Tell it to the Judge (1949)

Rosalind Russell and Robert Cummings seem like an unlikely pair of actors to play a married couple but they were a delightfully entertaining twosome in Paramount's 1949 comedy Tell it to the Judge. 

Roz was top-billed as a would-be Federal Court judge who is being wooed by ex-husband Robert Cummings who wants her back. He remarries her only to lose her once again when Marie McDonald, a curvaceous client of his, reappears in the scene. Gig Young adds to the merriment as a debonair playboy whom Russell snags to spite her husband. 

Tell it to the Judge is chock full of witty barbs that Rosalind Russell and Bob Cummings enjoy throwing at each other and there are plenty of visual gags, too. It is one of Paramount's better comedies of the late 1940s and it brought back the bubbly vibes of the 1930s screwball comedy genre. In fact, had this film been released ten years earlier it could have been an excellent MGM comedy starring William Powell and Myrna Loy. ("Let's Fall in Love" would have been a perfect title to this imaginary production).

The film bounces along at a spritely pace with director Norman Foster making sure there was never a dull moment. The setting jumps from Washington D.C. to Palm Beach to the snowy Adirondacks and the art direction - by Carl Anderson - is wonderful. However, it is the cast that makes the picture. Rosalind Russell and Robert Cummings were in top form. Cummings is especially hilarious when he acts drowsy after taking four sleeping tablets! The rest of the cast is made up of seasoned pros such as Harry Davenport, Douglas Dumbrille, Marie McDonald, Fay Baker, Louise Beavers and Clem Bevans.

Tell it to the Judge is available on DVD and can also be seen frequently on the Cinevault Channel on Roku. 

From the Archives : The Women ( 1939 )

Two cats ready to show their claws......Rosalind Russell and Norma Shearer in a scene from MGM's classic comedy The Women ( 1939 ). In this scene, they are on friendly terms, but they'll begin their fight shortly!

From the Archives is our latest series of posts where we share photos from the Silverbanks Pictures collection. Some of these may have been sold in the past, and others may still be available for purchase at our eBay store: http://stores.ebay.com/Silverbanks-Pictures

A Majority of One ( 1961 )

“Any man more right than his neighbors constitutes a majority of one”

Leonard Spigelgass’ poignant story of racial prejudice, A Majority of One, focuses on emphasizing the truth of the above quotation as well as teaching a gentle and humorous lesson on the folly of judging others by their ethnicity and not by their hearts. It is a story of a cross-cultural romance between two widows – Mrs. Jacoby, a Jewish Brooklynite (superbly played by Rosiland Russell) and Mr. Asano (Alec Guinness), a Japanese industrialist.  

Mrs. Jacoby spent most of her life in Flatbush and loves the neighborhood and her apartment dearly. Her daughter Alice (Madlyn Rhue) and diplomat son-in-law Jerry (Ray Danton) worry about “Mama” living on her own while they spend years at a time in foreign nations moving wherever Jerry’s position takes them. Mrs. Jacoby is not getting any younger and, as her neighbor Mrs. Ruben blatantly points out, the neighborhood is changing and “that element is moving in”....a statement which brings up a conversation that sets the tone for the film: 

“What element, Mrs. Ruben?” (Jerry)

“You know..colored, Puerto Ricans...”

“Really? I seem to remember in this very neighborhood not so long ago they didn’t allow Jews.”

“What does one have to do with the other?”

“Everything. The only way to stop prejudice is to stop it in yourself”.

When Jerry receives his new assignment, Alice pleads with Mama to come with them. “But you haven’t said where”...“Japan, Mama.” Japan! Mrs. Jacoby lost her only son in combat in Japan during WWII and the memory – the hatred – is still painfully fresh. However, for love of her children, she reluctantly agrees to follow, and so they’re off across the sea to the Land of the Rising Sun. En route on the voyage they meet Mr. Asano, a Japanese millionaire industrialist who will not only play a pivotal role in an upcoming international trade conference that Jerry will take part in, but will change Mrs. Jacoby’s feelings toward the Japanese in a remarkable way.

A Majority of One was penned by Spigelgass in 1958 and debuted on Broadway on February 16, 1959, starring Gertrude Berg and Sir Cedric Hardwicke. It played for 556 performances and was a critical and box-office success. It was nominated for four Tony awards (Berg won for Best Actress). 

Jack Warner at Warner Bros. purchased the film rights to the comedy in 1960 for the princely sum of $500,000 and approached Rosalind Russell for the starring role. Russell was aghast. “You’ve been drinking,” she told Warner according to her 1977 autobiography Life is a Banquet. “What would I be doing playing a Jewish lady from Brooklyn? I’m a little Irish girl from Waterbury, Connecticut. Use Gertrude Berg, it’s her part.” Warner insisted however, refusing to cast Berg since she made a disastrous film at Paramount years earlier. It was not until he suggested that Alec Guinness could be her co-star that Russell reconsidered. “Well, that’s another cup of chicken soup,” she told him. “I’ll think about that little item.”

When she approached Alec Guinness with the idea he said, “I want the dollars, so if you’ll do it, I’ll do it.” To which Russell replied,  “I want to work with you, so if you’ll do it, I’ll do it.”

So they did it. And they couldn’t have been a more delightful combination. Russell shines in her role as the Jewish widow, Bertha Jacoby. With just the right amount of mamish chochmeh she dispenses bits of neighborly advice – and Smith Brothers cough drops - to all she comes in contact with. She handles herself and her children with respect, but upon occasion, when they overstep their boundaries, she can be firm and immovable.

Guinness was touching and endearing and portrayed Mr. Asano with a graceful maturity befitting a Japanese gentleman of illustrious birth. However, in spite of the heavy makeup and authenticity he gave to his role (he spent ten days in Japan prior to filming taking a crash course in Japanese culture), many viewers felt a Japanese actor was called for. Perhaps because a Caucasian portrayed the role on Broadway (interracial romance was a scandalous subject at the time and was dealt with by using English actors in the roles of Asians), or because the studio wanted top drawing names, Japanese actors such as Sessue Hayakawa were overlooked. 

Marc Marno and Mae Questel were plucked from the Broadway production for supporting roles to round out a cast which also included Frank Wilcox, Francis De Sales and Alan Mowbray.

A Majority of One is a humorous blending of schmaltz and saki and went on to win three Golden Globes for Best Picture, Best Actress (Russell) and Best Film Promoting International Understanding. How did it win that last award? Because all cultures are different, the movie tells us, but those differences are just superficial. As they become acquainted, Mr. Asano and Mrs. Jacoby mention aspects of their respective cultures that, at first, seem different but after comparison are revealed to be relatively the same.  

For example, Japanese people worship in shrines; Jewish people worship by blessing Sabbath candles – ultimately, "God's house is God's house," as Mrs. Jacoby says after being invited to a Japanese shrine. Japanese people eat raw fish; Jewish people eat gefilte fish. Japanese people toast with "Kanpai" and Jews say "L'Chaim." 

Jews put up with a lot: "Whatever comes into your life, you take." So do Japanese: "You transcend. It's the philosophy of the Zen Buddhists." ..."You mean, if you have tsouris – trouble – you come out of it a better person for having lived through it." ...."Obviously you have studied Zen Buddhism, Mrs. Jacoby!”

In addition to emphasizing the importance of embracing other nationalities “whether they are white, black, pink or purple” the more subtle lessons of forgiveness and tolerance are taught, lessons which Mrs. Jacoby - and her children - needed to be taught. When he first makes her acquaintance, Mr. Asano approaches Mrs. Jacoby to inquire why she is so cold towards him. After telling him that her son was killed in action by the Japanese, he explains that he, personally, did not want war nor did anyone he knew, and that he lost both his son and daughter in Hiroshima. Mrs. Jacoby then realizes that he’s had a cupful in life too and hatred quickly dispels into kinsmanship. As the voyage progresses they find each other to be the most pleasant of companions, with Mr. Asano particularly drawn to Mrs. Jacoby’s warmth and friendship.

Later, as Mama considers the proposition of “crossing over the bridge” with Mr. Asano, she finds she must first deal with the prejudism right in her own family. In the first half of the drama we perceive Mrs. Jacoby to be old-fashioned and set in her customs while her children are shown to be adaptable and open to new viewpoints and new changes. However, the tables turn midway through and we find that it is Mrs. Jacoby’s daughter and husband who are narrow-minded. The words Jerry spoke in Brooklyn echo back to him when he faces the prospect of Mama and Mr. Asano’s impending courtship... “If you want to stop prejudice you must first stop it in yourself”. He must come to learn that being friendly and welcoming should not be a diplomatic “front of face” but stem from a sincere consideration for others.

A Majority of One is as relevant today as it was when it was first released in 1961. The film is a hidden gem, a truly entertaining foreign affair, completely unique and as lovely as cherry blossoms in spring; it is sure to bring shtick naches to those who take the time to watch the film.  

This post is our contribution to CMBA's Underseen and Underrated Blogathon being hosted by the Classic Movie Blog Association. To check out more reviews of unsung classics, simply click here! 

The Trouble with Angels ( 1966 )

"I just thought of a scathingly brilliant idea!"

Mary ( Hayley Mills ) is chock-full of scathingly brilliant ideas, most of them taking the form of pranks to play on the nuns at St. Francis Academy, the convent school for girls that she and her partner-in-crime Rachel ( played by newcomer June Harding ) attend. These teenage girls are naturally bent towards mischief, and trying the patience of Mother Superior ( Rosalind Russell ) is their sole source of amusement. But just when there seems to be no hope for these incorrigible students, Mary has a change of heart and finds that life at St. Francis can be quite habit-forming. 

Ida Lupino stepped behind the camera, after a 13-year hiatus, to direct The Trouble with Angels, a humorous and endearing family film based upon "Life with Mother Superior", Jane Trahey's highly amusing autobiographical account of her years spent in a convent school. 

Producer William Frye had attempted to coax Greta Garbo out of retirement with a $1,000,000 offer to portray Mother Superior in the film, but, having failed, secured the talents of another MGM alumni, the great Roz Russell. This old pro was an ideal choice for the part, not only because she was a devout Catholic in real life, but because Russell could bring out the commanding ( almost frightening ) presence that the role of Mother Superior required, and yet make her as beloved as any of the other characters. She holds you in her thrall, whether she is barking orders like a drill sergeant, reacting to soap bubbles coming out of her tea, or purring like a kitten over the "blessedly quiet" new furnace. Russell is also given an ample amount of barbed quips to fling at the girls, which only she could do so well.

"I'm convinced that it would be a cruel and un-Christian act to let you two loose on an unsuspecting world. The world is not yet ready for you!" 

Both Mary and Rachel's antics are innocent bits of defiance, meant to while away the long - and boring - days at St. Francis, and they range from smoking cigars in the school's basement, to encasing another student's face with Plaster of Paris. Rachel is a "born follower", gawky, and not particularly clever having been educated at the progressive school of New Trends ( where she was instructed in valuable subjects like "silent piano" lessons ). She meets Mary on the bus en route to the school and quickly becomes her stooge, sharing in the pranks which continually put her in hot-soup with Mother Superior, and usually result in the punishment of washing school pots. "I wonder if my father knows he's paying good money to have his daughter educated as a janitor", she muses. June Harding was making her film debut after doing several television episodes ( notably The Richard Boone Show ) and she is adorable as Rachel.

Hayley Mills is simply marvelous as Mary Clancy. She had enjoyed a long career with Walt Disney as a child actress and The Trouble with Angels served as an excellent transitional film, introducing her fans to the fact that Mills was no longer a child and was gradually becoming a young woman. She brings an authentic rebelliousness to the part of Mary, allowing other teenage girls to sympathize with her resentment of the school and religion. And yet, she gives heart to this delinquent. Mary is an orphan, sent to St. Francis by her Uncle George ( Kent Smith ), a wealthy man who wants her out of the way so he can enjoy the "companionship" of his secretaries. She has a mature outlook on life and sees the cynical side to everything. 

As much as Mary resents Mother Superior, she is fascinated by her and often watches her, wondering what made her - or any of the nuns, for that matter - decide to take the veil. She finds that behind Mother Superior's cold demeanor is much inner pain. Little does she realize how much she has in common with her. 

Blanche Hanalis' extremely quotable script puts equal emphasis on the plights of both the girls and the nuns. The audience never takes sides. We aren't rooting for Mary to knock-out Mother Superior and win the bout, neither do we wish to see Mother Superior "convert" these little devils into angels. As stern as Mother Superior is, she genuinely cares for the girls in her charge and desires to prepare them to make their own way in the real world. 

"To bend but not to break...to yield but not capitulate...to have pride but also humility. This has always been my struggle, Sister. Can I be less tolerant of Mary than the church has been of me?"

Each year at St. Francis, Mary finds her pre-conceived notions of religion shattering as Mother Superior, quite unknowingly, bends her gently towards God. Both Mills performance and Lupino's skillful direction made this a gradual evolution of character, brought out through subtle scenes in key moments, notably the death of Sister Luguiri ( Marge Redmond ), Sister Constance's ( Camilla Sparv ) decision to leave the convent, and Mary's visit to the nursing home, where she witnesses the failings of human love.

Rounding out the cast are some notable character actresses such as Gypsy Rose Lee ( as a visiting dance instructor ), Mary Wickes, Binnie Barnes, Judith Lowry, and Marjorie Eaton as the Sisters. Jim Hutton also makes an uncredited appearance as Mr. Petrie, headmaster of New Trends. 

The Trouble with Angels was so popular upon its release that it spawned the sequel Where Angels Go Trouble Follows ( 1968 ), but, without Ida Lupino's compassionate eye guiding the film, it failed to create characters of depth or leave a memorable impression....making audiences realize just how scathingly brilliant this original film was. 

This post is our contribution to The Early Women Filmmakers Blogathon being hosted by Movies Silently. Be sure to check out all of the great posts about female-directed films! Also, any fan of Angels would want to read June Harding's letters home to her mother during the making of the film. They are great fun to read and provide insight into the development of the motion picture. 

Picnic ( 1955 )

The Classic Film and TV Association is hosting The Fabulous Films of the 1950s blogathon and I have chosen to highlight two films of the 1950s that are particularly dear to me - Picnic and Giant. Every year, when the flowers awaken from their dormant slumber and the magnolias begin to blossom, a familiar urge, as certain in approaching as spring itself, begins to stir within - the urge to watch Picnic. The film is indelibly linked in my mind with spring and, regardless of its Labor Day setting, the glow of May can be observed in every scene. 

Picnic focuses on the impact a vagabond drifter makes on the womenfolk in a sleepy Kansas town during the course of one summer day. Hal Carter (William Holden) is a bum who has come to Kansas to seek out his old college roommate Alan Benson (Cliff Robertson) in the hopes that he will find him a job at one of his father's granaries.

"I gotta get someplace in this world. I just gotta."

Upon arriving fresh off of a freight train, he meets Helen (the marvelous Verna Felton) a kindly old lady who gives him some apple pie and introduces him to her neighbors, Flo Owens (Betty Field) and Flo's two daughters, the tomboy intellectual Millie (a miscast Susan Strasberg) and the bashful beauty queen Madge (Kim Novak) who is going steady with Alan. Rooming with the Owens is Rosemary Sydney (Rosalind Russell), a spinster schoolteacher. 

On the surface, each of these women are satisfied and content with their lives, but within themselves they are frustrated and longing for something more. Flo Owens was deserted by her husband years ago and wants to see her daughters married off to better men than he. Rosemary Sydney, the amiable teacher always "good for a laugh" is tired of being a spinster and wants to marry Howard Bevans (Arthur O'Connell), a local shopkeeper. Millie is jealous of her older sister's beauty, while Madge thinks her mother favors Millie and is frustrated at being admired for her looks alone. 

"I'm tired of just being called pretty". 

When Hal arrives, his raw virility awakens in the women memories of bygone romances or, in the case of Rosemary, long-awaited for love. Every movement he makes, every muscle he flexes, sexually arouses suppressed feelings within these gals. 

William Inge's Pulitzer Prize winning play Picnic set pulses racing to packed crowds and enjoyed a successful 477-run performance at New York's Music Box Theatre in the spring of 1953. The original cast featured Ralph Meeker as Hal, Janice Rule as Madge, Eileen Heckart as Rosemary, and Paul Newman as Alan Benson. Incidentally, it was during the run of Picnic that Newman met his future wife, Joanne Woodward. Newman was also understudy for Meeker and often rehearsed his scenes with Rule's understudy, Joanne Woodward. 

Columbia Pictures head Harry Cohn purchased the rights to the play at the sum of $300,000. Cohn knew that he wanted William Holden to play the lead role, but it took some coaxing to convince the 37-year-old actor that his age would not make a difference to the essence of the story. Holden reluctantly agreed and, as this was the final film in his seven picture contract with the studio, had to settle for a paltry $30,000 fee. Holden worked out at a gym to get into shape for the part and even permitted to have his chest shaven for his brawny sequences. Carroll Baker was tested for the role of Madge but it was decided that she was too childlike for the role, and Columbia's newest sensation Kim Novak was signed instead. 

Susan Strasberg was making her screen debut as Millie, fresh off of a Broadway success with the lead role in The Diary of Anne Frank. Cliff Robertson also earned his first big screen role as rich boy Alan Benson. The role of Howard Bevens suited Arthur O'Connell so well that director Joshua Logan asked him to reprise it for the film. This launched O'Connell on a long and steady career as a Hollywood character actor. 

Production on Picnic began on May 16, 1955, on location around Hutchinson, Kansas. The production crew on Picnic was top-notch and included cinematographer James Wong Howe, screenwriter Daniel Taradesh (From Here to Eternity) and composer George Duning. Duning revived the 1930s big-band classic "Moonglow" for the famous dance sequence and it became a hit song once again, with the dance itself becoming one of the best remembered love scenes of the 1950s. 

Logan, the director of the stage play, was selected to take the helm for the film version and made an impressive directorial debut, in his subtle but compelling filming. His master strokes are in the scenes of the Labor Day picnic itself. As the camera slowly pans across the people, it unobtrusively captures vignettes straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting. There are mothers with their children, elderly couples, rowdy boys, girls warbling a duet, speeches being made, the band playing old sweet songs and marching tunes, and through it all two babies wailing. All of these elements combine to create a tapestry of American life during the early 1950s. 

The principal characters are enjoying the picnic as much as anyone there and compete in all of the group events - the balloon blowing contest, ring toss, spoon catching games, and best of all, the pie eating contest, where Howard bribes a boy to push the contestant's faces into the pies. 

After the festivities of the day the group lazily gather together under the shade of a grove of cottonwoods and here Hal begins to realize what it is he has been searching for in life. It is a town, a place, a home that he wants. Proud as he is of his father and his old man's boots, he does not want to fill them and be a drifter all of his life. He wants a sense of belonging, either to someone or someplace. 

As evening begins to fall, everyone wanders off in pairs... Hal walks with Millie and tells her of his admiration for people with artistic talent and the love for the finer things in life; Howard and Rosemary share a bench to admire the sunset; Helen and Flo gently swing together grateful for each others company; and Alan and Madge retreat to the river's edge to discuss their future together. 

"Look at the sunset. It's like the daytime didn't want to end. It's like the daytime was gonna put up a big scrap and set the world on fire to keep the nighttime from creeping on."

The picnic is a focal point for all of the principal characters and it is after the sun sets that their emotions begin to sizzle and finally ignite and explode like the Labor Day fireworks themselves. 

Picnic is an extremely well-written film rich with characters of substance and at its core it is a story about the inevitability of change happening to the best laid plans. Sometimes this change is welcome and sometimes it is not. 

"I got so used to things as they were. Everything was so prim. The geraniums in the window, the smell of mama's medicine, and then he walked in and it was different . He clomped around like it was still outdoors. There was a man in the house and it seemed good". 

Hal is a character that we have all met at one time or another, in a variety of different forms. He represents that person that comes into your life when you were least expecting it and disrupts everything and everyone around you. He is an intruder, and whether it is for good or bad, the change these intruders bring about cannot be ignored. 

Picnic opened in limited release on December 7, 1955, and was distributed nationally on February 16, 1956. It won critical acclaim, was nominated for six Academy Awards ( Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Music, Best Color Art Direction and Best Editing ) and grossed a whopping $6.3 million upon its release. Sixty years later, Picnic remains a gem of a picture and rightly deserves its place as one of the Fabulous Films of the 1950s. 

A Majority of One ( 1961 )

“Any man more right than his neighbors constitutes a majority of one”

Leonard Spigelgass’ poignant story of racial prejudice, “A Majority of One”, focuses on emphasizing the truth of the above quotation as well as teaching a gentle and humorous lesson on the folly of judging others by their ethnicity and not by their hearts. It is a story of a cross-cultural romance between two widows – Mrs. Jacoby, a Jewish Brooklynite ( superbly played by Rosiland Russell ) and Mr. Asano ( Alec Guinness ), a Japanese industrialist.  

Mrs. Jacoby spent most of her life in Flatbush and loves the neighborhood and her apartment dearly. Her daughter Alice ( Madlyn Rhue ) and diplomat son-in-law Jerry ( Ray Danton ) worry about “Mama” living on her own while they spend years at a time in foreign nations moving wherever Jerry’s position takes them. Mrs. Jacoby is not getting any younger and, as Mrs.Ruben, her neighbor blatantly points out, the neighborhood is changing and “that element is moving in”....a statement which brings up a conversation that sets the tone for the film:

“What element, Mrs.Ruben?” ( Jerry )

“You know..colored, Puerto Ricans...”

“Really? I seem to remember in this very neighborhood not so long ago they didn’t allow Jews.”

“What does one have to do with the other?”

“Everything. The only way to stop prejudice is to stop it in yourself”.

When Jerry receives his new assignment Alice pleads with Mama to come with them. “But you haven’t said where”...“Japan, Mama.” Japan! Mrs. Jacoby lost her only son in combat in Japan during WWII and the memory –and hatred – is still painfully fresh. However, for love of her children, she reluctantly agrees to follow, and so they’re off across the sea to the Land of the Rising Sun. En route on the voyage they meet Mr.Asano, a Japanese millionaire industrialist who will not only play a pivotal role in an upcoming international trade conference that Jerry will take part in, but will change Mrs. Jacoby’s feelings toward the Japanese in a remarkable way.

A Majority of One was penned by Leonard Spigelgass in 1958 and debuted on Broadway on February 16, 1959, starring Gertrude Berg and Sir Cedric Hardwicke. It played for 556 performances and was a critical and box-office success. It was nominated for four Tony awards ( Berg won for Best Actress ). 

Jack Warner at Warner Bros. purchased the film rights to the comedy in 1960 for the princely sum of $500,000 and approached Rosalind Russell for the starring role. Russell was aghast. “You’ve been drinking,” she told Warner according to her 1977 autobiography Life is a Banquet. “What would I be doing playing a Jewish lady from Brooklyn? I’m a little Irish girl from Waterbury, Connecticut. Use Gertrude Berg, it’s her part.” Warner insisted however, refusing to cast Berg since she made a disastrous film at Paramount years earlier. It was not until he suggested that Alec Guinness could be her co-star that Russell reconsidered. “Well, that’s another cup of chicken soup,” she told him. “I’ll think about that little item”.

When she approached Alec Guinness with the idea he said, “I want the dollars, so if you’ll do it, I’ll do it”. To which Russell replied,  “I want to work with you, so if you’ll do it, I’ll do it”.

So they did it. And they couldn’t have been a more delightful combination. Russell shines in her role as the Jewish widow, Bertha Jacoby. With just the right about of mamish chochmeh she dispenses bits of neighborly advice – and Smith Brothers cough drops - to all she comes in contact with. She handles herself and her children with respect but upon occasion, when they overstep their boundaries, she can be firm and immovable.

Guinness was touching and endearing and portrayed Mr.Asano with a graceful maturity befitting a Japanese gentleman of illustrious birth. However, in spite of the heavy makeup and authenticity he gave to his role ( he spent ten days in Japan prior to filming taking a crash course in Japanese culture ), many viewers felt a Japanese actor was called for. Perhaps because a Caucasian portrayed the role on Broadway ( interracial romance was a scandalous subject at the time and was dealt with by using English actors in the roles of Asians ), or because the studio wanted top drawing names, Japanese actors such as Sessue Hayakawa were overlooked.

Marc Marno and Mae Questel were plucked from the Broadway production for supporting roles to round out a cast which also included Frank Wilcox, Francis De Sales and Alan Mowbray.

A Majority of One is a humorous blending of schmaltz and saki and went on to win three Golden Globes for Best Picture, Best Actress ( Russell ) and Best Film Promoting International Understanding. How did it win that last award? Because all cultures are different, the movie tells us, but those differences are just superficial. As they become acquainted, Mr. Asano and Mrs. Jacoby mention aspects of their respective cultures that, at first, seem different but after comparison are revealed to be relatively the same.  

For example, Japanese people worship in shrines; Jewish people worship by blessing Sabbath candles – ultimately, "God's house is God's house," as Mrs. Jacoby says after being invited to a Japanese shrine. Japanese people eat raw fish; Jewish people eat gefilte fish. Japanese people toast with "Kanpai" and Jews say "L'Chaim." 

Jews put up with a lot: "Whatever comes into your life, you take." So do Japanese: "You transcend. It's the philosophy of the Zen Buddhists." ..."You mean, if you have tsouris – trouble – you come out of it a better person for having lived through it." ...."Obviously you have studied Zen Buddhism, Mrs. Jacoby!”

In addition to emphasizing the importance of embracing other nationalities “whether they are white, black, pink or purple!” the more subtle lessons of forgiveness and tolerance are taught, lessons which Mrs. Jacoby - and her children - needed to be taught. When he first makes her acquaintance, Mr. Asano approaches Mrs. Jacoby to inquire why she is so cold towards him. After telling him that her son was killed in action by the Japanese, he explains that he, personally, did not want war nor did anyone he knew, and that he lost both his son and daughter in Hiroshima. Mrs. Jacoby then realizes that he’s had a cupful in life too and hatred quickly dispels into kinsmanship. As the voyage progresses they find each other to be the most pleasant of companions, with Mr. Asano particularly drawn to Mrs. Jacoby’s warmth and friendship.

Later, as Mama considers the proposition of “crossing over the bridge” with Mr. Asano, she must first deal with the prejudice in her own family. In the first half of the drama we perceive Mrs. Jacoby to be old-fashioned and set in her customs while her children are shown to be adaptable and open to new viewpoints and new changes. However, the tables turn midway through and we find that it is Mrs. Jacoby’s daughter and husband who are narrow-minded. The words Jerry spoke in Brooklyn echo back to him when he faces the prospect of Mama and Mr. Asano’s impending courtship... “If you want to stop prejudice you must first stop it in yourself”. He must come to learn that being friendly and welcoming should not be a diplomatic “front of face” but stem from a sincere consideration for others.

A Majority of One is as relevant today as it was when it was first released in 1961. The film is a hidden gem, a truly entertaining foreign affair, completely unique and as lovely as cherry blossoms in spring; it is sure to bring shtick naches to those who take the time to watch the film.  

This post is our contribution to the fantasmagorical 2013 TCM Summer Under the Stars blogathon hosted by Sittin' on a Backyard Fence and Scribe Hard on Film. For a complete schedule to the month-long event click here.