Herschel Bernardi
Birth : 1923-10-30, New York City, New York, USA
Death : 1986-05-09
History
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Herschel Bernardi (30 October 1923, New York City – 9 May 1986, Los Angeles, California) was an American film, Broadway, and television actor.
He is best known for his starring roles on Broadway including Fiddler on the Roof (as Tevye), Zorba, and Bajour, but he also acted in many television shows, including Harbor Command and The Eleventh Hour (both with Wendell Corey), as well as State Trooper, Peter Gunn. He was the lead in the CBS sitcom Arnie.
Bernardi wrote at least one script for Peter Gunn. In Arnie, he starred for two years as someone plucked from the loading dock of a flange company to become an executive. Originally, the character was to receive a $25,000 annual salary, which was very good in those days. But, national economic woes caused producers to substitute the figure of $20,000 per year before airing.
Born into the Yiddish theatre, Bernardi was appearing on the stages of 2nd Avenue with his acting family before he could talk.
In the 1930s, Bernardi appeared in the Yiddish films of Edgar G. Ulmer and was later among those actors who made the transition from Yiddish-speaking roles in film to American films.
Bernardi was also in several notable films, including Irma La Douce, Love with the Proper Stranger and the 1976 film The Front, a film about blacklisting in the entertainment industry. Bernardi was the victim of blacklisting during the 1950s, as were several other performers and the screenwriter and director on that film.
Bernardi was a noted voiceover artist and narrator with hundreds of films, commercials and cartoons to his credit and was the original voice of StarKist Tuna animated character, "Charlie the Tuna".
Herschel Bernardi also had two minor record hits, 1967's "If I Were A Rich Man", reflecting his success as Tevye, and 1971's "Pencil Marks On The Wall".
Description above from the Wikipedia article Herschel Bernardi, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Goliath (voice)
Derek, Margo, and Moki jump through time yet again and find themselves lost. As they search for information, they are threatened by wild animals. A young shepherd arrives on the scene and rescues them. They learn that this shepherd just happens to be the future King David. They follow David to Jerusalem, where they watch as he tries to help mend Saul's ill temper. Finally, they witness the defeat of Goliath.
Bogosian
When a man is exposed to an alien gas, he acquires the ability to heal instantly and survive any injury or toxin.
This documentary examines the dozens of Yiddish-language talking films made in the United States and Europe between the release of The Jazz Singer in 1927 and the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939.
Nick Ravenna
Tony Curtis is the ruthless head of a cosmetics firm, Kiss of Gold, locked in fierce competition with his arch-rival, Glamour, Inc., that happens to be run by his former lover (Lee Grant), and finds his company in the grip of a power struggle among his executives (one of whom, unbeknownst to him, is the son he'd never met) when he is severely injured in a helicopter accident. This pilot to a prospective primetime soap opera failed to generate network interest.
Nahum Favel Weissenfreund
A musical play based on the early years of actor Paul Muni.
Philip Sussman
A cashier poses as a writer for blacklisted talents to submit their work through, but the injustice around him pushes him to take a stand.
Sgt. Max Turner
Two rich children devise a way to escape their grandfather and visit their mother. Unfortunately for two hapless safe crackers, they become part of the plan.
Woodenhead Pinto Stallion III (voice)
Revisit the enchanting Land of Oz as Dorothy and Toto return to find the Scarecrow as ruler of the Emerald City. Unfortunately for the new mayor, the wicked Mombi is conspiring to take over the city for herself. With the help of the Tin Woodsman, the Cowardly Lion and other familiar friends, the brave lass from Kansas sets out to save Oz. This animated musical film features an impressive voice cast, including Liza Minnelli and Ethel Merman.
Laban
This film recounts the tales of the Biblical figures, Jacob and Joseph. The first part tells the story of Jacob fleeing his tribe when he cheats his brother out of his birthright, gets cheated himself in his exile years while learning of the need to make amends. The second part is of the story of Jacob's favorite son, Joseph. Betrayed and sold into slavery by his brothers, he meets and overcomes all adversity to become the Prime Minister of Egypt, second only to the Pharaoh.
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg died for betraying atomic secrets. Were they guilty beyond a reasonable doubt?
Alexis
A young man who dies in an auto accident returns from the dead to meet up with the young woman who tried to save him.
Hyam Malsh
An adopted boy's parents are killed, and to keep him from returning to the state's custody, he and his grandfather run away.
Walter Benjamin
An accountant is widowed after 18 years of marriage. He is dumbfounded to have a herd of marriage-minded women descend upon him.
John Pope, Sr.
A 1968 made-for-television remake of the 1957 film, based on the disturbing 1956 Michael V. Gazzo play, as performed by members of The Actors' Studio on ABC (American Broadcasting Company) television.
The Captain / Saloon Man#1
In 1869, Justin Eagle lives on his ranch called "The Eagle's Nest" near the town of Button Willow, California. In addition to being a rancher, Juston is a trouble-shooter for the U. S. Government which calls for him to act as an undercover operative and thwart the forces of evil in the rapidly-growing West. He is sent to San Franciso to find missing U. S. Senaator Freeman, who has disappeared while fighting the efforts of Montgomery Blaine, a villain who has been, with the aid of his henchman, "The Whip," forcing settlers to sell their land to him, not knowing that the land is in the path of a proposed railroad, from Utah, that will link the western United States to the East. Senator Freeman is the leader of an effort to veer the railroad southward to bypass Blaine's land and, for his efforts, is kidnapped by Bliane's henchmen and shanghaied from the San Francisco waterfront. Justin Eagle's job is to find and return him safely.
Narrator (uncredited) (voice)
A promotional short for Operation Crossbow (1965) giving historical background for the film's plot using archival footage of Robert Goddard's rocket experiments in the 1930s. Nazi Germany bought his patents to start their rocket program.
TV Announcer (voice) (uncredited)
At one of his many visits to his doctor, hypochondriac George Kimball mistakes a dying man's diagnosis for his own and believes he only has about two more weeks to live. Wanting to take care of his wife Judy, he doesn't tell her and tries to find her a new husband. When he finally does tell her, she quickly finds out he's not dying at all (while he doesn't) and she believes it's just a lame excuse to hide an affair, so she decides to leave him.
Narrator
The people of a town are condemned to die one by one by a mysterious stranger who erects a gallows in the town square.
Dominick Rossini
Angie Rossini, an innocent New York City sales clerk from a repressive Italian-American family, engages in a short-lived affair with a handsome jazz musician named Rocky Papasano. When Angie becomes pregnant, she tracks down Rocky hoping he'll pay for her abortion.
Inspector Lefevre
Nester Patou, a naive police officer, is transferred to the red light district in Paris and organizes a raid on a dodgy hotel running as a brothel. In doing so he inadvertently disrupts the corrupt system of the police and the pimps union, and even nets his station superior. Fired from his job, Nester goes to the local bar for a drink and befriends a pretty young lady named Irma la Douce. Upon realizing she is a prostitute, Nester invents a crazy scheme to keep her from seeing other men.
A cartoon explaining the American Bill of Rights and Constitution. A man imagines a "nightmare world" without these documents, where Orwellian thugs censor and arrest with impunity. When reminded of the Bill of Rights, the man fights back and eventually defeats the forces of faceless totalitarianism.
Sam
The 1961 film biography of the nightclub dancer-turned-movie star George Raft.
Juley Franz
An older woman gets involved with her young neighbor.
Kirk
A journey through the dark side of 1950s Los Angeles. "The Savage Eye" is largely composed of documentary street footage, which, when coupled with its dramatized material, takes the form of a hybrid narrative about a divorcee who escapes to L.A. to eviscerate her past -- and all notions of love and faith -- with a boozy, cynical abandon.
The Jinni of the Lamp (voice)
In this animated retelling of the classic tale, Abdul Aziz Magoo -- an ancestor of Mr. Magoo -- is the lamp-selling uncle of Aladdin. Tired of his nephew's laziness, Abdul insists that Aladdin find a wife. To his uncle's surprise, Aladdin falls in love with the beautiful Princess Yasminda. Before he can make his move, however, Aladdin is whisked away by the evil Wazir on a quest to find a magic lamp that will grant its owner unlimited power in the form of three magic wishes.
George
Claude is a ruthless and efficient contract killer. His next target, a woman, is the most difficult.
Mr. Fennel
Three teens get into the drug business when they discover heroin in a stolen briefcase.
Yankel, as a boy
Moishe Oysher, the renowned cantor and star of Yiddish radio, stars in Edgar G. Ulmer’s musical version of David Pinski’s play Yankl der Shmid. Singing, dancing, and flashing his eyes, Oysher gives his most robust performance as a passionate shtetl blacksmith who must struggle against temptation to become a mensch. Recently rediscovered footage makes this the most complete extant version of Ulmer’s lively folk operetta, replete with an example of Yiddish swing.
