Born Emanuel Goldenberg in Bucharest, Romania in 1893, Edward G. Robinson lived what at first glance seems the American dream. He achieved world-wide fame on both stage and screen through the Hollywood studio system of the 1930’s and 40’s, became an art connoisseur, and hosted lavish parties for family and friends that included Frank Sinatra, Charlton Heston and Marlene Dietrich. Robinson also lived through several nightmares, though. His personal life was constantly wrought with pain and embarrassment; he often felt stifled as an artist since the only roles he was offered were gangsters and thugs; and he painfully suffered at the hands of the Communist “witch hunt” in Hollywood in the 1950’s. Alan L. Gansberg’s remarkably detailed biography leaves few stones unturned in telling Robinson’s story, which is as much a tale of the history of the first two-thirds of the 20th century as it is Robinson’s personal saga. Robinson is a prism through which the reader can view the mores of two generations of America. Audiences during the Depression flocked to see his often nuanced portrayals of little guys coming out on top (although frequently gunned down in the final reel). The McCarthy-era crusade against any figures in the entertainment industry with any connections or affiliations that smacked of “Red” is a case study in national paranoia. However, whether the recovery of Robinson’s career in the 1960’s indicates a healthier state of the 24 JEWISH BOOK WORLD Winter 5765/2004 NONFICTION Union or is instead a tribute to one man’s ability to overcome all personal and professional obstacles is a question that Gansberg does not attempt to answer. Robinson was always proud of his Jewish identity and maintained strong connections with the Jewish community in Los Angeles and in his beloved State of Israel. Gansberg’s work details not only Robinson’s accomplishments in entertainment, but also his work on behalf of the political and social causes he held dear throughout his life. The book is not a Hollywood “tell-all,” but rather a loving portrait and tribute to a fine actor and true survivor. It will satisfy not only film buffs, but serious students of the modern American Jewish experience as well.
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