''Mamele'' ( yi, מאמאלע pl, Mateczka) is a

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 ...

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks ...

made in

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...

Synopsis

Set in

Łódź Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of canti ...

, the film revolves around Khavtshi Samet ( Picon), a

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

figure, who has taken on maternal responsibility for her family after the death of her mother — hence the title, ''Mamele'', or 'little mother.' Khavtshi is required to shop, cook and clean up after her unappreciative family. Furthermore, she must keep her siblings out of trouble: her younger brother gets mixed up with crooks and her sister Berta (Bullman) has eyes for the gangster Maks Katz (

Menashe Oppenheim Menashe Oppenheim (Menasha, Menasze Oppenheim, sometimes used pseudonym Mieczyslaw) (1905–1973) was an American singer, composer, songwriter, collector and performer of folk songs. Born in the eastern borderlands of Poland, in the early thirti ...

). Eventually Khavtshi's morale breaks, and she moves in with the handsome musician Schlesinger (Zayenda) across the courtyard. In this period of distress Khavtshi imagines the life of her grandmother in a dream-like song and dance sequence. The Samet family begs for Khavtshi to return, which she does with Schlesinger. The film closes with Khavtshi busy preparing the feast during her wedding.

Cast

Molly Picon 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 Yidd ...

as Khavtshi Samet *Edmund Zayenda as Schlesinger *

Max Bozyk Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (English Springer Spaniel), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of OBE) * Max (gorilla) ...

as Berl Samet * Gertrude Bullman as Berta Samet * Simche Fostel as Nadirman * Ola Shlifko as Jentka Samet *

as Maks Katz * Karol Latowicz as Zeisher * Max Perelman as Dawid Samet *

Ruth Turkow Ruth (or its variants) may refer to: Places France * Château de Ruthie, castle in the commune of Aussurucq in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département of France Switzerland * Ruth, a hamlet in Cologny United States * Ruth, Alabama * Ruth, Ar ...

as Bailchi * Lew Szrftzecer as Konchicker

Production

Mamele marks the second collaboration between Green and Picon after their success with Yiddle with His Fiddle. Green, by then an American citizen, was in Europe preparing for filming of ''A Letter to Mother,'' when Picon's husband (and manager) proposed that the two should make another film. Picon suggested to adapt the play of ''Mamele'' which she had performed years before onstage and although Green was reluctant to make a film based on a play, he eventually agreed. Green convinced the cast and crew of ''A Letter to Mother'' to hold off production for some time and ''Mamele'' was filmed in six weeks in the fall of 1938, mostly in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

with some exteriors shot in

Ciechocinek Ciechocinek (Polish pronunciation: ; German language, German (1941-1945): ''Hermannsbad'') is a spa town in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, north-central Poland, located on the Vistula River about east of Aleksandrów Kujawski and south-east of ...

. Green took great care to show many aspects of typical

shtetl A shtetl or shtetel (; yi, שטעטל, translit=shtetl (singular); שטעטלעך, romanized: ''shtetlekh'' (plural)) is a Yiddish term for the small towns with predominantly Ashkenazi Jewish populations which existed in Eastern Europe before ...

life, depicting holidays, nightclubs, unemployment and gangsterism.

References

External links

Mamele at the National Center for Jewish Film
*{{IMDb title, id=0030407, title=Mamele 1938 musical comedy films 1938 films Polish black-and-white films Films about Jews and Judaism Yiddish-language films Yiddish-language mass media in Poland Polish musical comedy films