The World of Sholom Aleichem

Dec 14, 1959

1h 38m

★ 9.0

Based on the Writer Whose Stories Inspired The Fiddler on the Roof

Overview

This omnibus release consists of three playlets filmed and aired during television's Golden Age, and starring some of the legends of film and television. The collection originally ran as a two-hour segment on December 14, 1959, on the anthology series The Play of the Week, broadcast locally in New York City via the independent radio station WNTA. Each "tale" in the anthology was adapted from a single tale by the inimitable Sholom Aleichem, regarded by many as the "Yiddish Mark Twain". Included are: "A Tale of Chelm" starring Zero Mostel and Nancy Walker in the story of a bookseller attempting to buy a goat; "Bontche Schweig" about a poor man (Jack Gilford) whose recent arrival in Heaven makes the angels cry; and "The High School" about a Jewish merchant (Morris Carnovsky) persuaded by his wife (Gertrude Berg) to let their son attend a particular high school despite the enforcement of quotas for Jewish students.

Genres

Drama

TV Movie

Production Companies

Talent Associates

The World of Sholom Aleichem Trailers

No Trailers found.

Cast

Hannah

Gertrude Berg

Mendele

Sam Levene

Melamed / Maxel

Zero Mostel

Aaron Katz / Presiding Angel

Morris Carnovsky

The Goatseller / Avenging Angel

Lee Grant

Rifkele

Nancy Walker

Bontsche Shveig / Angel

Jack Gilford

The Angel Rochele

Charlotte Rae

Elsa Freed

Dodi the Innkeeper

Henry Lascoe

(as Conrad Josephs)

Conrad Bromberg

Rabbi David / Prosecuting Angel

Frederick Rolf

The teenage Bisbi, who plays the role of mother to her younger siblings, is the daughter of the indolent Aris, someone who just observes the passing of the years, hoping that circumstances will provide what his family may need, like the cicada in the fable; even when Bisbi tries to make him understand that their survival depends on their personal effort, which is what the industrious ant did every day…

0.0

Julio César

Nov 24, 1965

After Pompey's defeat at the Battle of Farsalia, Julius Caesar becomes the beacon of the Roman Republic and the master of its destiny; but many patricians want to avoid the birth of a tyranny and plot to assassinate him…

5.6

Aanum Pennum

Mar 26, 2021

An anthology film that takes you to different eras in the history of Kerala through three stories about relationships and emotions.

7.1

Every Young Man

May 13, 1966

Jurácek's feature debut is shot in two parts. In the first, a corporal accompanies a new recruit with a sore Achilles tendon for his physical, and all the girls or young women they see are played by the same actress (Ruzickova). In the longer second segment, shot with the help of the Czechoslovakia army, the soldiers pass the time during basic training and maneuvers by talking about girls.

7.6

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Aug 29, 1958

An alcoholic ex-football player drinks his days away, having failed to come to terms with his sexuality and his real feelings for his football buddy who died after an ambiguous accident. His wife is crucified by her desperation to make him desire her: but he resists the affections of his wife. His reunion with his father—who is dying of cancer—jogs a host of memories and revelations for both father and son.

7.2

Driving Miss Daisy

Dec 13, 1989

The story of an old Jewish widow named Daisy Werthan and her relationship with her black chauffeur, Hoke. From an initial mere work relationship grew in 25 years a strong friendship between the two very different characters, in a time when those types of relationships were shunned.

8.6

12 Angry Men

Apr 10, 1957

The defense and the prosecution have rested and the jury is filing into the jury room to decide if a young Spanish-American is guilty or innocent of murdering his father. What begins as an open and shut case soon becomes a mini-drama of each of the jurors' prejudices and preconceptions about the trial, the accused, and each other.

7.7

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Jun 22, 1966

A history professor and his wife entertain a young couple who are new to the university's faculty. As the drinks flow, secrets come to light, and the middle-aged couple unload onto their guests the full force of the bitterness, dysfunction, and animosity that defines their marriage.

7.4

Meet Joe Black

Nov 12, 1998

Bill Parrish has it all - success, wealth and power. Days before his 65th birthday, he receives a visit from a mysterious stranger, Joe Black, who soon reveals himself as Death. In exchange for extra time, Bill agrees to serve as Joe's earthly guide. But will he regret his choice when Joe unexpectedly falls in love with Bill's beautiful daughter Susan?

6.6

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Nov 25, 2020

Tensions rise when the trailblazing Mother of the Blues and her band gather at a Chicago recording studio in 1927. Adapted from August Wilson's play.

9.0

Ondine

Jan 1, 1975

In the forest, knight-errant Hans meets and falls in love with Ondine, a water-sprite who is attracted to the world of mortal man.

8.0

Amadeus

Sep 19, 1984

Disciplined Italian composer Antonio Salieri becomes consumed by jealousy and resentment towards the hedonistic and remarkably talented young Salzburger composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

6.8

Romeo + Juliet

Nov 1, 1996

In this contemporary take on William Shakespeare's classic tragedy, the Montagues and Capulets have moved their ongoing feud to the sweltering suburb of Verona Beach, where Romeo and Juliet fall in love and secretly wed. Though the film is visually modern, the bard's dialogue remains.

10.0

This Is Not Me

Sep 10, 2025

This Is Not Me is an intimate, haunting exploration of identity, longing, and the truths we try to hide. A raw, dreamlike film built from five striking monologues. Each character reveals the parts of themselves they’d rather keep hidden, blurring the line between confession and performance.

6.9

Shadowlands

Dec 25, 1993

C.S. Lewis, a world-renowned writer and professor, leads a passionless life until he meets spirited poet Joy Gresham.

8.3

The Eccentricities of a Nightingale

Jun 16, 1976

The tale of a lonely Southern woman's longing for her handsome next-door neighbor. At once tragic and romantic, the story is a reworking of the Williams play "Summer and Smoke," which uses the same characters and setting but in dramatically different ways.

7.1

Henry V

Oct 5, 1989

In 1415, in the midst of the Hundred Years' War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France.

5.9

A Noisy Day

Jan 7, 1961

On an ordinary Moscow street, a family lives together in an unremarkable house: a mother and four children. But one "fine" day in this family there is a violent conflict over the furniture with which the apartment is packed. However, furniture is just an excuse. In fact, two worldviews collide, different ideas about life values...

6.6

Strictly Ballroom

Aug 20, 1992

Brave new steps put Scott's career in jeopardy. With a new partner and determination, can he still succeed?

8.0

A Subject of Scandal and Concern

Nov 6, 1960

A dramatized account of a Victorian cause célèbre, written by John Osborne and concerning the true story of the last person in England to be tried for blasphemy. Richard Burton plays John George Holyoake, a social reformer who goes on trial for speaking in public about his atheist views. Rachel Roberts plays his wife, and the programme is introduced by Face to Face inquisitor John Freeman.

The World of Sholom Aleichem

Overview

Genres

Production Companies

The World of Sholom Aleichem Trailers