A Tale of Two Museums
Ester Rachel Kaminska Theater Museum Collection

Crossover Stars

kruetzer kalich_big.jpg
photo Paul Muni 1925 Kunst T Box93.jpg

Title

Crossover Stars

Description

Since its beginnings, the modern Yiddish theater generated "crossover actors," men and women who moved (in both directions) between the Yiddish-language stage and stages of other language. In the United States, however, the movement of Yiddish actors flowed almost always from Yiddish to English: that is, from the Yiddish theater into successful careers on the English-language stage or into Hollywood movies. Perhaps the most important crossover success story was the actor-director-and acting theoretician Stella Adler, who shares a name with Yiddish theater star and pioneer, Jacob Adler that became even more famous for her acting studio. Others include Ida Kaminska and Molly Picon, and, pictured here, Paul Muni and Bertha Kalisch. While the shift of Yidish theater's greatest talent to the English stage was most visible, this crossover movement took place on every stratum, in every area of expertise. The Yiddish theater generated talent for which it had less and less of an audience. Even as the Yiddish theater declined, it experienced a kind of success as a shaper of mainstream English-language entertainment culture.

Rights

YIVO owns the compilation of content that is posted on this website, which consists of text, images, and/or audio, and video. However, YIVO does not necessarily own each component of the compilation. Some content is in the public domain and some content is protected by third party rights. It is the user's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in YIVO websites.

The materials on this web site may be used for personal, research and educational purposes only. Publication (including posting on the Internet and online exhibitions) or any other use without prior authorization is prohibited. Please visit https://www.yivo.org/Rights-Reproductions for more information about use of materials from this website.

YIVO has employed due diligence in seeking to identify copyright holders of the materials in this compilation. We invite any copyright owners who are not properly identified to contact us at yivomail@yivo.cjh.org.

Citation

“Crossover Stars,” YIVO Online Exhibitions, accessed December 23, 2024, https://shaulgoldman.yivo.org/items/show/2919.
Submit a transcription, translation or additional information on the song or the performer