Curt Schleier is a freelance writer and author who covers business and the arts for a variety of publications. Follow him on Twitter at @tvsoundoff.
Curt Schleier
By Curt Schleier
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The Schmooze My Dad and the Garment Business
“Dressing America,” which debuts September 2 on WNET, is a nostalgic look back at the largely Jewish history of the New York City garment business, replete with interviews of mostly old Jews fondly recalling a bygone era. Some of those interviewed head well-known fashion brands including Perry Ellis, Nicole Miller and Leslie Fay. (Notably, though…
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The Schmooze An Escape Artist With Daddy Issues
It’s a bit presumptuous of me to suggest that the History cable network scheduled its two-part “Houdini” mini-series over Labor Day weekend on the theory that most folks will be away from their television. But, if by some chance, that turned out actually to be the network’s strategy, kudos to them. Houdini is played by…
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The Schmooze Old Letters With New Messages
“Shadows From My Past” is a strange amalgam of a documentary. Though it is often amateurish (it has the feel of a home movie) and dated (it includes interviews of people long dead), it is powered by its subject matter and evokes strong emotion. Gita Weinrauch Kaufman escaped Vienna with her parents and two brothers…
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The Schmooze Down the Mystical Rabbit Hole
“Kabbalah Me” is a fascinating and inspiring story about a man’s spiritual journey into the complex world of Jewish mysticism. But on another level, it is also a sad and revelatory documentary about how faith and religious observance are marginalized in our society. Steven Bram is a successful filmmaker and chief operating officer of a…
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The Schmooze David Gregory Writing Jewish Memoir
David Gregory is writing a book about his Jewish faith, something that was presumably tested in recent weeks. The long-time NBC newsman, who was just dumped from his job hosting “Meet the Press,” is also known in D.C. for hosting the Jewish holidays. He’s reportedly studied with a Jewish scholar. Jonathan Karp, who heads the…
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The Schmooze Lenny Abrahamson, Ireland’s ‘Third Most Famous Jew’
Irish director Lenny Abrahamson concedes that his latest film, “Frank,” is eccentric. The movie is inspired by British comedian and musician Chris Sievey, who adapted the stage persona of Frank Sidebottom and toured Britain with a band. Not well known outside the U.K., Sievey was similar to — but never quite as successful as —…
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Culture ‘Mad Man’ on the Movie Set
Pretty much every profile of Matthew Weiner has his professional history down pat. A writer for TV’s “Becker,” he penned a spec script about a 1960s ad agency that caught the eye of David Chase. Chase hired him first as a writer and then as a producer of “The Sopranos.” Several years later, Weiner shopped…
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The Schmooze Good Intentions Aren’t Enough for ‘Good and the True’
“The Good and the True,” a two-person play that just transferred to New York after runs in the U.K. and Belgium, unexpectedly became a potential nova-making vehicle. The play originally starred Saul Reichlin as Milos Dobry (Dobry is Czech for “good”) and Isobel Pravda (Russian for “true” — hence the title), who played her grandmother…
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