NOVEMBER 24 • 2022 | 47

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DETROIT JEWISH 
MUSINGS FROM 
LILY TOMLIN
“I grew up in a predominantly Jewish, 
but very diverse, neighborhood. We 
lived in an old apartment house across 
from Herman Kiefer Hospital, on the 
corner of Hazelwood and Byron in 
Detroit. I would go from apartment to 
apartment from the time I was 7 years 
old until I was about 14. Belle and Joe 
Schwartz lived next door to us. Belle’s 
sister, Marianne, used to read the 
Katzenjammer Kids Sunday comics to 
me in Yiddish. I would just love it when 
she did that. 
“I had a great friendship with Mrs. 
Rupert, who was a botanist. Every 
night, I’d walk her two chihuahuas and 
get paid 15 cents. Mrs. Rupert would 
read me the New York Times, and I’d 
work the crossword puzzle. If I didn’t 
understand a word, I’d have to write it 
down and look it up in the Encyclopedia 
Britannica. After that, we would listen to 
[journalist] Drew Pearson — Mrs. Rupert 
was very reactionary politically.
“And, of course, I’d have other 
influences in the building who were 
very communistic and very left wing. 
And then I’d go and hang out at some 
Southern person’s apartment who’d 
be up from Tennessee working at the 
factories and who didn’t have any 
politics. My mother and dad were both 
from Kentucky, so I had lots of exposure 
to Southern and Black culture. I saw all 
the different ways that people lived their 
lives. They were so different, but so 
similar. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
“But let’s talk more about Allee.”

“Night of Wonders” Co-Chair Lily Tomlin on the 
21st Night of September 2022.

Detroit Entertainment Award 
in 2018, the same year she was 
inducted into the Songwriters Hall 
of Fame. Her last time visiting 
Detroit was in September 2019, just 
three months before her untimely 
passing.
More than 500 Allee Willis 
supporters attended “Night of 
Wonders,” which was held at 
Valentine DTLA. Topping the list 
were many Detroiters, including 
Willis’ classmates from Mumford 
High School, Motown Museum 
and Mosaic Youth Theatre 
executives and good friends Jim 
Budman, Cinnamon Triano, Stan 
Zimmerman, Rose Abdoo and Joya 
Koch. 
Celebrity pals RuPaul, Luenell, 
Paul Reubens (aka Pee-wee 
Herman), Jenifer Lewis and fellow 
Detroiter Lily Tomlin hosted the 
star-studded evening.
“Allee was so unique and so 
original, you can’t do her justice in 
talking about her,” said Tomlin, who 
graduated in 1957 from Cass Tech 
High School while Willis graduated 
in 1965 from Mumford. “It’s hard to 
describe her. Allee was so absolutely 
alive and giving. She was very 
expansive, totally excitable and 
wonderfully delightful.”

THE WILLIS WONDERLAND 
FOUNDATION
The Willis Wonderland Foundation 
was established by Prudence 
Fenton, Willis’ longtime partner 
and Emmy and Grammy Award-
winning producer. The nonprofit 
raised over $200,000 at the Sept. 
21st event. Proceeds from the gala 
will help support the education and 
advancement of songwriters and 
multimedia artists, notably those 
from underserved communities.

“Allee’s work with the impressive 
Mosaic Youth Theatre in Detroit 
really inspired this Foundation 
because it’s one of the few charities 
that she ever ran into that sponsors 
kids from all over Detroit who are 
in the performing arts. That’s what 
we’re trying to do here in L.A., but 
we’re starting with songwriters and 
multimedia artists,” said Fenton.
Fenton says that Willis 
Wonderland Foundation plans to 
hold artist-in-residence programs 
at Willis Wonderland, Willis’ 
North Hollywood home, which is 
now a museum and houses one of 
theworld’s largest collections of pop-
culture memorabilia. 
Willis Wonderland was the site 
of Willis’ legendary parties. In 
2018, Willis hosted a fundraiser 

(From left) Willis Wonderland Foundation 
friends and actors Kate Flannery and 
Southfield High School alumni Rose Abdoo 
and Stan Zimmerman

PHOTO BY SERENA BEGGS

