{"id":1989,"date":"2021-06-08T17:53:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-08T22:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/?p=1989"},"modified":"2023-06-13T18:19:44","modified_gmt":"2023-06-13T23:19:44","slug":"the-menashe-skulnik-story-in-the-forward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/the-menashe-skulnik-story-in-the-forward\/","title":{"rendered":"The Menashe Skulnik Story in the Forward"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Menashe Skulnik<\/a>\u00a0(1892-1970) was one of the great comic actors of the Yiddish theatre, remembered for his trademark porkpie hat and beloved for his schlemiel-like stage persona. In 1963, the Yiddish\u00a0Forverts\u00a0(Forward) newspaper published his serialized memoir,<\/em>\u00a0Menashe Skulnik dertseylt (The Menashe Skulnik Story).1<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0In it, Skulnik chronicled the trajectory of his long career, from his early days in Warsaw to his English-language performances on Broadway, radio, and even television.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each Sunday and Wednesday, over the course of nine months, installments of Skulnik\u2019s memoir ran in the Forverts. Each installment is prefaced by a brief summary, and all of these summaries are presented here in English translation. From their contents it is evident that Skulnik was drawing upon a rich personal archive as well as on his memories of the events that he was recounting. The installments are also accompanied by numerous photographs of Skulnik and other Yiddish theatre personalities, in and out of costume. <\/em>Menashe Skulnik dertseylt is accessible in digitized issues of the <\/em>Forverts, via the Historical Jewish Press (part of the NLI Newspaper Collection<\/a>).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summaries translated by Zachary Baker.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

January 6<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of a foreword, thanks to the Almighty. \u2013 I\u2019ll tell only the truth. \u2013 Truth No. 1: \u201cI was born.\u201d \u2013 How old am I? \u2013 The curtain rises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

January 9<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We move to Warsaw. \u2013 My father is a good worker and a poor provider. \u2013 Where he used to spend his nights. \u2013 My mother and her sense of humor. \u2013 A pretty mother, but without a tooth in her mouth. \u2013 The Jew and my swollen cheek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

January 13<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My father brings me to kheyder<\/em>. \u2013 I begin to read everything that comes my way. \u2013 My brother takes me to the theatre for the first time in my life. \u2013 \u201cWho is Dolsky?\u201d \u2013 I become a \u201ctheatre addict.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

January 16<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My \u201cdebut\u201d in the Polish theatre. \u2013 Then I move over to the circus and become a \u201cclown.\u201d \u2013 My father interferes and drags me back home. \u2013 First sufferings for art\u2019s sake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

January 20<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years of wandering and hunger. \u2013 My first day in America. \u2013 How I was received at my brother\u2019s home. \u2013 My brother \u201cbuys up\u201d my foreign currency. \u2013 I visit the Actors\u2019 Club. \u2013 I\u2019m distraught.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

January 23<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My boyhood friend Harry Weinberg. \u2013 The five dollars that he lent me. \u2013 My debut in America. \u2013 I become a director. \u2013 \u201cSketches\u201d back then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

January 27<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I travel to Albany and return a rich man. \u2013 Misha German<\/a> \u201cborrows\u201d money from me. \u2013 Peyse the waiter takes me in. \u2013 I\u2019m hired by the Arch Street Theatre<\/a>. \u2013 How I manage to come by a wife and two children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

January 30<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My first earnings in Philadelphia. \u2013 One dollar and thirty-three cents for three weeks of work. \u2013 I play a serious heroic role; the audience rolls with laughter. \u2013 Max Rosenthal, the star of the Arch Street Theatre. \u2013 He made the actors tremble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

February 3<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My fight with Max Rosenthal. \u2013 He curses my father and I deck him. \u2013 I get a raise in my wages. \u2013 Max Rosenthal\u2019s revenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

February 6<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most important person in the Yiddish theatre in those days. \u2013 The role of the prompter. \u2013 The stars didn\u2019t know their roles. \u2013 Gershon Rubin<\/a> doesn\u2019t know his role and the critics praise him. \u2013 Anna Appel<\/a> \u201cbids farewell\u201d three times to her daughter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

February 10<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I work hard and the harder I work the less I have. \u2013 Anshel Schorr doesn\u2019t give me raises in my wages. \u2013 But he gives me presents. \u2013 I plan to give up the theatre. \u2013 An invitation from the Actors\u2019 Union to come for my tryout. \u2013 Should I go, or should I not go?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

February 13<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I study my roles while en route from Philadelphia. \u2013 No one recognizes me. \u2013 My tryout takes place in a \u201ctavern.\u201d \u2013 Jean Greenfield silences the crowd. \u2013 My pulse \u201cstops.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

February 17<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have you ever in your life been really, truly hungry? \u2013 \u201cSamples\u201d of hungry days. \u2013 Three weeks on dry matzoh and hot water. \u2013 I find fifteen kopeks and commit a \u201cgreat sin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

February 20<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strolls with my father along the streets of Warsaw. \u2013 I live on one meal a day. \u2013 \u201cBrunch suppers.\u201d \u2013 My first steak. \u2013 My second steak. \u2013 Finally, I taste a genuine steak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

February 24<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m a \u201cgenius\u201d and I work as a toolmaker, a carpenter, and at other trades. \u2013 I\u2019m invited to New York for an engagement. \u2013 I become a stage manager in Boston. \u2013 An incident between a \u201cPoylisher\u201d and a \u201cGalitsyaner.\u201d \u2013 I become a playwright; I cease being a playwright.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

February 27<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maurice Schwartz<\/a> hires me as \u201cLudwig Satz\u2019s replacement.\u201d \u2013 Mark Schweid<\/a>, Yudel Dubinsky<\/a>, and Muni Weisenfreund<\/a> are hired for the same role. \u2013 A glass of ice-cold water. \u2013 I\u2019m punished for not performing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

March 3<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My \u201cspringtime\u201d in the Yiddish theatre. \u2013\u00a0Rudolph Schildkraut<\/a>\u00a0hires me. \u2013 He gives lessons about the theatre. \u2013 I make an astounding discovery. \u2013 I decide to become a \u201csuper-realist,\u201d a comic actor.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

March 6<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once again, without an engagement. \u2013 How to turn an actor into a comedian? \u2013 The terrors of a \u201cliterary\u201d actor. \u2013 I come close to taking a job with an insurance company but remain with the theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

March 10<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The whole truth and nothing but the truth. \u2013 I become a partner in a theatre in the Bronx. \u2013 How I maneuvered among the theatres. \u2013 I play in the Hebrew theatre. \u2013 In addition, I become a subcontractor with the theatre. \u2013 The critics praise me and tear me down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

March 13<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why the wandering troupes weren\u2019t trusted in Europe. \u2013 The hotel manager and his two large rooms. \u2013 I find an umbrella in a phone booth and I \u201cannex\u201d it. \u2013 A half hour of great terror.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

March 17<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My debut as a comedian was in Toronto. \u2013 In the first play I didn\u2019t \u201cbluff.\u201d \u2013 I move in a new direction and become the city\u2019s sweetheart. \u2013 Boaz Young can attest to that. \u2013 Moskvin, Vishnevsky, and Stanislavsky become my friends. \u2013 Elias Glickman invites me to come to Chicago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

March 20<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe two Jews of Toronto.\u201d \u2013 I don\u2019t want to become an impresario. \u2013 My brother-in-law Misha German. \u2013 The ovations in Toronto. \u2013 German and Guskin become my tutors. \u2013 I become a partner in Toronto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

March 24<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The aggravation that I had as German\u2019s partner. \u2013 The posters. \u2013 I leave the partnership. \u2013 My reputation as a \u201cmentsh\u201d sinks. \u2013 The new partnership with Yechiel Goldsmith and Isidore Hollander. \u2013 We propose a match to Goldsmith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

March 27<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Philadelphia, the city where for six years I was a writer of roles, I become a star. \u2013 Six stars in the Garden Theatre. \u2013 None of them remain. \u2013 I drive my own car all the way to Albany. \u2013 Eight days en route to Detroit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

March 31<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We arrive in Detroit and \u201cfall into\u201d a banquet. \u2013 The lawyer Isaac Finkelstein graces us with a lecture about the theatre. \u2013 My friend Harry Weinberg. \u2013 A friendship that began during our childhood years. \u2013 A three-day trip from Detroit to Chicago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

April 3<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We settle in Chicago. \u2013 My first role, Michalesko permits me to rewrite it. \u2013 I receive \u201cmy own press.\u201d \u2013 My book with the collected jokes gets burned. \u2013 Where can I find a manager?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

April 7<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elias Glickman becomes my agent. \u2013 He and William Morris get a contract for me with Fox Studios, but with an option. \u2013 What became of the contract. \u2013 My first engagement in New York. \u2013 The actors sabotage me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

April 10<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thursday evening, when benefit performances honoring actors take place. \u2013 Zolatarevsky writes a fourth act for me. \u2013 Misha German makes up with me. \u2013 I travel to Chicago with Joseph Schoengold. \u2013 How he became acquainted with me. \u2013 Why didn\u2019t Schoengold become a star?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

April 14<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joseph Schoengold engages me to travel with him to Buenos Aires, in place of Lucy Finkel \u2013 Telegrams fly back and forth. \u2013 We get to know the Jews of Buenos Aires. \u2013 My first speech in Argentina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

April 17<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Big Earner\u201d beats \u201cShabetai Zvi<\/a>.\u201d \u2013 An empty and a packed theatre. \u2013 Schoengold\u2019s remarkable deed. \u2013 I cut pieces of newspaper and I bring down the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

April 21<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tme\u2019im<\/em> [\u201cimpure\u201d elements] and their sway over the Yiddish theatre in Buenos Aires in those years. \u2013 A visit to a \u201chouse\u201d just outside the city and to a \u201cparlor\u201d in town. \u2013 The \u201cwholesale market\u201d in Rio de Janeiro. \u2013 The ten weeks fly by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

April 24<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We bid farewell to Buenos Aires, with a big banquet. \u2013 Frances Adler<\/a> travels home with us. \u2013 Memories of yesteryear. \u2013 We come to a shtetl and perform theatre. \u2013 How we managed to extricate ourselves from there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

April 28<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frances Adler and Joseph Schoengold open my eyes. \u2013 The season opens at the Folks-teater. \u2013 The play is Zalkin\u2019s [i.e., Z. Libin\u2019s<\/em>] \u201cNaye negidim\u201d (Nouveaux riches). \u2013 Isidor Cashier\u2019s \u201cprank.\u201d \u2013 I challenge him to a duel. \u2013 We become good friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May 1<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The big success of \u201cDi eybike mame\u201d (The Eternal Mother). \u2013 Misha German owes me pay. \u2013 My daughter Royzele becomes a bride. \u2013 I become a manager in English vaudeville. \u2013 The telegram from Buenos Aires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May 5<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I purchase an\u00a0arshin2<\/a><\/sup><\/em>\u00a0of plays for Argentina. \u2013 With a cooperative troupe in the provinces. \u2013 The Jewish \u201ccowboys.\u201d \u2013 Mois\u00e9s Ville. \u2013 Dynamite blasts summon the audience to the theatre. \u2013 I purchase expensive pocketbooks, gifts for our theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May 8<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

R. Guskin wants to pass me off as a star. \u2013 He finally succeeds in making a deal with Detroit. \u2013 My friend Harry Weinberg gets to work. \u2013 How a star is born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May 12<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abraham Littman and his hoarse bass voice. \u2013 Owners and other movers-and-shakers of the theatres. \u2013 My conflicts with the stagehands\u2019 unions and with the audiences. \u2013 The hubbub over the six tickets. \u2013 How I silenced the outcries in the theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May 15<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m engaged by the Parkway Theatre. \u2013 The members of the troupe. \u2013 Max Friedlander, a prompter and a gag man. \u2013 A couple examples of roles that I wrote for myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May 19<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Misha German comes to hire me once more. \u2013 I give him ultimatums and he accepts them. \u2013 He is not a successful person, and we allow our salaries to be cut. \u2013 He owes me money yet again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May 22<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1932, the year of the Great Depression. \u2013 I meet\u00a0Gertrude Berg<\/a>. \u2013 I become a radio actor. \u2013 I become a theatre entertainer. \u2013 The mistake that I made.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Gertrude Berg in\u00a0The Goldbergs.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

May 26<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oscar Green snatches me up from Lowenfeld. \u2013 Six weeks instead of one in the Hopkinson Theatre<\/a>. \u2013 The actors want a raise. \u2013 Charlie Weinblatt,<\/a> a good jokester and an unsuccessful manager. \u2013 Israel Rosenberg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May 29<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actors have to sell tickets for the theatre. \u2013 We began to economize. \u2013 The first play in the Hopkinson Theatre, \u201cMr. Schlemiel.\u201d \u2013 The critics find only one good actor in the troupe. \u2013 Who knows better how to die, the critic or the actor? \u2013 An allegorical tale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

June 2<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m an impresario and a star. \u2013 \u201cGetsl vert a khosn\u201d (Getsl Becomes a Bridegroom), a huge success. \u2013 Isidore Lillian<\/a>. \u2013 We go on tour in the Bronx during Passover. \u2013 The \u201cblue blood\u201d actors. \u2013 Edwin Relkin<\/a>, the \u201cTsar\u201d of the \u201croad.\u201d \u2013 He settles accounts with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

June 5<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aboard the ship to Buenos Aires. \u2013 Once again, I relive episodes from my earlier life. \u2013 I\u2019m on the verge of becoming a soldier. \u2013 My father wants me to mutilate myself. \u2013 I steal across the border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

June 9<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two competitors in Buenos Aires, Ludwig Satz<\/a> and me. \u2013 Homeward bound, to New York. \u2013 The poker game on the train. \u2013 \u201cThough he\u2019s green, he\u2019s a winner.\u201d \u2013 The final evening in New York, when I played Tsar Nicholas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

June 12<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I purchase Isaac Friedman\u2019s \u201cA Year Between Life and Death.\u201d \u2013 Misha German hires me for the Parkway Theatre during Passover. \u2013 \u201cThe Straw Soldier.\u201d \u2013 The theatre is packed. \u2013 I become Rumshinsky\u2019s partner in the Folks-teater. \u2013 I search for a play. \u2013 \u201cFishl der gerotener\u201d (Fishl the Success Story).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

June 16<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We make feverish preparations for the next season. \u2013 How a musical comedy is born. \u2013 \u201cFishl der gerotener.\u201d \u2013 Rumshinsky and I are successful. \u2013 There weren\u2019t enough wages for the two of us. \u2013 There\u2019s something a little fishy at the \u201cfront.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

June 19<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We helped two people with loans. \u2013 Joseph Rumshinsky<\/a> recommends a new creditor to me. \u2013 He lends me five thousand. \u2013 Who is he?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

June 23<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We snatch up gems for the new season. \u2013 Fania Rubina<\/a>. \u2013 We do a makeover to a play by Kalmanowitz. \u2013 The difficulties of bringing her over from Poland. \u2013 David Dubinsky<\/a> comes to our aid. \u2013 Harry Weinberg also helped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

June 26<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The huge success of \u201cThe Galician Rebbe\u2019le.\u201d \u2013 \u201cWhen will the Yiddish Metropolitan Opera House come again?\u201d \u2013 My mother is my biggest fan. \u2013 She blesses me for one last time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

June 30<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The great businessmen that Rumshinsky and I were. \u2013 We don\u2019t have any plays. \u2013 To go bankrupt, or not to go bankrupt? \u2013 The friendship that Jacob R. Schiff manifested toward me. \u2013 I take another trip to South America. \u2013 When I protected Yitskhok Leybush Peretz<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

July 3<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yiddish actors in North America and Argentina. \u2013 The dispute between\u00a0Irving Grossman<\/a>\u00a0and Boris Auerbach. \u2013 When \u201call right\u201d is not enough. \u2013\u00a0Avrom Morevski<\/a>\u00a0comes to our theatre. \u2013 I prepare to slap him. \u2013 He throws himself at me and kisses me.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Avrom Morewski<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

July 7<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How I left Buenos Aires. \u2013 I allow myself to be persuaded to give a concert in Rio de Janeiro. \u2013 The theatre audience revolts. \u2013 Irving Jacobson<\/a> and Mae Schoenfeld<\/a>. \u2013 The reason behind the rebellion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

July 10<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

En route home from Brazil we sail into a severe tropical storm. \u2013 The ship is damaged. \u2013 I think that I can be brave. \u2013 The season is a \u201cflop.\u201d \u2013 Oscar Ostroff is my guardian angel. \u2013 He also gets helped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

July 14<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m hired in Chicago. \u2013 Every day I fly to and from New York. \u2013 And what about sleeping? \u2013 I fly and fly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

July 17<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Herman Yablokoff engages me for the Second Avenue Theatre. \u2013 Yablokoff the theatrical personality. \u2013 The telegram from NBC. \u2013 I\u2019m brought in to perform in a broadcast of \u201cAbie\u2019s Irish Rose.\u201d \u2013 The difficulties that arose from that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

July 21<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I chase after agents. \u2013 Finally, I find a young pup. \u2013 How much do I get for a broadcast? \u2013 I get a raise of over four hundred dollars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

July 24<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anne Nichols pays me a thousand dollars for a broadcast. \u2013 William Rolland takes over the Second Avenue Theatre, and he engages me. \u2013 The theatre flourishes. \u2013 My great misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

July 28<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The productions of new plays. \u2013 More important things come first. \u2013 How a name gets picked. \u2013 The last one on the play\u2019s roster. \u2013 The prosperity of the theatre during wartime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

July 31<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isidore Edelstein takes over the Second Avenue Theatre from Rolland and me. \u2013 His explanation. \u2013 I become a vaudeville star in Loew\u2019s State Theatre. \u2013 A few critics and theatre managers come to see me. \u2013 Edelstein surprises me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

August 4<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abe Ellstein becomes my composer. \u2013 Ellstein, Sholem Perlmutter, Joseph Rumshinsky. \u2013 The notion of a parachute. \u2013 I fall down on stage. \u2013 A performance that makes me shudder. \u2013 I\u2019m taken to the hospital in an ambulance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

August 7<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At death\u2019s door in the hospital. \u2013 My daily visitor, Anna Teitelbaum. \u2013 The theatre loses money, but Isidor Cashier<\/a> pays full wages. \u2013 The response in the theatre to Roosevelt\u2019s death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

August 11<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isidore Edelstein suddenly sold his lease for the theatre. \u2013 Why he did it. \u2013 With Rolland once again. \u2013 Now, however, I have a contract with him. \u2013 Emissaries from the Martinique night club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

August 14<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I say \u201ca couple of words\u201d at the Martinique night club and I\u2019m invited with a contract. \u2013 The wages are fantastic. \u2013 The previous night I \u201chave a failure.\u201d \u2013 I learn the reason. \u2013 The first evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

August 18<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My performances at the Martinique. \u2013 The young John [i.e., Jack<\/em>] Carter. \u2013 When the audience wants to dance. \u2013 My contract is extended. \u2013 Why I don\u2019t enjoy performing in night clubs. \u2013 I turn down a contract for ten thousand dollars a week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

August 21<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I like America. \u2013 I\u2019m tricked into a political rally. \u2013 How the endorsement got fed to me. \u2013 Congressman Klein rescues me from a quagmire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

August 25<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My two wonderful daughters, Royzele and Hendele. \u2013 They obeyed me and left the stage. \u2013 Royzele and her husband, Leo Libkin. \u2013 Her sudden death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

August 28<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My wife Anna was born in Germany and raised in Paris. \u2013 She became an actress there. \u2013 She\u2019s my secretary, my manager and my protector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

September 1<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My love for mame-loshn<\/em>. \u2013 How I became a comedian. \u2013 About theatre criticism. \u2013 The Theatre Guild and Franz Werfel send after me. \u2013 They want me for the lead in \u201cJacobowsky and the Colonel.\u201d \u2013 I\u2019m dying to play that role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

September 4<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My big disappointment. \u2013 Under no circumstances does Rolland want to free me up from my contract. \u2013 The annoying factions of the Yiddish press. \u2013 I inform Rolland that next season I won\u2019t perform in the Yiddish theatre. \u2013 The uproar in the theatre world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

September 8<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I finally leave the Second Avenue Theatre. \u2013 What became of that theatre. \u2013 What actors in Europe used to do. \u2013 Sylvia Regan \u201cthreatens\u201d me with a comedy. \u2013 Meanwhile, another comedy is proposed to me. \u2013 I turn her down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

September 11<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I become an idler. \u2013 Three radio performances a week for WEVD. \u2013 The National Broadcasting Company draws up a TV contract for me. \u2013 The young television actors. \u2013 I want to cancel the contract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

September 15<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Against my will, I played for sixteen weeks on TV. \u2013 I earn more in the last three weeks than in the preceding thirteen. \u2013 Boxes full of mail. \u2013 I flee on account of a \u201cquarrel.\u201d \u2013 The reporters find us. \u2013 My wife Anna knows French and takes my place. \u2013 The hostility of the Yiddish newspapers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

September 18<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m banished on account of two innocent jokes. \u2013 But Buenos Aires makes up with me. \u2013 I\u2019m a guest of honor in the Yiddish theatres. \u2013 Once again, I\u2019m harnessed to the wagon for ten productions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

September 22<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Yiddish portion of my memoirs comes to an end. \u2013 Summing up. \u2013 However, I want to tell more. \u2013 First, though, let\u2019s catch our breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Appendix: Personalities mentioned in these summaries<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Adler, Frances (1891-1964). Yiddish actress; daughter of the famous Yiddish stars Jacob P. Adler and Sara Adler; married to Joseph Schoengold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Appel, Anna (1888-1963). Yiddish actress; a regular member of the Yiddish Art Theatre ensemble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Auerbach (Averbakh), Boris (1890-?). Yiddish actor; active in New York City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Berg, Gertrude (1899-1966). American Jewish actress, screenwriter, and producer; creator and star of the radio and television series \u201cThe Goldbergs.\u201d (Menashe Skulnik played Uncle David Romain in the radio series.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carter, Jack (1922-2015). American actor, comedian, and television presenter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cashier (Casher), Isidor (1887-1948). Yiddish actor; a regular member of the Yiddish Art Theatre ensemble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dubinsky, David (1892-1982). Longtime president of the International Ladies Garment Workers\u2019 Union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dubinsky, Yudel (1886-1963). Yiddish actor; a regular member of the Yiddish Art Theatre ensemble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Edelstein, Isidore. Yiddish theatre manager in New York City; active in the Yiddish Theatrical Alliance; son of Joseph Edelstein (1858-1940), who was also a theatre manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ellstein, Abe (1907-1963). Major Yiddish theatre composer; active in New York City; married to Sylvia Regan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finkel, Lucy (1897-1943). Yiddish actress; active in New York City; daughter of Yiddish actors Morris and Emma Finkel (who was Boris Thomashefsky\u2019s sister). Her sister, the actress and screenwriter Bella Finkel (1898-1971), was married to Muni Weisenfreund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finkelstein, Isaac (1889-1989). Attorney in Detroit; Yiddish activist and editor; first president of the Sholom Aleichem Folk Institute of Detroit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Friedlander, Max (1892-1966). Yiddish actor; prompter at the Parkway Theatre, Brooklyn; served as secretary-treasurer of the Hebrew Actors Union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Friedman, Isaac (Yitskhok) (1893-1950). Yiddish playwright; wrote several hit plays for Menashe Skulnik and Herman Yablokoff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

German (Gehrman), Misha (1887-1947). Yiddish actor, conductor, and producer. His wife, Lucy German (1889-1954), was the sister of Menashe Skulnik\u2019s first wife, Sarah (Kutner) Skulnik (1892-1943).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Glickman, Elias (1870 or 1871-1931). Yiddish actor and longtime Yiddish theatre impresario in Chicago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Goldsmith, Yechiel (1889-1929). Yiddish actor and theatre manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Green, Oscar (1893-1966). Yiddish theatre manager; based in New York City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greenfield, Jean (Yankev) (1876-1944). Yiddish actor and theatre manager; based in New York City; served as president of the Hebrew Actors Union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grossman, Irving (1900-1964). Yiddish actor and star; based in New York City; served as president of the Hebrew Actors Union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guskin, Reuben (1887-1951). Labor leader: longtime manager of the Hebrew Actors Union; served as president of the United Hebrew Trades and the Workmen\u2019s Circle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hollander, Isidore (1889-1941). Yiddish actor and director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jacobson, Irving (1898-1978). Yiddish actor, star and theatre manager. His wife Mae Schoenfeld formed the other half of the Jacobson-Schoenfeld comedy duo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kalmanowitz, Harry (1885 or 1886-1966). Prolific author of popular Yiddish plays, specializing in melodramas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Klein, Arthur George (1904-1968). Attorney in New York City; served in the U.S. House of Representatives (as a Democrat) from 1941 to 1945 and from 1946 to 1956; New York State Supreme Court judge from 1957 to 1968.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Libin, Zalmen (Solomon) (1872-1955). Yiddish short-story writer and prolific playwright.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Libkin, Leo (1911-1972). Served as Treasurer of the Yiddish Folks Theatre (Folks-teater); husband of Menashe and Sarah Skulnik\u2019s daughter Royze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lillian, Isidore (1882-1960). Prolific Yiddish playwright, active in New York City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Littman, Abraham (1880-1962). Yiddish theatre impresario in Detroit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lowenfeld (Lohnfeld), Samuel (1878-?). Yiddish actor and theatre manager; based in New York City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michalesko, Michal (Michael) (1888-1957). Yiddish actor and star.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morewski, Awrom (Avrom Morevski) (1886-1964). Polish Yiddish actor and star; performed with the Vilna Troupe and played the Rebbe of Miropol in the 1937 film version of \u201cThe Dybbuk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morris, William (1832-1932). Vaudeville and theatrical talent agent; founder of the William Morris Agency (established in 1898).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moskvin, Ivan Mikhailovich (1874-1946), Russian actor; appointed director of the Moscow Art Theatre in 1943.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nichols, Anne (1891-1966). American playwright; author of \u201cAbie\u2019s Irish Rose.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ostroff, Oscar (1904-1979). Yiddish actor, playwright, and theatre critic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perlmutter, Sholem (1884-1954). Yiddish playwright and prompter; founder of the League of Yiddish Playwrights and of the Society of Jewish Composers, Lyricists, and Publishers. His important archive is at YIVO (RG 289).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regan, Sylvia (1908-2003). American playwright; author of \u201cThe Fifth Season\u201d; married to Abe Ellstein.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Relkin, Edwin (1880-1952). Yiddish theatre producer; served as manager of the Yiddish Art Theatre and later as Maurice Schwartz\u2019s personal manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rolland, William (1885-1960). Yiddish theatre impresario and manager; active in New York City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rosenberg, Israel (1895-1963). Prolific Yiddish playwright, actor, producer of Yiddish radio programs. The Canadian novelist Mordecai Richler was his nephew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rosenthal, Max (ca. 1865 or 1866-1938). Yiddish actor and director; star at the Arch Street Theatre in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rubin, Gershon (1878-1932). Yiddish actor; active in New York City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rubina, Fania (1906-1997). Yiddish actress; arrived in 1936 from Poland, served as Skulnik\u2019s co-star in \u201cMr. Schlemiel.\u201d She remained in the U.S. during and after World War II.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rumshinsky, Joseph (1881-1956). Major Yiddish theatre composer; active in New York City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satz, Ludwig (1891-1944). One of the Yiddish theatre\u2019s greatest comic actors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schiff, Jacob R. (1879-1949). Lithuanian-born attorney and philanthropist in New York City, a patron of the Yiddish theatre. Not<\/em> to be confused with the German-born banker and philanthropist Jacob Henry Schiff (1847-1920)!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schildkraut, Rudolph (1862-1930). Star of stage and screen in Austria, Germany, New York, and Hollywood; performed in both German and Yiddish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schoenfeld, Mae (1905 or 1906-1978). Yiddish actress and theatre manager; active in New York. Her husband Irving Jacobson formed the other half of the Jacobson-Schoenfeld comedy duo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schoengold, Joseph (1887-1943). Yiddish actor; married to Frances Adler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schorr, Anshel (1871-1942). Yiddish playwright, stage director, and theatre manager (most notably, at the Arch Street Theatre in Philadelphia, 1912-1927).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schwartz, Maurice (1890-1960). Yiddish actor, star, director, and impresario; founded and for many years led the Yiddish Art Theatre; directed and starred in Yiddish films.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schweid, Mark (1891-1969). Yiddish author, actor, director, and playwright; active in New York City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stanislavsky, Konstantin Sergeevich (1863-1938), Russian actor, director, and theoretician; a co-founder of the Moscow Art Theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teitelbaum, Anna (1896-1992). Yiddish actress; active in New York City. She married Menashe Skulnik after the death of his first wife, Sarah Skulnik (1892-1943), who was also a Yiddish actress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vishnevsky, Aleksandr Leonidovich (1861-1943), Russian actor; involved with the Moscow Art Theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weinberg, Harry (1889-1982). Yiddish actor, radio host, cultural activist in Detroit; Menashe Skulnik\u2019s oldest and one of his closest friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weinblatt, Charlie (1877-1937). Attorney, Yiddish theatre manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weisenfreund, Muni (Paul Muni) (1895-1967). Oscar-winning star of stage and screen. The son of Yiddish actors, Muni had a distinguished career on the Yiddish stage (including several seasons with the Yiddish Art Theatre) before turning his sights to Broadway and Hollywood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Werfel, Franz (1890-1945). Austrian Jewish novelist, playwright, and poet; author of the novels The Forty Days of Musa Dagh<\/em>, The Song of Bernadette<\/em>, and the play Jacobowsky and the Colonel<\/em> (made into the Hollywood film Me and the Colonel<\/em>, starring Danny Kaye).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yablokoff, Herman (1903-1981). Yiddish actor, star, composer, playwright, director, and producer. Nicknamed \u201cDer Payats<\/em>\u201d (The Clown), after the title of one of his shows. Served as president of the Hebrew Actors Union and the Yiddish Theatrical Alliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Young (Yungvits), Boaz (Bernard) (1870-1955). Yiddish actor and star; he and his wife, the actress Clara Young (1882-1952), performed in the Soviet Union for over two years during the 1920s. (Later, she returned there and died in Moscow.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zolatarevsky (Solotorefsky, Zlatarewski, Zolotarefsky), Isidore (Isadore, Yitskhok) (ca. 1873 or 1875-1945). Prolific author of popular Yiddish plays, specializing in melodramas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Notes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. In English-language playbills and advertisements his name was often spelled \u201cMenasha Skulnick,\u201d which is also how his name appears in the burial register for the Hebrew Actors Union section of Mount Hebron Cemetery. See\u00a0https:\/\/www.mounthebroncemetery.com\/interments\/?page=1&fname=&lname=&yod=&society=&block=67&reference=1#results<\/a>, accessed December 30, 2020.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. An\u00a0arshin<\/em>\u00a0is a linear measurement, also known as the Russian cubit, equivalent to 28 inches or 71.12 cm. Figuratively speaking, Skulnik purchased a \u201cyard\u2019s worth\u201d of plays for his South American tour.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Menashe Skulnik (1892-1970) was one of the great comic actors of the Yiddish theatre, remembered for his trademark porkpie hat and beloved for his schlemiel-like stage persona.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":1993,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"categories":[47,11,16,35,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-1918-1945","category-actors","category-impersarios","category-places-of-performances","category-south-america"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Menashe Skulnik Story in the Forward - Digital Yiddish Theatre Project<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/the-menashe-skulnik-story-in-the-forward\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Menashe Skulnik Story in the Forward\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Menashe Skulnik (1892-1970) was one of the great comic actors of the Yiddish theatre, remembered for his trademark porkpie hat and beloved for his schlemiel-like stage persona.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/the-menashe-skulnik-story-in-the-forward\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Digital Yiddish Theatre Project\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-06-08T22:53:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-06-13T23:19:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/562\/2023\/06\/19630106_01-dragged-copy.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"380\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jeremy A Streich\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jeremy A Streich\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"21 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/yiddish-stage\\\/the-menashe-skulnik-story-in-the-forward\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/yiddish-stage\\\/the-menashe-skulnik-story-in-the-forward\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jeremy A Streich\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/yiddish-stage\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/acb308ee9146d2d003cc0dfb2a5f08f9\"},\"headline\":\"The Menashe Skulnik Story in the Forward\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-06-08T22:53:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-06-13T23:19:44+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/yiddish-stage\\\/the-menashe-skulnik-story-in-the-forward\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":4280,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/yiddish-stage\\\/the-menashe-skulnik-story-in-the-forward\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/yiddish-stage\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/562\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/19630106_01-dragged-copy.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"1918-1945\",\"Actors\",\"Impresarios\",\"Places of Performances\",\"South America\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/yiddish-stage\\\/the-menashe-skulnik-story-in-the-forward\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/yiddish-stage\\\/the-menashe-skulnik-story-in-the-forward\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Menashe Skulnik Story in the Forward - Digital Yiddish Theatre Project\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/yiddish-stage\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/yiddish-stage\\\/the-menashe-skulnik-story-in-the-forward\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/yiddish-stage\\\/the-menashe-skulnik-story-in-the-forward\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/yiddish-stage\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/562\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/19630106_01-dragged-copy.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-06-08T22:53:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-06-13T23:19:44+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/yiddish-stage\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/acb308ee9146d2d003cc0dfb2a5f08f9\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/yiddish-stage\\\/the-menashe-skulnik-story-in-the-forward\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/yiddish-stage\\\/the-menashe-skulnik-story-in-the-forward\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/yiddish-stage\\\/the-menashe-skulnik-story-in-the-forward\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/yiddish-stage\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/562\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/19630106_01-dragged-copy.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/yiddish-stage\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/562\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/19630106_01-dragged-copy.webp\",\"width\":900,\"height\":380,\"caption\":\"The first installment of Menashe Skulnik's memoir ran on January 6, 1963 in the Forverts.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/yiddish-stage\\\/the-menashe-skulnik-story-in-the-forward\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/yiddish-stage\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Menashe Skulnik Story in the Forward\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/yiddish-stage\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/yiddish-stage\\\/\",\"name\":\"Digital Yiddish Theatre Project\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/yiddish-stage\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/yiddish-stage\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/acb308ee9146d2d003cc0dfb2a5f08f9\",\"name\":\"Jeremy A Streich\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e399a19731b1091c871f2856bb4a1f9b8a25f546316420cdffcf604a3babdcea?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e399a19731b1091c871f2856bb4a1f9b8a25f546316420cdffcf604a3babdcea?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e399a19731b1091c871f2856bb4a1f9b8a25f546316420cdffcf604a3babdcea?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Jeremy A Streich\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/yiddish-stage\\\/author\\\/streichuwm-edu\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Menashe Skulnik Story in the Forward - Digital Yiddish Theatre Project","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/the-menashe-skulnik-story-in-the-forward\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Menashe Skulnik Story in the Forward","og_description":"Menashe Skulnik (1892-1970) was one of the great comic actors of the Yiddish theatre, remembered for his trademark porkpie hat and beloved for his schlemiel-like stage persona.","og_url":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/the-menashe-skulnik-story-in-the-forward\/","og_site_name":"Digital Yiddish Theatre Project","article_published_time":"2021-06-08T22:53:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-06-13T23:19:44+00:00","og_image":[{"width":900,"height":380,"url":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/562\/2023\/06\/19630106_01-dragged-copy.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"Jeremy A Streich","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jeremy A Streich","Est. reading time":"21 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/the-menashe-skulnik-story-in-the-forward\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/the-menashe-skulnik-story-in-the-forward\/"},"author":{"name":"Jeremy A Streich","@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/#\/schema\/person\/acb308ee9146d2d003cc0dfb2a5f08f9"},"headline":"The Menashe Skulnik Story in the Forward","datePublished":"2021-06-08T22:53:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-06-13T23:19:44+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/the-menashe-skulnik-story-in-the-forward\/"},"wordCount":4280,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/the-menashe-skulnik-story-in-the-forward\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/562\/2023\/06\/19630106_01-dragged-copy.webp","articleSection":["1918-1945","Actors","Impresarios","Places of Performances","South America"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/the-menashe-skulnik-story-in-the-forward\/","url":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/the-menashe-skulnik-story-in-the-forward\/","name":"The Menashe Skulnik Story in the Forward - Digital Yiddish Theatre Project","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/the-menashe-skulnik-story-in-the-forward\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/the-menashe-skulnik-story-in-the-forward\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/562\/2023\/06\/19630106_01-dragged-copy.webp","datePublished":"2021-06-08T22:53:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-06-13T23:19:44+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/#\/schema\/person\/acb308ee9146d2d003cc0dfb2a5f08f9"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/the-menashe-skulnik-story-in-the-forward\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/the-menashe-skulnik-story-in-the-forward\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/the-menashe-skulnik-story-in-the-forward\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/562\/2023\/06\/19630106_01-dragged-copy.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/562\/2023\/06\/19630106_01-dragged-copy.webp","width":900,"height":380,"caption":"The first installment of Menashe Skulnik's memoir ran on January 6, 1963 in the Forverts."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/the-menashe-skulnik-story-in-the-forward\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Menashe Skulnik Story in the Forward"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/#website","url":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/","name":"Digital Yiddish Theatre Project","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/#\/schema\/person\/acb308ee9146d2d003cc0dfb2a5f08f9","name":"Jeremy A Streich","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e399a19731b1091c871f2856bb4a1f9b8a25f546316420cdffcf604a3babdcea?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e399a19731b1091c871f2856bb4a1f9b8a25f546316420cdffcf604a3babdcea?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e399a19731b1091c871f2856bb4a1f9b8a25f546316420cdffcf604a3babdcea?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Jeremy A Streich"},"url":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/author\/streichuwm-edu\/"}]}},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1989","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1989"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1989\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1995,"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1989\/revisions\/1995"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1989"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/yiddish-stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}