
Film
The World of Sholom Aleichem
1959 · 1h 38m · Drama · TV Movie
Based on the Writer Whose Stories Inspired The Fiddler on the Roof
- IMDb
- 8.5
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Overview
This omnibus release consists of three playlets filmed and aired during television's Golden Age, and starring some of the legends of film and television. The collection originally ran as a two-hour segment on December 14, 1959, on the anthology series The Play of the Week, broadcast locally in New York City via the independent radio station WNTA. Each "tale" in the anthology was adapted from a single tale by the inimitable Sholom Aleichem, regarded by many as the "Yiddish Mark Twain". Included are: "A Tale of Chelm" starring Zero Mostel and Nancy Walker in the story of a bookseller attempting to buy a goat; "Bontche Schweig" about a poor man (Jack Gilford) whose recent arrival in Heaven makes the angels cry; and "The High School" about a Jewish merchant (Morris Carnovsky) persuaded by his wife (Gertrude Berg) to let their son attend a particular high school despite the enforcement of quotas for Jewish students.
Cast

Gertrude Berg
Hannah

Sam Levene
Mendele

Zero Mostel
Melamed / Maxel

Morris Carnovsky
Aaron Katz / Presiding Angel

Lee Grant
The Goatseller / Avenging Angel

Nancy Walker
Rifkele

Jack Gilford
Bontsche Shveig / Angel

Charlotte Rae
The Angel Rochele
Elsa Freed

Henry Lascoe
Dodi the Innkeeper
Conrad Bromberg
(as Conrad Josephs)

Frederick Rolf
Rabbi David / Prosecuting Angel
Dora Weissman

Carl Reindel
Crew
- Don RichardsonDirector
- Arnold PerlWriter
- Sholom AleichemStory
- Y.L. PeretzStory
- Lewis FreedmanProducer
- Henry T. WeinsteinProducer
- Robert de CormierOriginal Music Composer
- Serge HoveyOriginal Music Composer
- Marc MersonCasting
Details
- Release date
- December 14, 1959
- Status
- Released
- Original language
- English
- Runtime
- 1h 38m
- Genres
- Drama, TV Movie
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