JANUARY 25 • 2024 | 51
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ROSIE AND THE RIVETERS, 
FARGO & A ‘WHODUNIT’
Masters of the Air is a major Apple+ 
limited series (9 episodes) that begins 
streaming on Friday, Jan. 26. New 
episodes are released on successive 
Fridays.
 The series is based on an 
acclaimed 2006 historical 
study Masters of the Air: America’s 
Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air 
War Against Nazi Germany. It was 
written by Donald L. Miller, a Lafayette 
University history professor.

Steven Spielberg, 77, and Tom 
Hanks are the main producers 
of Masters. I guess they have great 
confidence in Masters. It cost more 
than $250 millon to make.
There are more than 70 members in 
the cast list. Almost all of them have 
very few credits. Clearly, the creators 
wanted “newbies,” not famous faces. 
Two “name” British actors are in the 
series — Austin Butler, who played 
Elvis in the bio-musical Elvis (2022), 
plays an important British officer 
and Bel Powley, 31, (King of Staten 
Island) has a guest role.
I’ve read Miller’s book, and I can tell 
you that U.S. Army Air Force bomber 
pilot Robert “Rosie” Rosenthal (1917-
2007) is prominent in the book and is 
a star character in the Apple series. 
Rosenthal entered the service as a 

lieutenant and left as a lieutenant col-
onel. He became a squadron leader 
and his men proudly called themselves 
“Rosie’s Riveters.” 

“Rosie” won every U.S. medal for 
heroism that can be awarded, other 
than the Medal of Honor, and many of 
his heroic acts were so extraordinary 
that they make great drama. No doubt, 
some of these heroic acts will be in the 
series.
I could stop right here and leave it 
to you to read more about Rosenthal 
online. Or you might choose to be 
surprised as you watch the series. But 
I want to entice everyone to subscribe 
to Apple+ just to see Rosenthal scenes.
So, here’s part of why Rosenthal is 
so special: Born in Brooklyn, he was a 
“newly minted” lawyer when he enlist-
ed right after Pearl Harbor (December 
1941). He flew the standard 25 missions 
and then volunteered to fly another 27 
missions.
In 1943, 13 planes took off to bomb 
the Nazis. Rosenthal, on just his third 
mission, piloted his shot-up plane and 
brought it back to England. His plane 
was the only one to return.
In early 1944, he bailed out over 
France and made his way back to 
England with French partisan help.
In February 1945, Rosenthal led a 
mission that bombed Berlin (a bomb 
his plane dropped happened to kill the 
most notorious Nazi judge). After the 
bomb-drop, he flew his shot-up plane to 
nearby Russian lines and he supervised 
his crew as they parachuted down, one-
by-one. He got out seconds before his 

plane blew up.
After the war, Rosenthal was a 
Nuremburg trials prosecutor. His tasks 
included interrogating Herman Goering 
in advance of Goering’s trial.
Nate Mann, who plays Rosenthal, is 
far from famous. He’s 24, has been in 
one Broadway play (2020) and has had 
two small film roles. That’s pretty much 
his whole online biography.
I’m pretty sure Mann is Jewish, but I 
can’t confirm that now. I suspect a lot of 
information about the cast will come out 
when they do interviews this week and 
next month.
Fargo is a Hulu anthology series that 
is inspired by the Coen brothers’ 1996 
hit movie of the same name. Each sea-
son runs 10 episodes but has a different 
premise and its own cast. The first sea-
son and the just-concluded fifth season 
got the best reviews.

Juno Temple is just marvelous as 
the lead character, Dorothy, in the fifth 
season. Watch the first episode of the 
fifth season, and just 10 minutes into 
the second episode, and you’ll see 
how surprising and interesting Dorothy 
is. Jennifer Jason Leigh, 61, is great 
as Dorothy’s very rich and very nasty 
mother-in-law.
Also on Hulu is the original 
series Death and Other Details (began 
on Jan. 16 ). This 10-episode series is 
an old-fashioned “whodunit” mystery. A 
murdered person is found in a locked 
luxury ocean liner room. The main sus-
pect is Imogene Scott, a known thief.
On the ship is famous detective Rufus 
Cotesworth (Mandy Patinkin, 71). Of 
course, he is drawn into solving the 
murder. (Reviews of the first episodes 
are mostly good, but not great). 

CELEBRITY NEWS

NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST

ARTS&LIFE

Steven Spielberg

MARTIN KRAFT VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Lt. Col. Robert Rosenthal

U.S. AIR FORCE

Jennifer Jason Leigh

GAGE SKIDMORE VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS