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

