I MAKE YOU AN OFFER 
YOU CAN’T REFUSE: 
WATCH THE MOST JEWISH 
(WITH AN ASTERISK) MINI-
SERIES EVER MADE 
The Offer, a Paramount+ 
original limited series, pre-
mieres on April 28. There 
are 10 episodes total, with 
the first three steaming on 
the 28th. It is about the 
drama surrounding the mak-
ing of the original Godfather 
film (1972). My readers know 
that I “kvetch” about Jewish 
actors not getting Jewish 
parts. Well, I’ve gone over 
the large cast list, and I’ve 
got to say that The Offer is 
“the most Jewish” (writer, 
characters, actors) mini-se-
ries or film that I know of. 
This statement excludes 
Israeli or Israel-related 
series/films, Holocaust-
related works and some 
small budget films about a 
Jewish family.
For the first time, I am 
recommending that my read-
ers subscribe to a stream-
ing service, if only for two 
months. The regular price is 
$5 a month. The Offer series 
ends in mid-June, so for 
$10 you can see it all. Plus, 
Paramount is bringing out 
of its vault all the Godfather 
films and begins streaming 
them on Paramount+ around 
the 28th. 
 All 10 episodes were writ-
ten by Michael Tolkin, 71. 
The really Jewish aspect of 

this series starts with him. 
His father was comedy writer 
Mel Tolkin (1913-2007). Born 
Shmuel Tolchinsky in a shetl 
near Odessa (Ukraine), Mel 
and his family fled pogroms 
(1926) and settled in Canada. 
He moved to New York 
(1946) and quickly stopped 
being an accountant and 
became a top TV comedy 
writer for Sid Caesar, Danny 
Kaye and many others. 
 Michael’s credits include 
writing the acclaimed 1993 
film The Player (from his 
novel of the same name) 
and co-creating Escape 
at Dannemora (2018), a 
well-received Showtime 
mini-series. He met his wife, 
author and psychologist 
Wendy Mogel, 71, in college 
(Google her!). The couple 
became practicing Jews in 
the 1990s and, after a year 
of Talmud and Torah study, 
Mogel began incorporating 
Jewish religious teachings 
into child-rearing books for 
“everyone.” 
Four of the episodes were 
directed by Adam Arkin, 
65, the son of Alan Arkin, 
88. Adam is best known as 
an actor. After the first three 
episodes stream, I’ll return 
to The Offer with comments 
about how the Jewish char-
acters were depicted. Right 
now, here are the real-life 
Jewish characters in the 
series, who plays them, and 
the Jewish actors who play 
non-Jewish characters. All 
those listed appear in all 10 
episodes.
Here goes: (1) Robert 
Evans (1930-2019) was the 
(very handsome) head of 
Paramount studio when The 
Godfather was made. He is 
played by Matthew Goode, a 
good-looking Brit. 
 (2) Albert Ruddy, now 
92, was the principal pro-

ducer of The Godfather. 
He is played by Miles Teller, 
whose paternal grandfather 
was Jewish.
 (3) Francis Ford Coppola, 
the (Italian-Catholic) direc-
tor of The Godfather. He is 
played by Dan Fogler, 45, 
who looks a lot like Coppola. 
 
 (4) Charles Bludhorn 
(1926-1983), was the owner 
of Paramount studio. 
Records show he was born 
Jewish in Austria, but he hid 
his Jewish background. He 
is played by Burn Gorman, 
a Brit. 
(5) Peter Bart, now 89. 
Formerly a journalist, he 
became a Paramount pro-
ducer in 1967. He worked 
closely with Evans and 
Ruddy on The Godfather. 
His parents were secu-
lar Jews, the children of 
Austrian Jewish immigrants. 
Bart is played by Josh 
Zuckerman, 37, who is hard 
to run-down. I believe his 
father is Jewish; mother, not.
 (6) Ali MacGraw, now 
83. Best known as the star 
of Love Story (1970), she 
wed Evans in 1969. Her 
marriage-ending affair with 
Steve McQueen began 
around the time The 
Godfather was being made. 
MacGraw found out as an 
adult that her Jewish mother 

hid her background from her 
and her bigoted father.
 (7) Francoise Wizenberg 
Glazer (1937-2014). She 
was Albert Ruddy’s wife 
during the making of The 
Godfather. Born in France, 
she survived the Holocaust 
in hiding. After the war, 
she moved to Israel, then 
came to the States in 1955. 
She wed a wealthy Jewish 
industrialist, they divorced, 
and she married Ruddy. 
She is played by Nora 
Arnezeder, 32, a very pret-
ty French actress. Nora’s 
father is Austrian Catholic. 
Her mother is Sephardi and 
Nora identifies as Jewish. 
Nora’s great-grandparents 
were Italian Jews who set-
tled (1914) in Egypt. Nora’s 
mother and “grands” had to 
leave Egypt in 1956. (Nora 
co-starred in the TV series 
Zoo with Farmington Hills 
native James Wolk, 37). (
8) Mario Biaggi, a Bronx 
(not Jewish) congressman. 
He’s played by Danny 
Nucci, 53. His parents were 
Moroccan Jews. He spent 
his first seven years in Italy, 
then moved to the States.
(9) Dean Tavoularis, now 
89, an Oscar-winning pro-
duction designer. He is 
played by Eric Balfour, 44, a 
“steady-working” TV actor. 

CELEBRITY NEWS

NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST

ARTS&LIFE

BY FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL DE CINE EN GUADALAJARA 

Michael Tolkin

BY KINGKONGPHOTO 

Adam Arkin in 1999

BY KELEIGHK

Nora Arnezede

48 | APRIL 28 • 2022