Could a triumvirate such as the one pictured above have an impact on the rapidly escalating situation between Israel and Hezbollah factions based in Lebanon? On the left is my father, Peter Miller, Jewish business owner and President of the 1959 Uptown Chamber of Commerce. In the middle is Lebanese Christian entertainer and philanthropist Danny Thomas, son of Middle Eastern immigrants and star of the TV mega-hit “Make Room for Daddy.” On the right is Art Niemann, assistant to billionaire businessman and self-help author W. Clement Stone. So there you have it: Jews, Arabs, and Christians united for the common good. What could be more inspiring in these difficult times?
I guess it’s a bad day to joke about the latest conflict in the Middle East. When I woke up this morning the big news was that Hezbollah rockets had reached Haifa and killed eight Israeli citizens. The main story a few hours later was that Israeli warplanes had fired missiles at a Lebanese civil defense building in the southern port city of Tyre, killing at least nine civilians and wounding 42. It’s looking like casualties will continue to mount on both sides and any hope for peace in the region has disappeared for the duration.
I’ve been trying to educate myself about the current crisis by reading various news accounts and analyses. I hesitate to offer my personal opinions here, though, since I don’t feel I have the background knowledge or expertise to discuss this complex issue in an intelligent way. In general, I am a strong supporter of the state of Israel even though I sometimes vehemently disagree with the government’s policies but if I tried to voice my feelings about the latest events I’m not sure I’d have the stomach to endure the discussion that might follow.
One blogger I read regularly, Neil Kramer, who writes the wildly funny “Citizen of the Month,” stuck his toe into the political waters the other day by looking at the unsavory relationship between French presidents and extremist Arab leaders. Touching on this subject, it was fascinating to see the change in the type of comments Neil usually receives from his legion of fans. Instead of the usual witty and adoring remarks from his readers (the majority of them female), he received a series of lengthy and passionate diatribes on this issue. It was as if several of his regular readers were starting their own blogs within the confines of Neil’s comments section—their responses were far longer than Neil’s original post. It was an interesting discussion and I admired Neil’s attempt to broach this topic, but as the intense reactions took on a life of their own, I could almost hear him watching helplessly and thinking, “Oy, what have I unleashed?”
I met someone a few days ago who, during a discussion about blogging, listed all of the big-time political blogs he reads. After revealing this extensive list, he announced, “I have no interest in reading personal blogs.” I found myself wincing at the comment. Is that what my blog is—a personal blog? Of course it is, how could it be anything else? Suddenly, in my defensiveness, I saw a whole blog hierarchy emerge, with those famous political blogs at the top of the heap, and the blogs that touch on people’s daily lives gathering barnacles at the bottom of the sea. But are those distinctions real? I thought about the different blogs that I read and every one of them seems to be a combination of the personal and political. In the context of blogging, that feminist motto seems more relevant than ever: the personal IS political.How can we make sense of anything that is happening in the world if not through the lens of our own experience?
I also thought of the individual strengths and styles of the different bloggers that I read and how much I enjoy that diversity. So instead of feeling self-conscious about my personal blog that refrains from offering an informed analysis of the conflict in the Middle East, I will try to accept and embrace my own freaky lens that somehow seems to insert figures from American pop culture into every rumination. Besides, I don’t think I could write with so-called journalistic objectivity even if I wanted to, despite my admiration for bloggers who are able to discuss what’s going on in the world with clarity and intelligence.
I know it sounds like I’m apologizing for my blog. But why? And to whom? The truth is I’m perfectly comfortable with the knowledge that I’m never going to be the Middle East correspondent for The New York Times. With that in mind, let me go back to the moment in time captured in the above photograph and my speculation about Danny Thomas’s role in improving Arab-Jewish relations.
Born Amos Yakhoob in Deerfield, Michigan, Danny Thomas probably did more for dispelling negative stereotypes about Arab-Americans in the 1950s and 60s than anyone else in public life. Lebanese actress Kathy Najimy, in accepting an award from the Arab Anti-Discrimination League several years ago, remembered how Danny Thomas and his family were revered in her household when she was growing up:
My Aunt Lillian still has pictures up of us belly dancing right next to the photo that was up in every one of my relatives' homes...the photo that still to this day is yellow and faded and ripped but remains on every wall and in every wallet...the photo of me and my cousins in our belly dancing costumes with the Lebanese T.V. God...Danny Thomas. When I was on “The Tonight Show,” Jay Leno said, “Oh, you’re Lebanese, then of course you must have that altar that is in every Arabic home I've ever been in. The one with the picture of the cedar trees and the framed photo of Danny Thomas.” And yes, we did! Actually I was particularly influenced in my life by Marlo Thomas. She was Arabic and beautiful and smart and feminist, an author, actress, and activist and the first woman character on T.V. who was single, a career woman, not living at home, and not supported by a man.
Besides his films and TV work, Danny Thomas’s main legacy is the children’s hospital he founded in Memphis. After raising the money to build the hospital, Thomas formed the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities with the sole purpose of supporting the daily operations of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The hospital opened its doors in 1962 and is now recognized as one of the most important centers for the study and treatment of catastrophic diseases in children.
At the height of his TV fame, my father invited Danny Thomas to perform at an event that was being held to aid community development in the struggling Chicago neighborhood where my father ran a department store called Bissett’s. The Chamber of Commerce offered to pay his way and provide an honorarium but Thomas wouldn't accept a dime. He performed his act free of charge and then schmoozed with the crowd for hours afterwards. This while he was busy traveling the country fundraising for his hospital. My God, what a mensch he was.
We were obviously not an Arab family with an altar to Danny Thomas in our living room like the families of Kathy Najimy, Ralph Nader, Tony Shalhoub, Sela Ward, and many others, but the photograph of my father with Danny Thomas remained in a place of honor in our home for decades. I do think Thomas’ work back then was an important factor in promoting Arab-Jewish tolerance and cooperation. Despite being an Arab and a Maronite Christian, Thomas had already played Jews in several films. In Betty Garrett’s film debut, "Big City," which I recently mentioned, he was Cantor David Irwin Feldman; in the Doris Day vehicle, “I’ll See You in My Dreams,” he played Jewish composer Gus Kahn, who wrote songs such as “It Had to Be You” and “Makin’ Whoopee;” and in the first remake of Jolson’s “The Jazz Singer,” Danny played would-be cantor Jerry Golding opposite Peggy Lee. Thomas certainly never had any trouble “passing” for Jewish, despite his heritage, proving that Semites of all nationalities have as many commonalities as they do cultural differences.
One of my earliest memories as a child is watching the long-running “Make Room for Daddy” on our huge RCA console. This show began airing six years before I was born and continued for six years afterwards. Thomas’ Danny Williams felt like a second father to me during those years and I worshipped his beautiful wife Kathy played by Marjorie Lord (mother of actress Anne Archer). Jean Hagen, the brilliant Lina Lamont in “Singing in the Rain,” played Danny’s first wife in the 1950s but when Hagen left the show her character was killed off (a first for a TV sitcom) and Lord appeared as a widow that had married Thomas in between seasons.
Danny quickly adopted her daughter Linda, played by Angela Cartwright. Cartwright was the subject of my earliest crush and my interest in her only deepened when she reappeared as Penny Robinson in “Lost in Space” and then Louisa von Trapp in “The Sound of Music.” Ah, the perfect girl! But her older brother on “Make Room for Daddy” was played by Rusty Hamer, the poster boy for child stars’ lives gone wrong. Once one of the most popular children in the country, Hamer couldn’t get any work after the series ended in 1965. He and Cartwright did appear in the short-lived 1970 sequel, “Make Room for Granddaddy,” but following the cancellation of that show, Rusty’s life took a steep dive and he shot himself to death at the age of 42.
We all loved Danny’s Uncle Tonoose, played by Hans Conried, surely one of the only Arab characters seen on television during those years but not one that was immune to Arab stereotypes. Tonoose, who loved goat cheese and grape leaves, used to joke that his family descended from King Achmed the Unwashed. Oy. We also loved the Williams’ close friends, Charley and Bunny Halper, played by Sid Melton and Pat Carroll. We had the pleasure of having Pat over to our house for brunch several weeks ago. Her daughter Kerry is a friend of ours and Pat told us fascinating stories of her early years in the business as well as her most recent role in the upcoming Hilary Swank film called “Freedom Writers.” In this story of an inner city teacher trying to teach her students about tolerance, Carroll plays Miep Gies, the woman who helped hide Anne Frank.
Do you remember when the characters from “Make Room for Daddy” appeared on an episode of “I Love Lucy?” Or that the pilot for “The Andy Griffith Show” first aired on “Make Room for Daddy” with Danny Williams wandering into rural Mayberry? Thomas was the executive producer of Griffith’s show as well as many other 1960s sitcoms, most notably “The Dick Van Dyke Show” where he also appeared as the alien Krolak in the famous walnuts episode.
Okay, I’m rambling again. I guess my tendency to get lost in a reverie of old TV shows and name-dropping is one of my survival techniques for dealing with the harsh realities of what’s been happening in the world.
I pray that this latest conflict ends without too many more casualties on either side and that public opinion doesn’t turn hysterically against Israel or against the millions of Arabs who want nothing to do with the Hezbollah terrorists. Danny Thomas built St. Jude Children’s Hospital as a shrine to the saint he said had helped him when he was a struggling young man without a penny to his name. St. Jude is known as the Patron Saint of Hopeless Causes. Oh St. Jude, please hear the prayers being sent your way this week, we sure do need you now!
There is so much to say in response to this post that I don't know where to begin. I have long thought about the blog hierarchy with the political blogs considered so much more important than our "personal" blogs. I have quite a personal stake in thinking about that too, as you know, Danny! But I couldn't agree with you more when you say: "How can we make sense of anything that is happening in the world if not through the lens of our own experience?"
For me, I rate the personal blogs very high up in my list and check in with political blogs from time to time just to see what people might be speculating about. So much of political blogging is only about speculation anyway.
I am watching the news in the Middle East with much anxiety. So many dear, dear people for me are involved in that region. The more there is war anywhere the more my heart breaks for everyone who suffers so terribly.
I like looking at the world through your lens, Danny. It is comedic, intellectual, personal, and poignant all at the same time. In any case, all these world events seem completely surreal to me most of the time - so disconnected to the real life of human beings: loving, eating and drinking, having children, becoming ill, dying, celebrating, being joyful, crying in each others arms.
Oh well ... the tip of the iceberg of what your post really raises for me about everything!
Posted by: tamarika | July 17, 2006 at 04:04 AM
I love this post, Danny!
To me, saying, "I only read politcal blogs, I have no interest in reading personal blogs" is like saying, "I only read the newspapers, I have no interest in letters from friends."
Posted by: Rurality | July 17, 2006 at 05:44 AM
I've thought for a while now that the term blog is just too vague to include all the different types of blogs out there. It's as if everyone just said "a book" for any piece of fiction, non-fiction, or poetry. Personal blogs are never going to compete in the big time compared to the political or celebrity blogs. And it probably is better that way.
Posted by: Neil | July 17, 2006 at 09:03 AM
Where would we be without your peculiarly TV-tinged perspective?! The world could use more like you.
But, sorry: I don't read blogs about TV.
Posted by: David | July 17, 2006 at 11:31 AM
Sela Ward is Arabic?
Posted by: Paula | July 17, 2006 at 11:56 AM
According to my research, Ward is of Lebanese ancestry even though she was born and bred in the Deep South.
Posted by: Danny | July 17, 2006 at 12:16 PM
Such a wonderful post Danny...thought provoking and touching, too...Oh how I wish that Danny Thomas were alive right now and was in charge of anything to do with the Middle East...Your blogging about TV shows to me is more important than most of the political blogs out there because you write about the things that have affected us in our life and gave us values and touched our hearts and minds...YOU make those connections for us in what you write about and you tie it all together so I can see how these cultural things truly affected beliefs as well as amusing us and pleasing us. And the lives that the TV stars or movie stars lived outside of their roles such as Danny Thomas has had an incredible impact on our country--our people--our children. St. Jude's Hospital is a living testemant to the goodness of one man who had a dream and a vision and acted on it and made it happen...And it is your "personal" view that gives us this unique and important perspective. This post touched me very very much, dear Danny. And I too will pray to St. Jude and maybe this horror that is happening in the Middle East and the other horror in Iraq will be helped if we ALL pray to St. Jude whether we believe or not.
It couldn't hurt! Right?
Posted by: OldOldLady Of The Hills | July 17, 2006 at 02:08 PM
Danny, thanks for the memories...I LOVED Make Room for Daddy, I wanted to be Linda, and had such a crush on Rusty. Years later, I of course, wanted to be That Girl (in fact I have whole post I wrote about it...personal of course, not political). I'll take your personal blog over a political blog, anyday...really enjoyed this post.
Posted by: cruisin-mom | July 18, 2006 at 07:23 AM
When I was watching "Make Room for Daddy," Danny Thomas seemed no different from anyone else I knew...and I came from a part of the country that was about as white as it can get. (I'm not bragging about that.) All I could see was that he was a good guy and he was funny.
Perhaps the key to all of the issues you mention above is philanthropy--love of or benevolence toward humankind.
Posted by: Wanda Tucker | July 18, 2006 at 08:08 AM
I don't read political blogs, but I never miss yours. Thank you!
Posted by: Julie Voss | July 18, 2006 at 10:57 AM
As a personal blogger, using my posts to brazenly market my book, entertain, and amuse; I appreciate your support of our genre. And as a Jew, afraid to turn on the news because of casualties on both sides, I welcome your honest response to the headlines. I watched all the TV shows you mention, am also impressed with Danny Thomas' legacy, and wish someone with his good heart could intervene and end the nightmare. Thanks, Danny, for a thoughful post.
Posted by: Elaine Soloway | July 18, 2006 at 01:52 PM
Danny,
Found you through Neil...and I've enjoyed what I've read. Every once in a while I suffer from news burn out (like right now)...I just can't take anymore bad news, so to see your mix of personal and political is perfect.
"How can we make sense of anything that is happening in the world if not through the lens of our own experience?" - that is why I blog. Thanks Danny
Posted by: Jules | July 18, 2006 at 07:53 PM
Danny, I agree with you on this. There are plenty of political bloggers out there and I think they can handle the situation much better than I can, so unless I have something unique to say, I stay out of it.
That being said, personal blogging...what is that, anyway? If your blog is about who you are, how can it not at least touch on things that are important to you, like the fate of your people? You have your way of addressing this, and I think you did a fine job. And personally, I wish the world were fully of Danny Thomas's, but if they're out there, they are being very quiet right now.
I would like to keep psychotoddler an oasis of lunacy and stupid kid tricks. But every so often, I do have to vent about what's going on in the world.
Posted by: psychotoddler | July 27, 2006 at 12:45 PM
I remember that right after Danny Thomas died someone was on a talk show reminiscing about him and stated that he was one of the people who was responsible for getting the words "under God" added to the Pledge of Alligence. I would like to think that this is true, but I have not seen anything that backs that statement up. God Bless, Danny Thomas no matter what. :)))
Posted by: toothteacher | September 03, 2007 at 08:45 PM
Thanks for your post. I have to tell you that I loved seeing uncle Tonoose. I was perhaps too young in the 1950's to understand the negative aspects of stereotypes. In fact, that Danny would have this old country relative was very cheering to me - I could identify, even though my folks were Croatian and Hungarian. In my neighborhood, everybody had "foreign" grandparents or uncles with old country ways. It was refreshing to see that represented on TV. Not every family was "Leave it to Beaver" in America. Now I had proof that we weren't the only ones, and that somehow, we counted. So, shukraan, Danny and Tonoose!
On another note, it has saddened and shocked me to see the way attitudes toward Arab-Americans has changed over the years. Growing up, for someone to be Lebanese or Syrian was regarded like being Italian or Greek - just another nationality in the mix of America; nothing more, nothing less. It distresses me to see how this has be transformed into a kind of unknowable, frightening otherness. Certainly the media, with racist, anti-Arab political cartoons worthy of Goebbels and right wing talk radio has helped bring about this awful transformation in the American popular mind.
Along similar lines, I've also seen a slow transformation of the attitude about Hispanics from "just another nationality" to menacing other.
Posted by: Walt | December 10, 2007 at 06:32 AM
Well, Middle Eastern people are unfortunately not the same like from the past. Problems in the Israeli Palestinian conflict have transfered to other middle eastern nations and ethnical groups. Danny Thomas was a Lebanese Christian, who are/were usually western orientated...
Posted by: Antoine | December 22, 2008 at 03:28 AM
Hello Danny; my name is Jennifer Jacobs and I am the grand niece of Uncle Amos/Danny Thomas. I want to thank you for your kind words about him. It was wonderful to read and brought about sweet memories. Thanks again.
Posted by: Jennifer Jacobs Jasin | October 06, 2011 at 11:01 AM