Image by Clemens Bilan / Getty Images

Unless you’re an old movie buff (or were around when such movies were made), you could be forgiven for not knowing the name ”Mary Astor,” which (quite consciously, I think) sounds like it was taken right out of a 1930’s country club roll call. You may not know Astor (most famous for her role in “The Maltese Falcon”), but you probably know Woody Allen, who has a new piece of writing published today in The New York Times book review section.

The piece is a review of Edward Sorel’s new non-fiction book about the torrid life of Mary Astor entitled “Mary Astor’s Purple Diary: The Great American Sex Scandal of 1936.” I call it a “new piece of writing” as opposed to just a book review because, although Allen sings the book’s praises throughout the piece (I mean, he really loves it), the review is of interest regardless of one’s interest in Mr. Sorel’s book (which, once again, sounds fantastic).

Most people, naturally, know Woody Allen for his films, but what some may not know is that Allen is a gifted writer off the screen as well – he’s authored numerous books and plays (including “Play It Again, Sam,” which was made into a film by Herbert Ross [though Allen did star]). A personal favorite is his incredible send-up of philosophical writing, “My Philosophy,” which first appeared in the New Yorker, but was later included in his book “Getting Even.” (Not only is the essay hilarious, but it also displays the same deep knowledge of philosophy that permeated many of Allen’s films.)

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

With his review of Mr. Sorel’s book, Allen gives us a quintessentially Jewish piece of work. Not just because of the erudition, not just because it’s a book review in a New York paper, but also because of the wit, the yiddish (making appearances: “schmutz,” “mishegas,” and “milchidik” [yiddish words have a wonderful propensity to sound exactly like the thing they describe]), the self-effacement, the humor. It’s refreshing – after so many lackluster films of late, Allen shows us that he can still churn out a great piece of writing.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount