Walter Matthau playing a Yiddish theatre legend? This forgotten gem is pure theatrical chaos.
Acting
Matthau chewing scenery as the 'Jewish Barrymore' is unhinged perfection.
Production
Michael Kidd directing himself playing Paul Muni — meta before meta was cool.
Costume
Period dress that screams 'we borrowed these from a regional theatre.'
Director
Norman Lloyd
Herschel Bernardi
Nahum Favel Weissenfreund
Georgia Brown
Salche Weissenfreund
Harold Gould
Sol Wurtzel
Walter Matthau
Boris Thomashevsky
Michael Kidd
Paul Muni
Hildy Brooks
Bella
Allan Kolman
Joseph Weisenfreund
Jack Bernardi
The Beggar
Howard Duff
Winfield Sheehan
Billy Goldenberg
The Pianist
Robert H. Harris
Jacob Adler
Monica Lewis
Zelda
Jeff Lynas
Munya, age 14
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This aired on PBS but was shot in 10 days on a repurposed sitcom set. Norman Lloyd basically made a passion project with pocket change.
Paul Muni was the first actor to win an Oscar via method acting techniques — this TV movie basically invented the biopic template that 'Raging Bull' and 'La Vie en Rose' would later perfect.
US
