By Nate Bloom
Contributing Columnist
“Hazardous History with Henry Winkler” is a new series that will premiere on Sunday, June 15 on the History Channel. HENRY WINKLER, 79 narrates the series. The series’ publicity release says: “Each 60-minute episode of this nostalgia drenched series tells the stories of things we did for fun, for money, or out of plain boredom that you can’t do anymore…like smoking, unknowingly playing with radioactive toys…decorating Christmas tree with ornaments made from asbestos.”
The first episode looks at potentially dangerous things like explosive science kits and deadly flying kite tubes. Other episodes cover daredevils, risky household products, extreme sports and more.
Winkler is best known to most people as the Fonz in “Happy Days,” a TV sitcom, and as Gene Cousineau in “Barry,” an HBO comedy/drama.
You might not know that he is widely known in show biz and other places as the nicest (or kindest) man on earth. His niceness is mentioned in virtually every biography. But I have actually talked to people who had some connection (a TV show, etc.) to Winkler and they all say that he was nice in an intelligent way.
It’s nice to say that Winkler is a practicing Jew and has been married to STACEY WEITZMAN WINKLER, 77, since 1976. They have three children.
MARLEE MATLIN, 59, a deaf actress, could tell many kind Winkler stories. Winkler discovered her when she was acting with a smallish, non-profit acting company for children and teens. He helped her to get other parts and this directly led to her starring in “Children of a Lesser God” for which she won the 1988 best actress Oscar. I mention all this because a documentary about Matlin will open in theaters on June 20 titled “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore.”
“The Materialists,” a comedy, opens in theaters on June 13. Here’s the premise: Lucy (Dakota Johnson) is a top matchmaker for elite New Yorkers. At one of her weddings, she meets the very wealthy Harry (Pedro Pascal) and she also meets up with John (Chris Evans), her ex-boyfriend. He’s a wedding waiter. She likes both and she soon finds herself in a romantic triangle.
SAWYER SPIELBERG, 33, and JOHN MAGARO, 42, have supporting roles. I have to add that I am almost sure that Zoe Winters, 40, who has the biggest supporting role, is Jewish or part Jewish. Her middle name is “Chasa.” It’s a Yiddish (feminine) name that is not found among non-Jews. I have other clues that I am working on.
“The Waterfront” is a new Netflix drama that premieres on June 19. All eight episodes are available on the 19th. It is about a family that lives on the North Carolina coast. Here’s what the show’s writer says: “They’ve pulled themselves up from nothing and they’ve built this mini fishing empire…Now it’s being taken away from them bit by bit. They’ll do anything to hold onto it, because it represents their family.”
The cast is pretty small. DAVE ANNABLE, 45, has a big recurring role as “Wes Larsen.” Annable’s mother is Jewish.
Well, nobody told me that “Great Performances” (PBS) was going to present “Girl from the North Country,” a hit theater musical. I saw clips of the show and liked them. Then, there it was on PBS on May 23! You can view it anytime on the PBS app for free until July. After that, you can watch if you take out a membership to your local PBS station for $5 a month.
The musical is set in Duluth during the Great Depression. The songs (and there are many) were all written by BOB DYLAN. The show premiered on Broadway in March 2020. It got very good reviews but the pandemic got it shut down quickly. It was re-mounted for a short Broadway run in 2022. It also got acclaim when it ran in London.
I liked the show, but it wasn’t something I totally liked. Dylan’s songs sometimes work in the depression era, but they weren’t written for that era. Bob’s Duluth was not depression horrible. A lifelong friend of Dylan (from Duluth), who went to a Wisconsin Jewish summer camp with Dylan, said that he and Bob looked up Jewish campers their age who lived in Duluth. They did what ‘50s middle-class kids did — listen to rock, dance, etc.
I do have to say that MARE WINNINGHAM, 66, a Jew-by-choice, is the best actor/singer in the musical. She could really work a Dylan tune (“Like a Rolling Stone” and others). The NY Times said this about her acting: “Elizabeth (Mare Winningham, fabulous), is suffering from the kind of dementia that has her babbling uncomfortable truths and hitting those who try to help her. Winningham renders madness with the brusque straightforwardness and lopsided wisdom of a Shakespearean fool.”
