A long time ago, in a universe far, far away, in a place called Hollywood, the movie studios and the actors who flourished in the dream factories, celebrated their love of America and enthusiastically indulged in overt displays of patriotism.


L.B. Mayer (b. Lazar Meir) of MGM, a pioneer of the motion-picture industry, and the man who invented the star system, adopted July 4th as his birthday. Scores of Hollywood historians get all snarky about Mayer’s birthday, claiming that he conveniently changed his birthday in order to cash in on a public identification with America.
What these historians fail to recognize is that Mayer probably did not know the date of his birth.
Mayer was from Minsk, in the Pale of Settlement, where the exact birth dates of most Jews were rarely recorded. My paternal grandfather, Rabbi Shmuel Avrech, also came from the Pale. If anyone asked his birthdate he would shrug and tell us in Yiddish—he barely spoke English—that it was sometime around Chanukah. Naturally, Reb Shmuel had no idea when his parents were born, nor did he care. But he knew their yahrtzeit , the anniversary of their deaths. He had to. For on that day an observant Jew is obligated to recite kaddish .
Anyhoo… back to Hollywood and patriotism.
These days, the Hollywood elite lecture us—tediously and endlessly—that dissent is the highest form of patriotism. Unless the dissent is directed at Barack Obama, in which case, dissent is labeled racism.

But during Hollywood’s golden age, dissent was considered the province of seditious malcontents.
Thus, studio photographers shot thousands of publicity stills featuring contract players celebrating American values with creative displays of good, old-fashioned patriotism.











Seraphic Secret wishes all our friends and relatives a wonderful and patriotic July4, Independence/Declaration Day, celebration.
If Karen likes the Timothy Oulton quilt, I must tell you it’s remarkably easy to recreate. Quilting is one of my hobbies, and a flag quilt doesn’t require a great deal of skill. If no one in the household sews, any seamstress or quilter can produce a similar quilt for a modest amount of cash. Idea for a birthday or anniversary gift?
LBD:
Amazingly, one of our generous readers just wrote to let us know that his sister, an accomplished quilter, is going to produce an American flag quilt for us as a gift. Yay!
Bette Davis in the role of Betsy Ross?
A disproportionate number of tops stars not only served, but distinguished themselves under fire. Not at all like the spaced out, tattooed numbskulls who are front and center today, but each does indeed reflect his own time and culture.
These women lead the way then. Perhaps, we need such women to lead the way today. After all, America is our earthly home. Why would one be ashamed and not proud of their “home.”
Your folio and comments reminded of another who was an icon during her time:
“Kate Smith introduces God Bless America”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnQDW-NMaRs
“led” not “lead” – sorry