The Unsinkable Molly Picon: From Burlesque to Beloved Bubbeleh with Cantor Lynn Torgove

Yiddish musical and film star, the darling of Second Avenue Yiddish theater, Molly Picon survived and thrived throughout nine decades of performing for Jewish and non-Jewish audiences. Born in 1898 on the Lower East Side of New York City, Molly Picon became the quintessential bellwether of both American Yiddish assimilation and creativity. She started her career in vaudeville and silent films, went on to become a blazing star in the Yiddish theater, then on to radio, TV and Hollywood, where she played the role of Yente in the 1971 film production of Fiddler on the Roof. Molly Picon transformed herself from the adorable, mischievous young boy she played in numerous theater and film productions in her youth, to everybody’s bubbe in her final years. Through it all, she remained a role model and rule breaker…unsinkable.
Cantor Lynn Torgove has created a musical retrospective of Molly Picon’s life through music, film and narrative. Join her in discovering the many facets of this remarkable performer.
Presenter: Cantor Lynn Torgove, Hebrew College
Moderator: Cindy Rosenthal, Professor of Drama, Hofstra University