52 | JANUARY 11 • 2024 J
N

TWO NEW FILMS; WWII
VETS PASS ON, BUT ONE
IS STILL INVENTING TOYS

Self-Reliance, a comedy
thriller, will premiere on
Hulu on Jan. 14. Here’s the
premise: A sad man (Andy
Samberg, 45) receives an
invitation to win $1 million
by a reality TV game on
the dark web. For 30 days,
he must outwit hunters
attempting to kill him. But,
there’s a loophole: The
hunters can only attack
him when he’s alone —
so he tries to convince
friends, family and
strangers that they must
stay with him 24/7.
The film was written and
directed by Jake Johnson,
45. He’s probably best
known as a co-star on
New Girl, the long-running
TV sit-com. He was also
the voice of Spiderman/
Peter Parker in the two hit
animated Spiderman films
(2018 and 2023).
Johnson’s father was
Jewish, but he was raised
by his non-Jewish mother.
Johnson is his mother’s
maiden name. His religious
beliefs seem limited to
vague comments like “God
is everywhere.”
Rebel Moon, which is
now streaming, is a big-
budget Netflix sci-fi film
reminiscent of some Star
Wars films. A sequel film
will open in April. Critics
say some special effects
are good, but the film
is a derivative “mess.” I
watched it because three
Jewish actors are in it:
Corey Stoll, 47, Ed Skrein,
40, and Michiel Huisman,
42. Huisman and Skrein
are stars of the flick, while
Stoll’s role is smaller.

Skrein is a good-looking
British actor whose credits
include Midway and
Deadpool. His father is
Jewish. It’s unclear if his
mother is Jewish, too.
Huisman is a Dutch
actor. His mother is
Jewish. It’s unclear
whether his father is
Jewish, but that doesn’t
matter. His brother told a
Dutch site: “My family is
Jewish.”
Huisman had big parts
in Game of Thrones and
The Flight Attendant. In
GOT, he played Daario
Naharis, a “hot” mercenary
leader who allies with
“Dragon Queen” Danerys
and becomes her lover.
Huisman played Alex,
the boyfriend of the
title character in Flight
Attendant.
Huisman’s wife is Tara
Elders, 43, a pretty, now-
retired Dutch actress. A
source tells me that her
American mother is likely
all Jewish. Elders’ Dutch
paternal grandparents
were posthumously
honored by Yad Vashem
as “Righteous Gentiles”
in 2017. They hid a Dutch
Jewish judge, his wife and
their teenage daughter,
and saved their lives.
In 2022, right around
Veterans’ Day, I had a
column item about the
WWII vets who became
famous after the war and
were still alive. Seven of

the 14 vets were Jewish.
In 2023, more than half
died. This isn’t a surprise.
A WWII vet had to be born
no later than 1927 to be 18
just as the war ended in
1945.
The list below is a
record, of sorts, of the
passing of the “Greatest
Generation.” It is, sadly, a
foreshadow of the “end”
of living witnesses to the
Holocaust.
The Jewish vets who
died: Shecky Greene
(comedian, died 12/31/23,
age 97); Bernard Kalb
(CBS reporter, 1/8/23, age
100); Henry Kissinger
(Secretary of State,
11/23/23, age 100); Newton
Minow (FCC chairman,
5/6/23, age 97); and
Norman Lear (producer/
writer, 12/5/23, age 101).
Non-Jewish vets: Bob
Barker (game show host,
8/23/23, age 97); Harry
Belafonte (singer, 4/25/23,
age 96); Tony Bennett
(singer, 7/21/23, age
96); and Pope Benedict
XVI (12/31/22, age 96).
The surviving Jewish
vets, on my original list are
Mel Brooks, 97, and top
songwriter Alan Bergman,
98. The surviving, not
Jewish vets are film
producer Roger Corman,
97; director Norman
Jewison, 97; and Dick
Van Dyke, 98. Van Dyke
recently said that Norman
Lear and Carl Reiner (a

WWII vet who died in
2020) “were the best
persons I ever knew.”
Here’s a happy addition
to my original vets’ list.
A Dec. 17 CBS Sunday
Morning Show segment
(on YouTube) profiled Eddy
Goldfarb, now 102! The
segment was good, but a
YouTube search revealed a
better profile (19 minutes),
directed by Goldfarb’s
daughter, Lyn Goldfarb,
70. It’s entitled The Man
Who Invented Iconic Toys.
(Trust me, you’ll love this
film!)
Goldfarb, who’s
remarkably spry and
healthy looking, grew
up very poor. But his
life changed when he
joined the WWII Navy,
became a radar tech and
volunteered to serve
on subs. On his sub, he
designed toys in his spare
time.
He married Anita Stern
in 1948, and they were a
devoted couple until her
death in 2013. Just before
they wed, they agreed
that Anita would support
Eddy for two years and
see if his toys would sell.
His first toy, the Yakity Yak
“chattering teeth” was a
big hit. His biggest sellers
include Battling Tops
(game), KerPlunk (game),
and Stompers (toy trucks).
He’s still inventing toys,
alone, and his inventing
process is in the film.

CELEBRITY NEWS

NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST

ARTS&LIFE

UPROXX

Andy Samberg

JAGPAL KHAHERA

Michiel Huisman

GAGE SKIDMORE

Corey Stoll