The Milwaukee Journal – Nov 22,
1942
Meet Mama and Papa of Abie
BEHIND the folksy characters of
Mr. and Mrs. Cohen in “Abie’s Irish Rose” (NBC-WTMJ, Saturdays, 7 p. m.) are
two distinguished Yiddish actors of more than a generation of stand and motion
picture experience. They are Menashua Skulnick, Polish born actor often called “a
second Charlie Chaplin,” and Anna Appel, about whom Brooks Atkinson once wrote
in the New York Times, “She could play a telephone book.”
Miss Appel, born in Rumania, came
to America 35 years ago with her parents and played her first part in a charity
school play in Montreal. Now she has chalked up 28 years of successful
performances. She was an active member of the Yiddish Art theater in New York
for 17 years and has been a star character actress on Broadway and in motion
pictures.
Her first bid from Hollywood and
thought was a prank. Late one night her telephone rang. It was long distance. A
strange voice asked: “How would you like to come to Hollywood?”
Miss Appel was tired and in no
mood for jokes. “I said something very rude I’m afraid, and hung up. Later I found
out it was really serious.”
Two notable motion pictures in
which she finally appeared were “A symphony of Six Million,” with Irene Dunne
and Ricardo Cortez, and “Faithless,” with Tallulah Bankhead and Robert
Montgomery.
On Broadway Anna Appel has
achieved acclaim in Clifford Odets’ play, “Awake and Sing”; in Samuel Spivak’s “Papa,”
and most recently, in Upton Sinclair’s “Good Neighbor.” Right now she is
playing with Molly Picon in a Yiddish story, the translated name of which is “Oh,
What a Life.”
<Mamale Cohen (Anna Appel)
soothes her darling Papale (Menashua Skulnick) at the end of partically every
installment of “Abbie’s Irish Rose” (NBC-WTMJ, 7 p. m. Saturdays)>
ANNE NICHOLS, author of all
versions of “Abie’s Irish Rose,” auditioned Miss Appel for the original stage
role of Mrs. Cohen 21 years ago but decided she was too young. “I’m glad I
finally caught up with it,” says Anna, who has grown up to the part in real
life, too. Her son, who taught in New york university before the war, now is
Sergt. Avrum H. Ben-Avi of the army air
crops. Her daughter, Helen, also an actress has a 15 year old son.
Bubbling over with good humor at
all times, Menashua Skulnick, who has been acting since he was 8 years old, has
not always been a comedian. He became one because, in his own words:
“I was playing a juvenile part where the farmer took a whip to his daughter to force her to marry the rich villain who held the mortgage. I was to come in and rescue her. But when I came in and said, ‘Halt, don’t you dares to strike his daughter is a gonoph (translated from Yiddish this means variously ‘bad man-no good-thief’ etc.), the house came down with laughter”
Skulnick has been a star with New
York’s Yiddish Art theater for more than 16 years. at present he is starring in
its current success, “Be Happy.” He has played character parts in radio for a
decade.
Menashua and Anna Apple have
played Papale and Mamale Cohen since the beginning of Anne Nichols’ radio drama
on NBC last year.
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