Molly Picon ( yi, מאָלי פּיקאָן; born Malka Opiekun; February 28, 1898
– April 5, 1992) was an American actress of stage, screen, radio and television, as well as a lyricist and
dramatic storyteller.
She began her career in
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 ...
and film, rising to a star, before transitioning into character roles in English-language productions.
Early life
Picon was born Malka Opiekun (Anglicized first to Pyekoon, later Picon)
in New York City, to
Polish-Jewish
The history of the Jews in Poland dates back at least 1,000 years. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Ashkenazi Jewish community in the world. Poland was a principal center of Jewish culture, because of the lon ...
immigrants Clara (née Ostrow), a wardrobe mistress, and Louis Opiekun, a shirtmaker. Opiekun is a
Polish language
Polish (Polish: ''język polski'', , ''polszczyzna'' or simply ''polski'', ) is a West Slavic language of the Lechitic group written in the Latin script. It is spoken primarily in Poland and serves as the native language of the Poles. In a ...
name meaning "guardian" or "caretaker". The family relocated to
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, when she was three years old.
Career
Picon began as a
child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage or in film, movies or television. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associ ...
in the
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 ...
at age six. In 1912, she debuted at the Arch Street Theatre in Philadelphia and became a star of the
Yiddish Theatre District
The Yiddish Theatre District, also called the Jewish Rialto and the Yiddish Realto, was the center of New York City's Yiddish theatre scene in the early 20th century. It was located primarily on Second Avenue, though it extended to Avenue B, b ...
, performing in plays in the District for seven years. Picon was so popular in the 1920s, many shows had her adopted name, Molly, in their title. In 1931, she opened the Molly Picon Theatre.
![Jacob Kalich in Mezrach und Maarev, 1921](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Jacob_Kalich_in_Mezrach_und_Maarev%2C_1921.jpg)
Picon appeared in many films, beginning with
silent movies
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...
. Her early films were made in Europe; among the first, and earliest to survive, was the
Yiddish language
Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...
''
East and West'', a film adaptation of the 1921 play ''Mezrach und Maarev'' produced in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
in 1923.
The film depicts a clash of New and Old World Jewish cultures. She plays a US-born daughter who travels with her father back to
Galicia in East Central Europe.
Her husband Jacob Kalich played one of her close relatives.
Picon's most famous picture, ''
Yidl Mitn Fidl'' (1936), was filmed on location in Poland and shows her wearing male clothing throughout most of the movie. The story concerns a girl and her father who 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. Another of her films, ''
Mamele
''Mamele'' ( yi, מאמאלע pl, Mateczka) is a Yiddish Language Polish musical film made in 1938.
Synopsis
Set in Łódź, the film revolves around Khavtshi Samet ( Picon), a Cinderella figure, who has taken on maternal responsibility for her ...
'', was also shot in Poland.
In 1934, Picon had a musical comedy radio show, ''The Molly Picon Program'', broadcast on
WMCA WMCA may refer to:
*WMCA (AM), a radio station operating in New York City
* West Midlands Combined Authority, the combined authority of the West Midlands metropolitan county in the United Kingdom
*Wikimedia Canada
The Wikimedia Foundation, ...
in New York City. In 1938, she starred another radio program on WMCA, ''I Give You My Life''. That program "combined music and dramatic episodes that purported to be the story of her life." Two years later, she starred in ''Molly Picon's Parade'', a variety show on WMCA.
[Sies, Luther F. (2014). ''Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition, Volume 1''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . Pp. 523, 337, 455.]
Picon made her English language debut on stage in 1940. On
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
, she starred in the
Jerry Herman
Gerald Sheldon Herman (July 10, 1931December 26, 2019) was an American composer and lyricist, known for his work in Broadway theatre.
One of the most commercially successful Broadway songwriters of his time, Herman was the composer and lyricis ...
musical ''
Milk and Honey'' in 1961. In 1966, she dropped out of the disastrous ''
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.
Background
Allen's inspiration was a trip to Kaifeng Fu (''prefecture''), China, the site of a major Jewish migration in the 10t ...
'' during previews in Philadelphia; the show closed before it reached Broadway.
![Jim nabors molly picon 1968](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Jim_nabors_molly_picon_1968.JPG)
Picon had a bit part in the 1948 film ''
The Naked City
''The Naked City'' (aka ''Naked City'') is a 1948 American film noir directed by Jules Dassin, starring Barry Fitzgerald, Howard Duff, Dorothy Hart and Don Taylor. The film, shot almost entirely on location in New York City, depicts the poli ...
'' as the woman running a news-stand and soda fountain towards the climax of the film. Her first major Anglophonic role in the movies was in the film version of ''
Come Blow Your Horn
''Come Blow Your Horn'' is Neil Simon's first play, which premiered on Broadway in 1961 and had a London production in 1962 at the Prince of Wales Theatre. Simon rewrote the script more than two dozen times over several years, resulting in a hit ...
'' (1963), with
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
. One of her best-known film roles was as Yente the Matchmaker in
the 1971 film adaptation of the Broadway hit ''
Fiddler on the Roof
''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia in or around 1905. It is based on ''Tevye and his Daughters'' (or ''Tevye the ...
''.
Picon appeared as Molly Gordon in an episode of
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
's ''
Gomer Pyle, USMC
''Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.''The show (and CBS) renders the title as ''Gomer Pyle – USMC''. is an American situation comedy that originally aired on CBS from September 25, 1964, to May 2, 1969. The series was a spin-off of ''The Andy Griffith Show ...
'' and had a recurring role as Mrs. Bronson in the
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
police comedy ''
Car 54, Where Are You?
''Car 54, Where Are You?'' is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 1961 to April 1963. Filmed in black and white, the series starred Joe E. Ross as Gunther Toody and Fred Gwynne as Francis Muldoon, two mismatched New York City pol ...
''. In the comedy ''
For Pete's Sake'' (1974), she appeared as an elderly
madam
Madam (), or madame ( or ), is a polite and formal form of address for Woman, women in the English language, often contracted to ma'am (pronounced in American English and this way but also in British English). The term derives from the French ...
("Mrs. Cherry") who arranges a disastrous stint for
Barbra Streisand
Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers List ...
on a job as a
call girl
A call girl or female escort is a sex worker who (unlike a street walker) does not display her profession to the general public, nor does she usually work in an institution like a brothel, although she may be employed by an escort agency.< ...
. She later had television roles on the soap opera ''
Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
, locator_map =
, coordinates =
, region = South West England
, established_date = Ancient
, established_by =
, preceded_by =
, origin =
, lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
, lord_ ...
'' and appeared in a few episodes of ''
The Facts of Life'' as Natalie's grandmother. Picon's final role was as
Roger Moore's mother in the comedies ''
Cannonball Run'' and its sequel ''
Cannonball Run II
''Cannonball Run II'' is a 1984 action comedy film starring Burt Reynolds and an all-star cast, released by Warner Bros. and Golden Harvest. Like the original '' Cannonball Run'', it is set around an illegal cross-country race.
This was the l ...
'' in 1981 and 1984, respectively.
Books
Picon wrote ''So Laugh a Little'' (1962), a biography about her family. In 1980, she published her autobiography, ''Molly!''.
Personal life
Picon was married to actor and playwright Yankel (Jacob) Kalich from 1919
until his death from cancer in 1975. They had no children.
Picon died on April 5, 1992, aged 94, from
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...
in
Lancaster,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
. She and her husband are interred in the Yiddish Theater section of the
Mount Hebron Cemetery in Flushing, Queens, New York City.
Legacy
* An entire room was filled with her memorabilia at the
Second Avenue Deli in New York City (whose Second Avenue location is now closed)
* The
New Century Theatre
The New Century Theatre was a Broadway theater in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, at 205–207 West 58th Street and 926–932 Seventh Avenue. Opened on October 6, 1921, as Jolson's 59th Street Theatre, the theater was desig ...
, a former legitimate Broadway theatre at 932 Seventh Avenue and West 58th Street in Midtown Manhattan (since closed and demolished), was briefly known as the Molly Picon Theatre in 1943.
* She was inducted into the
American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1981.
* ''
Picon Pie'', a biographical play, ran
off-Broadway
An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
from 2004 to 2005.
* In 2007, she was featured in the film ''Making Trouble'', a tribute to female Jewish comedians, produced by the
Jewish Women's Archive
The Jewish Women's Archive (JWA) is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to document "Jewish women's stories, elevate their voices, and inspire them to be agents of change."
JWA was founded by Gail Twersky Reimer in 1995 in Brookli ...
.
* Costumes she wore in various theater productions are displayed at the
National Museum of American Jewish History
The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History (The Weitzman) is a Smithsonian-affiliated museum at 101 South Independence Mall East (S. 5th Street) at Market Street in Center City Philadelphia. It was founded in 1976.
History
With ...
in Philadelphia.
Filmography
References
Reference is a relationship between objects in which one object designates, or acts as a means by which to connect to or link to, another object. The first object in this relation is said to ''refer to'' the second object. It is called a ''name'' ...
Sources
* Eth Clifford. ''Molly Picon – So Laugh a Little'', Messner, 1962 (se
.
* Lila Perl, Donna Ruff. ''Molly Picon: A Gift of Laughter'', Jewish Publication Society, 1990, .
External links
*
*
*
Guide to the Papers of Molly Picon (1898-1992)at the
American Jewish Historical Society
The American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) was founded in 1892 with the mission to foster awareness and appreciation of American Jewish history and to serve as a national scholarly resource for research through the collection, preservation and ...
, New York.
Pages from a Performing Life: The Scrapbooks of Molly Picona
American Jewish Historical SocietyWomen of Valor exhibit on Molly Piconat th
Jewish Women's Archive*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Picon, Molly
1898 births
1992 deaths
20th-century American actresses
Actresses from New York City
American child actresses
American autobiographers
20th-century American memoirists
American film actresses
American silent film actresses
American stage actresses
American television actresses
American people of Polish-Jewish descent
Burials at Mount Hebron Cemetery (New York City)
Deaths from Alzheimer's disease
Neurological disease deaths in Pennsylvania
Jewish American comedians
Jewish American actresses
Vaudeville performers
Yiddish theatre performers
Yiddish film actors
Jewish American female comedians
20th-century American Jews