I will be returning to the JCC In Manhattan in February, to present a five week series, devoted to the Hollywood musicals of George and Ira Gershwin. This film series was an idea that dates back to 1997, when I was a part-time instructor at The New School For Socail Research. The course was published in the New School bulletin, but did not run, due to only five students enrolled. I was asked whether I wanted to run the course. I should have, but didn’t. For the past few years, The Gershwins and the Hollywood Musical, has been part of my three-part lecture series, The Jewish Composer and The Hollywood Musical. Now, this one session lecture is now being expanded to five weeks of film screenings, which will include the following: Shall We Dance (1937), with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Girl Crazy (1943)with Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland, Rhapsody In Blue (1945),  the Warner Brothers biopic with Robert (son of Alan) Alda, the Academy Award winning An American In Paris (1951), with Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron, and closing with Funny Face (1956), with Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn. The course will run from Thursday, February 20th, through Thursday, March 20th. All classes will begin at 1PM. By taking this course, the students will discover not only the great music of George and Ira Gershwin, but how these five musicals advanced the genre of the Hollywood musical. Who could ask for anything more!

I have been presenting programs at the Barry and Florence Friedberg Jewish Community Center, since 2008. Based in Oceanside, NY, I have worked with three wonderful program directors in the past, and now work with a new program director who is also wonderful. We had a discussion about my upcoming Burt Lancaster Lunch and Learn, which was originally scheduled for this past Thursday, but was postponed until Thursday, January 30th, due to inclement weather. Since the prior Program Director had requested that I present this Lunch and Learn, based on the series she saw I did at C.W., Post last year, to commemorate the Lancaster centennial. Many attendees who reserved spots (there are 33 so far) were asking: Why Burt Lancaster at a JCC? What’s Jewish about Burt Lancaster. Ofcourse, I can tell the fine people that the prior program director chose the topic, but that’s an easy way out. No, as it turns out, Burt Lancaster portrayed two very important people in Judaic history, towards the end of his long career: In 1975, he portrayed Moses, in a television mini series. And then, in 1976, he portrayed Shimon Perez, the Israeli Prime Minister. Not only that, but Mr. Lancaster, a man not only of physical, but of moral strength, was a champion of civil rights. And that’s why we are doing a Burt Lancaster Lunch and Learn, at the JCC!