This is the old tradition of Jewish product placement. According to Gabler in "An Empire of Their Own" the Jewish moguls knew from empiric testing, even in the thirties, that audiences did not respond well to Jewish characters on screen, so they kept them off. But you catch them as product placements in movies from the period if you watch carefully. Billy Wilder inserted "Lou Schwartz," an insurance salesman who shares an office with Fred MacMurray in "Double Indemnity." He's seen briefly, his name is on the door, and he's mentioned in an offhand reference. Played by Douglas Spencer (b. William Henry Mesenkop) who might or might not have been Jewish in real life; he often portrayed wisecracking newspaper reports as in "The Thing". In any case the point is, it says we're here and we're people, too. Even if you don't want us in lead or character roles.
This is the old tradition of Jewish product placement. According to Gabler in "An Empire of Their Own" the Jewish moguls knew from empiric testing, even in the thirties, that audiences did not respond well to Jewish characters on screen, so they kept them off. But you catch them as product placements in movies from the period if you watch carefully. Billy Wilder inserted "Lou Schwartz," an insurance salesman who shares an office with Fred MacMurray in "Double Indemnity." He's seen briefly, his name is on the door, and he's mentioned in an offhand reference. Played by Douglas Spencer (b. William Henry Mesenkop) who might or might not have been Jewish in real life; he often portrayed wisecracking newspaper reports as in "The Thing".
ReplyDeleteIn any case the point is, it says we're here and we're people, too. Even if you don't want us in lead or character roles.