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FROM SHTETL TO SWING premiered on October 5, 2005 on PBS (check local listings).
Fleeing persecution in Russia and Eastern Europe between 1880 and 1924, more than 2.5 million Jews left their small towns, or shtetls, behind and embarked for a new land -- America. A host of kids from New York City's Lower East Side -- Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Sophie Tucker, Molly Picon, Eddie Cantor, Fanny Brice, The Marx Brothers, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, and many others -- grew up to capitalize on a vast heritage of Yiddish music and culture, taking 20th-century American entertainment on a musical joyride. Hosted by actor and playwright Harvey Fierstein, written and directed by Fabienne Rousso-Lenoir, FROM SHTETL TO SWING tells the story of the cross-pollination of Jewish and African-American musical influences, two traditions born out of exile and longing, yet charged with an energy and freedom that gave voice to a new multicultural America.
Learn how four of the pioneering Jewish artists spotlighted in the film -- Sophie Tucker, Al Jolson, Fanny Brice, and Eddie Cantor -- got their start and parlayed their talents to become mainstream stars in the essay by contributor Thomas Hischak, which includes links to performance excerpts by each artist. Browse photos and short profiles of several of the performers featured in FROM SHTETL TO SWING in the Multimedia Presentation.
Additional funding was provided by The LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust, The Annenberg Foundation, The Ira and Leonore Gershwin Philanthropic Fund, and Judith B. Resnick.
Top banner photos: Judy Garland in THE WIZARD OF OZ, Benny Goodman, and Fanny Brice. |
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Sophie Tucker as Alice Clayton in BROADWAY MELODY OF 1938. |
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Al Jolson as Ted Cotter in ROSE OF WASHINGTON SQUARE. |
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This program is not available on VHS or DVD. |
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