Kurt Stone, D.D.


Film Appreciation

Kurt F. Stone, D.D., is in his 23rd year with Osher LLI. His passion for film is, he says, “genetic,” having been born in Hollywood, CA and raised both in and around the movie industry. A graduate of the University of California (B.A.), the Eagleton Institute of Politics and the Hebrew Union College (M.A.H.L. and D.D.), Professor Stone is the best-selling author of two books on the United States Congress and is currently continuing work on a massive history of Hollywood entitled “In the Land of Mink-Lined Pools.” A much sought-after lecturer, medical ethicist, occasional actor and ordained rabbi, his political op-ed column, “The K.F. Stone Weekly,” has, over the past 15 years, developed an international following. He now has a second blog called “Tales From Hollywood & Vine.”

Student Testimonials

  • “Dr. Stone is very informative and knowledgeable about the movie industry and brings a great deal of personal and historical information forward and following the movie presentations.”
  • “Dr. Stone has a wide breadth, depth and personal knowledge of movies and the film industry which makes his remarks about movies and the film industry interesting as well as educational.”

Words and Music

Hollywood Recycles the Classics

Without question, movies are an art form – perhaps the most significant and influential art form of the past 100+ years. Then too, cinema is big, big business; a single hit film can turn a struggling producer, director or actor into a multimillionaire or save a company from bankruptcy. Once classic Hollywood figured out that movies could be both craft and commerce, it began recycling itself, often turning hit dramas and comedies into musicals. This “two bites at the apple” strategy often worked even better than expected; studios frequently discovered that in putting music to the words, they had created yet another entertaining, financially successful classic.

In this eight-session course, we will present four classic films and the four musical versions based upon them. Each session will begin with Professor Stone’s always fascinating introduction, taking a brief look “behind the scenes” at the making of the film. Following the evening’s film, we will conclude with what hopefully will be a wide-ranging discussion, comparing the film to its musical offspring.
Eight Lectures
  1. "Ninotchka" (1939) - Starring Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas, directed by Ernst Lubitsch. A stern Russian apparatchik is sent to Paris on official business and finds herself attracted to a man who represents everything she detests.
  2. "Silk Stockings" (1957) - Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Peter Lorre. Three bumbling Soviet agents fail in their mission to corral a straying Soviet composer from Paris.
  3. "The Shop Around the Corner" (1940) - James Stewart, Margaret Sullavan, directed by Ernst Lubitsch. Two employees in a Hungarian gift shop slowly fall in love, not realizing that they are actually each other’s secret pen pal.
  4. "In the Good Old Summertime" (1949) - Judy Garland, Van Johnson, S.Z. Sakall. Two employees in a music store hate each other, not realizing that in reality, they are falling in love through anonymous letters.
  5. "Ball of Fire" (1941) - Barbara Stanwyck, Gary Cooper, directed by Howard Hawks. A group of ivory-tower lexicographers realize they need to hear how real people talk, and end up helping a beautiful singer avoid the police and escape from the Mob.
  6. "A Song is Born" (1948) - Danny Kaye, Virginia Mayo and Benny Goodman, directed by Howard Hawks: A gangster’s moll goes into hiding when her boyfriend is under investigation by the police.
  7. "The Philadelphia Story" (1940) - Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, James Stewart, directed by George Cukor: When a rich woman’s ex-husband and a tabloid reporter turn up just before her planned remarriage, she begins to learn the truth about herself.
  8. "High Society" (1956) - Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Grace Kelly. A successful jazz musician lives in a mansion near his ex-wife’s family estate. She is on the verge of marrying a man blander and safer than he.
Course # W8M5 — Full 8 Weeks
Place:Auditorium, Lifelong Learning Complex, Jupiter Campus
Dates:Mondays, January 8, 29; February 5, 12, 19, 26; March 5, 12 2018
Time:7 - 9 PM
Fee:$80 / member; $110 / non-member
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An Evening with Sholem Aleichem

A One-Man Performance

“A wise word is not a substitute for a piece of herring or a bag of oats...” So says Tevya — father, husband, milkman and philosopher — the most famous creation of Sholem Aleichem, the “Father of Yiddish Literature.” Aleichem, the nom de plume of Sholem Rabinowitz (1859-1916) was, and is, one of the world’s most universally beloved authors. Often called “The Jewish Mark Twain,” Aleichem wrote hundreds of stories, plays, novels and essays that portrayed the love, laughter, wiles and weltanschauung of a lost world. Professor Stone has been performing his acclaimed, one-man show of Sholem Aleichem for more than 40 years and the hundreds of performances have drawn rave reviews throughout America, Europe and even Australia. Through the course of our “visit,” Stone/Aleichem weaves the story of “his” life into tales of Tevya, Golda, Menachem Mendel and the people of Kasrilevke.

A performance not to be missed!
Register Early! There is a $5 charge for registering on the day of a one-time lecture or event.
Course # W1T1 — One Time Event
Place:Auditorium, Lifelong Learning Complex, Jupiter Campus
Dates:Tuesday, January 16 2018
Time:7 - 9 PM
Fee:$25 / member; $35 / non-member
Register Now
 
 Last Modified 2/12/15