3 minute read
Looking Back
accessible at www.djnfoundation.org
Advertisement
50 Years of Fiddler
Ithink it was at the old Americana Theater in Southfield, but I cannot recall why I was there. Maybe I was on a date? But I sure do remember the film. It was Fiddler on the Roof, a blockbuster, one of the most notable films in the history of American cinema.
The script of Fiddler on the Roof is based upon one of Yiddish writer Sholem Aleichem’s most beloved characters “Tevye the Dairyman.” The essence of the movie is the story of Tevye and his five daughters, three of marriageable age. They all live in a shtetl, which most historians believe is a portrait of the one in which Aleichem (1859-1916) was raised.
Released in November 1971, the movie Fiddler on the Roof celebrated its 50th birthday last year. The film is based upon a play of the same name that debuted at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit on July 25, 1964, before it began its storied run on Broadway a few months later. I did not know this until JN Associate Editor David Sachs brought this fact to my attention. I dove into the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History and soon found that Fiddler on the Roof has a long history in the city and Michigan.
First, there are several stories about the premier of Fiddler at the Fisher. The play starred Zero Mostel and received good reviews in JN (July 31 and Aug. 7, 1964) — there was a lengthy daily newspaper strike in Detroit that year that may have saved the play from some negative reviews. I also found a small item about Congregation B’nai David sponsoring the play (July 3, 1964). And, within weeks, Borenstein’s and Spitzer’s were selling recordings of the music.
The show was really a work in progress when it first debuted in Detroit. After the test drive here, several songs and script elements were scrapped and/or rewritten before it appeared on Broadway. Obviously, the producers, writers, director and actors hit the right combination. Fiddler on the Roof became nothing short of legendary. For example, how many of us know the songs? We all know “If I Were a Rich Man” as we “ya ba dibba dibba dibba dibba dibba dibba dum” all day long (my spell check went nuts on this phrase). And there is “Tradition.” I can Mike Smith Alene and still hear Topol, who played Tevye in Graham Landau the movie, sing this out loud and clear.Archivist Chair Since 1964, Fiddler on the Roof has been performed thousands of times in professional theatrical productions around the world. Zero Mostel and Theodore Bikel also became famous portrayers of Tevye. Moreover, there have been thousands of additional performances at high schools and colleges, and by local theater troupes. Fiddler was again in the news last month. Saturday Night Live parodied Fiddler in a skit. This is a sure sign of the ubiquitous influence of Fiddler. As reported in the JN, the University Musical Society at the University of Michigan staged a concert performance of Fiddler on the Roof featuring the Grand Rapids Symphony and the singing of various students. Simply stated, Fiddler on the Roof is great work. And, now that I’ve written this column, its songs will be playing in my head for a few days!
Want to learn more? Go to the DJN Foundation archives, available for free at www.djnfoundation.org.
