Oliver

[Ethan Minovitz <eminovitz...>]

My tuppence about the musical version, "Oliver!":


Ron Moody ("Fagin") is Jewish, according to the "who's Jewish?" Web 
site Jewhoo, which says he was born Ron Moodnick. I have heard that 
Irish-born Shani Wallis is Jewish, but can't find this written down 
anywhere.

I don't have it in front of me, but I do have an Israeli cast LP (in 
Hebrew, naturally) of "Oliver!". As I recall, the liner notes (in 
English, which I can read, and in Hebrew, which I can't read as 
well!) said that composer Lionel Bart based some of the songs on 
Eastern European Jewish folk melodies which he had heard growing up 
in London's East End.

For what it's worth:  The 1948 David Lean-directed film "Oliver 
Twist" was banned in Israel because the Fagin character (played by 
Alec Guinness) was seen as a negative Jewish stereotype, while Egypt 
banned it because the depiction of Fagin was seen as too sympathetic!


Ethan Minovitz
Co-Host, Anthology of Jewish Music
CFRO-FM 102.7 (Vancouver Cooperative Radio)

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