Dreyfuss, Larry
Gelbart, Dustin Hoffman,
Larry King, Sidney Lumet,
Gene Siskel, Carly Simon,
Steven Spielberg and Ben
Stiller.

— Gail Zimmerman

Will "Sophie's Choice" be ..a winner?

Sponsored by:

DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

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Howard Alan Events, Ltd., Producing America's Finest Art Festivals
For more information, call (248) 626-3636 'email: howard@artfestival.com

6/12,
199i

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