Robert J. Avrech: Emmy Award winning screenwriter. Religious Zionist. Republican. Movie fanatic. Gun owner. Helplessly and hopelessly in love with my wife since age nine.
Hollywood pioneer Mary Pickford (1892 – 1979) b. Gladys Smith, makes Christmas official, 1920s.
During Hollywood’s Golden Age, the studios, via newspapers, fan magazines, and trade publications, published photos of their stars celebrating Christmas. In this way, Hollywood—though founded by poor immigrant Jews—informed the public that the motion picture industry was in harmony with Christian America.
Seraphic Secret—Karen and I—are Orthodox Jews. We observe the Sabbath and eat only kosher food. Our lives and values are built around the Torah, written and oral. But we enjoy this season, and honor Christmas. We shudder at the relentless postmodern assault on this most Christian of holidays. We want America to remain a steadfastly Judeo-Christian country, for without G-d individual liberty vanishes, replaced, inevitably, by a powerful centralized state, the cult of personality, and various forms of paganism currently exemplified by climate change (AKA the weather) fanatics.
We urge everyone to pray for the Christians who are being murdered, tortured and oppressed by genocidal Islamists all across the Middle East and Africa.
Here’s a sample of Hollywood and Christmas as it used to be.
Hollywood pioneer Mary Pickford (1892 – 1979) b. Gladys Smith, makes Christmas official, 1920s.
During Hollywood’s Golden Age, the studios, through newspapers,fan magazines, and trade publications, published photos of their stars celebrating Christmas. In this way, Hollywood — though founded by poor immigrant Jews — informed the public that the motion picture industry was in harmony with Christian America.
Seraphic Secret — Karen and I — are Orthodox Jews. We observe the Sabbath and eat only kosher food. Our lives and values are built around the Torah, written and oral. But we enjoy this season, and honor Christmas. We shudder at the relentless postmodern assault on this most Christian of holidays. We want America to remain a steadfastly Judeo-Christian country, for without G-d individual liberty vanishes, replaced, inevitably, by a powerful centralized state, a cult of personality and various forms of paganism, exemplified by the climate change (AKA the weather) fanatics.
We urge everyone to pray for the Christians who are being murdered, tortured and oppressed by genocidal jihadists and barbaric Islamic law.
Here’s a sample of Hollywood and Christmas as it used to be.
Karen steps into the living room, glances at the TV, and tries to figure out what movie is playing on TCM. Usually, I’m watching a 30s screwball comedy, or a silent film from the 20s. But this film is from the 50s. Not my favorite decade. The lighting is dead flat, the sets are flimsy, and after barely a minute Karen can tell that the blonde actress in the scary bullet bra is up on the screen for only one reason. Actually, two reasons.
“That’s Mamie Van Doren in Girls Town, AKA the Innocent and the Damed,” I say.
Though trained as a psychologist, Karen has been around the film business long enough to recognize bad acting from, well, wretched acting.
“I’ve never seen a Mamie Van Doren film, ” I confess/explain/justify.
