APRIL 18 • 2024 | 73

ARTS&LIFE
NOSTALGIA

Mad World. Most of the actors/
actresses in this movie per-
formed at the Elmwood! 
One day I was watching an 
episode of Gilligan’s Island called 
“Producer.
” The episode fea-
tures a character named Harold 
Hecuba who works with the 
castaways to produce a play. 
Hecuba ends up sneaking off 
the island without the others. 
Later, the castaways hear a news 
report on the radio, mentioning 
that Hecuba just came up with 
a hit movie idea, the one they 
all worked on together. Gilligan 
then picked up an entertain-
ment paper that was titled, 
SHOW BIZ. He shared his sen-
timents about Hecuba’s shady 
actions, simply stating, “That’s 
show biz!”
The actor who played the 
role of Hecuba is Phil Silvers, 
youngest child of Russian 
Jewish immigrants. About 
a week later, I saw another 
film that Phil was in. Beatrice 
Kay, who performed at the 
Elmwood, was in it, too. She 
played the role of Claire in the 
classic 1945 film, Diamond 
Horseshoe, starring beautiful 
Betty Grable and crooner Dick 
Haymes.

While doing some research 
about the movie, I discovered 
that it was written and directed 
by George Seaton. He grew up 
in a Jewish neighborhood in 
Detroit. 
One last story. While recently 
listening to Joe Riddle’s Old 
Time Radio Show one Sunday 
evening, I heard entertainer Al 
Jolson. I wondered if he had 
ever played at the Elmwood. 
After a quick search, I was sort 
of surprised to find out that he 
hadn’t.
However, he was good friends 
with another popular performer 
of the day, George Jessel, who 
had performed at the Elmwood 
during March of 1955. Both Al 
Jolson and George Jessel were 
Jewish. Al’s birth name was Asa 
Yoelson. George’s was George 
Albert Jessel.
George spoke at Al’s funeral. 
The dome part of his mau-
soleum, located at Hillside 
Memorial Park Cemetery, fea-
tures a huge mosaic of Moses 
holding the tablets containing 
the Ten Commandments, and 
identifies Jolson as “The Sweet 
Singer of Israel” and “The Man 
Raised Up High.
” 

continued from page 71

GEO LIGHTSPEED7 

Louis Armstrong 
with Elmwood 
band leader 
Jack Madden, 
1950s

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