The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1910-10-28
JEWISH COMEDIAN TO
VANISH FROM STAGE
Theater Managers All Over the
Country DenounCe Caricature
of the Hebrews.

DENVER, September 27.-The ex.
aggerated character type-the Hebrew
comedian so popular in musical com.
edy, vaudeville and burlesque, is to
disappear from the American stage if
promises of managers count for any
thing,
Rabbi William S. Friedman of Den.
yer, chairman of the committee on
church and state of the central con.
ference of American rabbits, has secured
from Klaw & Erlanger, the Shuberts,
John Cort and Martin Beck, assurances
that the day of the lampooning of the
jew on the stage is past.
Another thing which the committee
headed by Rabbi Friedman has deter
mined to accomplish is the elimination
of high school reading of Shakespeare 5
" Merchant of Venice" from the course
preparatory to college admission. The
portrayal of Shylock is preiudicial, in
the opinion of the central conference
of American Rabbis.
While tho committee on church aul
state has many duties to perform, 50
far their efforts have chiefly gone 20
the matter of stage caricatures, They
will also work toward the elimination
of sectarianism from the public schools
and in general for the preservation of
the good name of the jew.
For the committee Doctor Friedman
wrote to John Cort, president OF the
National Theatrical Owners AssocIa-
ton; Klaw & Erlanger, Sam S. and
Lee Shubert and Martin Beck of the
Orpheum circuit, complaining of the
caricature of the jew on the stage.
To this letter Cort replied in part:
"While the jew of the Warfeld type
educates and does not belittle the jew
lsh character, | will do what | can and
take it up with the National Theatrical
Owners Association to put a stop to
the low caricatures of your race. The
vaudeville interests is where you suffer
and not in the legitimate"
Klaw & Erlanger said:
''We have never been in sympathy
with the lampoonIng of the jew or of
any other race or religion on the stage,
and we think it extremely bad taste
to use the stage as a forum to exploit
prejudice of any kind, and particularly
against the Jews, who form so large a
part of our best patrons. There is a
/ big difference between showing wit
and humOr of the jew as of any other
character and lampoOning or bringing
him into contempt and rldicule. You
may depend upon our hearty cOopera-
ton. -
The Shuberts sent this reply. "None
of our attrac tons have any characters
in them which could possibly be con
strued as an unpleasant caricature of
the Hebrew. l quite agree with you
that all such are in worse than bad
taste, and even if such performances
had no effect whatsoever on a great
number Of theatergoers, we ourselves
would be distinctly opposed to ridicul-
ing our own race. ~
Martin Beck said:
For several years we have taboOed
this form of alleged humor in our
houses, and upon one occasion publish
ed an advertisement in all New York
theatrical journals calling attention to
this determination. We have elimin-
ated these Objectionable features for
years in Orpheum houses and we are
now using our influence with eastern
managers to do likewise. "
Rabbi Friedman will incorporate this
IN his report to the conference next
June.