Molly Picon
Encyclopedia
Molly Picon was an American actress of stage, screen and television, as well as a lyricist and dramatic storyteller.
She was first and foremost a star in Yiddish theatre
and film, but as Yiddish theatre faded she began to perform in English-language productions.
, the daughter of Polish
emigrants: Clara (née Ostrow), a wardrobe mistress, and Louis Opiekun, a shirtmaker. Opiekun is a Polish language
name meaning, "guardian" or "caretaker". Her surname was later changed to Picon. Her career began at the age of six in the Yiddish Theatre
. In 1912, she debuted at the Arch Street Theatre in New York
and became a star of the Second Avenue
Yiddish stage.
. She appeared in many films, starting with silent movies. Her earliest film still existing is the 1923 East and West, which deals with the clash of new and old Jewish cultures. She played an American-born daughter who travels with her father back to Galicia in East Central Europe. Her real-life husband Jacob Kalich played one of her relatives.
Picon's most famous film, Yidl Mit'n Fidl (1936), was made on location in Poland
, and has her wearing male clothing through most of the film. In the film, a girl and her father are forced by poverty to set out on the road as traveling musicians. For her safety, she disguises herself as a boy, which becomes inconvenient when she falls in love with one of the other musicians in the troupe. Later Mamele was made in Poland.
Picon made her English language debut on stage in 1940. On Broadway, she starred in the Jerry Herman
musical Milk and Honey
in 1961. In 1966 she quit the disastrous Chu Chem
during previews in Philadelphia; the show closed before reaching Broadway.
She was featured in a bit part in the 1948 film The Naked City
as the woman running a newsstand and soda fountain towards the climax of the film. Her first major English speaking role in the movies was the film version of Come Blow Your Horn
(1963), with Frank Sinatra
. She portrayed Yente, the Matchmaker in the film adaptation of the Broadway hit Fiddler on the Roof
in 1971.
In the 1970s, she was featured as a madam named Mrs. Cherry in For Pete's Sake
, starring Barbra Streisand
. She later played a role on television on the soap opera Somerset
and appeared in a couple of episodes of The Facts of Life
as Natalie's grandmother. She also played the role of Molly Gordon in an episode of Gomer Pyle USMC and had a recurring role as Mrs. Bronson in the TV series Car 54, Where Are You?
.
in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
. Jacob Kalich, her husband from 1919 until his death in 1975, died from cancer. They had no children. She is buried in the Yiddish Theater section of the Mount Hebron Cemetery
.
She was first and foremost a star in Yiddish theatre
Yiddish theatre
Yiddish theatre consists of plays written and performed primarily by Jews in Yiddish, the language of the Central European Ashkenazi Jewish community. The range of Yiddish theatre is broad: operetta, musical comedy, and satiric or nostalgic revues; melodrama; naturalist drama; expressionist and...
and film, but as Yiddish theatre faded she began to perform in English-language productions.
Early life
Picon was born as Małka Opiekun in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the daughter of Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
emigrants: Clara (née Ostrow), a wardrobe mistress, and Louis Opiekun, a shirtmaker. Opiekun is a Polish language
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
name meaning, "guardian" or "caretaker". Her surname was later changed to Picon. Her career began at the age of six in the Yiddish Theatre
Yiddish theatre
Yiddish theatre consists of plays written and performed primarily by Jews in Yiddish, the language of the Central European Ashkenazi Jewish community. The range of Yiddish theatre is broad: operetta, musical comedy, and satiric or nostalgic revues; melodrama; naturalist drama; expressionist and...
. In 1912, she debuted at the Arch Street Theatre in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and became a star of the Second Avenue
Second Avenue (Manhattan)
Second Avenue is an avenue on the East Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan extending from Houston Street at its south end to the Harlem River Drive at 128th Street at its north end. A one-way street, vehicular traffic runs only downtown. A bicycle lane in the left hand portion from 55th...
Yiddish stage.
Career
Picon was so popular in the 1920s that many shows had her adopted name, Molly, in their title. In 1931 she opened the Molly Picon TheatreNew Century Theatre
The New Century Theatre was a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 932 Seventh Avenue at West 58th Street in midtown Manhattan.The house, which seated 1700, was designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp for the Shuberts, who originally named it Jolson's 59th Street Theatre after Al Jolson, who...
. She appeared in many films, starting with silent movies. Her earliest film still existing is the 1923 East and West, which deals with the clash of new and old Jewish cultures. She played an American-born daughter who travels with her father back to Galicia in East Central Europe. Her real-life husband Jacob Kalich played one of her relatives.
Picon's most famous film, Yidl Mit'n Fidl (1936), was made on location in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, and has her wearing male clothing through most of the film. In the film, a girl and her father are forced by poverty to set out on the road as traveling musicians. For her safety, she disguises herself as a boy, which becomes inconvenient when she falls in love with one of the other musicians in the troupe. Later Mamele was made in Poland.
Picon made her English language debut on stage in 1940. On Broadway, she starred in the Jerry Herman
Jerry Herman
Jerry Herman is an American composer and lyricist, known for his work in Broadway musical theater. He composed the scores for the hit Broadway musicals Hello, Dolly!, Mame, and La Cage aux Folles. He has been nominated for the Tony Award five times, and won twice, for Hello, Dolly! and La Cage...
musical Milk and Honey
Milk and Honey (musical)
Milk and Honey is a musical with a book by Don Appell and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman. The story centers on a busload of lonely American widows hoping to catch husbands while touring Israel and is set against the background of the country's fight for recognition as an independent nation...
in 1961. In 1966 she quit the disastrous Chu Chem
Chu Chem
Chu Chem is a musical with a book by Ted Allen, lyrics by Jim Haines and Jack Wohl, and music by Mitch Leigh.Allen's inspiration was a trip to Kaifeng Fu , China, the site of a major Jewish migration in the 10th century...
during previews in Philadelphia; the show closed before reaching Broadway.
She was featured in a bit part in the 1948 film The Naked City
The Naked City
The Naked City is a 1948 black-and-white film noir directed by Jules Dassin. The movie, shot partially in documentary style, was filmed on location on the streets of New York City, featuring landmarks such as the Williamsburg Bridge the Whitehall Building and an apartment building on West 83rd...
as the woman running a newsstand and soda fountain towards the climax of the film. Her first major English speaking role in the movies was the film version of Come Blow Your Horn
Come Blow Your Horn (film)
Come Blow Your Horn is a 1963 comedy film directed by Bud Yorkin and based on the play of the same name.-Cast:* Frank Sinatra - Alan Baker* Lee J. Cobb - Harry R. Baker* Molly Picon - Mrs. Sophie Baker* Barbara Rush - Connie...
(1963), with Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
. She portrayed Yente, the Matchmaker in the film adaptation of the Broadway hit Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof (film)
Fiddler on the Roof is the 1971 film adaptation of the 1964 Broadway musical of the same name, with music composed by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905, about Tevye and his Daughters. It was directed by Norman Jewison. The film won three...
in 1971.
In the 1970s, she was featured as a madam named Mrs. Cherry in For Pete's Sake
For Pete's Sake (film)
For Pete's Sake is a 1974 American screwball comedy film directed by Peter Yates. The screenplay by Stanley Shapiro and Maurice Richlin chronicles the misadventures of a Brooklyn housewife...
, starring Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
. She later played a role on television on the soap opera Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
and appeared in a couple of episodes of The Facts of Life
The Facts of Life (TV series)
The Facts of Life is an American sitcom that originally ran on the NBC television network from August 24, 1979 to May 7, 1988. A spin-off of the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, the series' premise focused on Edna Garrett as she becomes a housemother at the fictional Eastland School, a prestigious...
as Natalie's grandmother. She also played the role of Molly Gordon in an episode of Gomer Pyle USMC and had a recurring role as Mrs. Bronson in the TV series Car 54, Where Are You?
Car 54, Where Are You?
Car 54, Where Are You? is an American sitcom that ran on NBC from 1961 to 1963. Episodes had various directors, the most recognized being Al De Caprio. Stanley Prager and Nat Hiken also directed several episodes. Most of its filming was on location in The Bronx, and at Biograph...
.
Books
Picon wrote a biography about her family called So Laugh a Little in 1962. Later, in 1980, she published an autobiography called Molly.Legacy
- An entire room was filled with her memorabilia at the Second Avenue Deli in New York (now closed at that location).
- She was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of FameAmerican Theatre Hall of FameThe American Theatre Hall of Fame in New York City was founded in 1972. Earl Blackwell was the first head of the Executive Committee. In an announcement at a luncheon meeting on March 1972, he said that the new Theater Hall of Fame would be located in the Uris Theatre . James M...
in 1981.
- Costumes she wore in various theater productions are displayed at the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia.
Death
Picon died on April 6, 1992, aged 94, from Alzheimer's diseaseAlzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...
. Jacob Kalich, her husband from 1919 until his death in 1975, died from cancer. They had no children. She is buried in the Yiddish Theater section of the Mount Hebron Cemetery
Mount Hebron Cemetery
Mount Hebron is a Jewish cemetery located in the Flushing neighborhood of New York City. It was founded in 1903 as the Jewish section of Cedar Grove Cemetery. It is noted for its Yiddish theater section....
.
Sources
- Eth Clifford. Molly Picon - so laugh a little, Messner, 1962 (see http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=sYI4AAAAIAAJ).
- Lila Perl, Donna Ruff. Molly Picon: a gift of laughter, Jewish Publication Society, 1990, ISBN 0827603363.