Maureen O'Sullivan

Friday Photos: True Hollywood Confessions

August 31, 2018 by Robert J. Avrech 3 Comments

“My mother wisely made very sure when I was young that I wouldn’t get big-headed about my looks. She said, “You have nice eyes, but they’re only nice as long as the expression in back of them is nice. And that depends solely on what you are as a person inside. You are not beautiful, but you can be attractive when you’re nice inside.”
—Elizabeth Taylor

Flashback: Hollywood Celebrates Christmas

December 22, 2016 by Robert J. Avrech 6 Comments

Hollywood pioneer Mary Pickford makes Christmas official, 1920s. — 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.

Flashback: Hollywood Celebrates Christmas

December 25, 2014 by Robert J. Avrech 9 Comments

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.