—Raquel Welsh (born Jo Raquel Tejada; 1940- )
Horseshoe Falls at sunset, July 2021
Forest of Poplars
Caposotto, Sermide, Mantova, Italy, 2018
—Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, c. 190?– 1977)
Summer Evening, 1947
oil on canvas
Jewish Men and Women Praying Together at the Western Wall, Jerusalem c.1875
6/7/15
Young Israel of Century City
Photo by: Steve Cohn
www.stevecohnphotography.com
© 2015
Wooden Synagogue of Wołpa, Poland (now Volpa, Belarus), Built c.1700 and Burned to the Ground by the Nazis, c.1930
First time commenter here, but a long-time reader of your Friday posts. Many thanks for your humane, insightful, entertaining and if I may say so, reverent offerings. I look forward to your Friday column every week.
My comment is about the House of David photo. That colorful, and unconventional Christian group, The Israelite House of David, not only had baseball teams, but bands, an amusement park with miniature trains and other attractions, including a vegetarian summer camp for Jewish families, in Benton Harbor, MI.
My mother, born in 1907, was the middle child of her parents’ ten children. She would sometimes mention that when she was growing up in Chicago, her father and mother would take her and her younger siblings to a summer camp in Michigan run by a group called “The Israelites.” She didn’t recall the location or any other details.
Whenever, in recent summers, my wife and I would visit South Haven, MI, I’d ask local inn keepers if they’d heard of the Israelites. None had, but at a book signing I met the author of a book about Jewish resorts in that area of Michigan informally known as the Catskills of the Midwest. She said “I think I know what you are asking about.” She led me to learn about the Israelite House of David people. I was surprised to learn that my Modern Orthodox grandparents brought their kids to a Christian run summer camp for Jews but it may have been the only kosher camp they could find at that time.
My mom’s memory was partial but it was a bit of oral tradition that proved to be accurate.
Thanks for reminding me of my decades-long, occasional search for the Israelites!
More than that, thank you for sustaining the creative content of your blog consistently over time. Your achievement is remarkable. Shalom.
Walt:
Shavua Tov!
Thanks so much for the kind words and for sharing your knowledge and memories about the fascinating commune House of David.
G’mar Tov
Thanks for your greeting and all that you do Robert. G’mar Tov to you and family.
Walt
Great selection as usual Robert. I’ve been a reader of your site for many years and what I’ve always found interesting is the star’s public persona versus their private real life.
That surprises me about Raquel Welch, The reluctant sex symbol.
I’m sure hoping for Larry Elder. To be a black conservative in this era takes a special kind of character and courage.
There was a recent article in the Wall Street Journal about what he has endured from the left attacks that has been virtually unreported by the main stream media.
The Best line the author gave: “if it weren’t for double standards they would have no standards at all“.
But all we can do is vote and hope for the best.
Nice collection this week, as usual. I have always liked Constance Bennett better then her sister.
Here’s hoping for Larry Elder next week.
Joan Bennet did not really gain star status until she changed from a natural blond to a dark brunette. This was her husband Walter Wanger’s idea after he produced Hedy Lamarr’s first big Hollywood movie, Algiers, 1938. He figured the Hedy look would work for Joan too. He was right.
Both sisters were quite talented. Constance had a more wry sense of humor, never took herself or her roles too seriously. Joan was a great femme fatale, though in her private life she was most content at being a housewife and mother. Her directors were amazed at the contrast between the real Joan and the noirish sex kitten.
Hoping for Larry, but unfortunately Democrat/Socialists outnumber Republicans in California more than two to one.
We are all rooting for Larry, and for you to have a decent state government. It is understood that may not be possible.
You led off with a beauty this week, Robert!
Raquel Welch is a beautiful woman. She typified a new sex symbol of the 1960’s and 70’s. The Dumb Blonde Bombshell image of the 1950’s was being replaced by a more sophisticated European version which included women like Raquel, BB, Gina Lollabrigida, Sophia Loren, Ann-Margret, and Ursula Andress. Raquel appeared in many movies I watched in the 70’s — Mother, Jugs, and Speed and The Three Musketeers, The Four Musketeers, Fuzz and <i?Kansas City Bomber.
Elvis doesn’t look happy being photographed.
Rick’s photo is magnificent.
I love the Art Deco design, but I wish we could see the entire building too.
Joan Bennett came from an acting family and she seemed to have 3 distinct phases to her career: blonde ingenue, the brunette femme fatale, and the maternal roles. Given her long success, I find her comments ironic. Perhaps she is best remembered for her husband shooting her agent (or was that her lover?)
I love the watch design, but at $4-6K, I probably won’t be getting one any time soon.
Joan Crawford always looks like a cold (ahem) witch to me.
You have a few more topics I want to research, but work is calling me. Have a wonderful weekend!
PJ:
Joan Bennett’s husband, producer Walter Wanger, (born Walter Feuchtwanger; 1894 – 1968) shot Joan’s agent/lover Jennings Lang — in the groin.
Joan cried: “Oh Walter, he’s only an agent!”
The single greatest line of dialogue in Hollywood history.
To get the entire fascinating story I recommend the podcast “Love is a Crime.”
Link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/love-is-a-crime/id1578559817
If I remember correctly, Wanger was convicted and served a 4 month sentence for shooting Lang. It kind of sends the message “You can’t go around shooting people in the groin, but he WAS sleeping with your wife, so. . .”
I had the pleasure of working with Raquel on a TV movie I wrote:
Linke here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandal_in_a_Small_Town
Joan was more than okay on screen and off. She had a significant career without the destructive left-leaning noir pictures, some of which did not return costs. As for Walter Wanger, an educated destructive semi-leftist, something always s clear in his films. Check out Blockade, Canyon Passage, the stupid self-justification of Riot in Cell Block 11. Other unattractive men in the business apparently empathized with him and allowed Walter to continue his career. Louis Hayward did Lady in The Iron Mask for Wanger while Walter was (sort of) incarcerated, meeting at the conclusion of each day’s shooting on the opposite side of a barbed-wire fence.
In fact, Joan found her husband’s message pictures pretentious. She fidgeted and yawned through the premiere of his Joan of Arc, starring Ingrid Bergman… as did the audience. Amazingly, Joan of Arc cost more than Gone With the Wind.
Yes, of course, and some of her money went into that bore.
Joan was forced to mortgage the house that she had built before she married Wanger. Joan of Arc was a flop. Joan Bennett was not happy.