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Walter Bernstein — a writer who knew how to choose his battles

JL;DR SUMMARY Walter Bernstein, the renowned American Jewish screenwriter, lived a life marked by a strategic approach to his battles, notably during the Hollywood Blacklist. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

HollywoodSocial JusticeCommunismCinemaHollywood BlacklistBlacklistJewish ScreenwriterWalter BernsteinThe FrontAssimilated Jewish Family

Places mentioned

Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York, United States
"Bernstein was born in Crown Heights, Brooklyn in 1919, just as his grandfathers progressed from being pushcart peddlers to shopkeepers."
Grenoble, Isère, France
"After he graduated from Erasmus Hall High School, Bernstein was sent for a few months in 1936 to Grenoble to improve his command of the French language."
France
"There he witnessed the rise of the Popular Front led by the French Jewish statesman Lon Blum."
Spain
"Conquest suggested that Bernstein accompany him on a trip to Spain, where the Civil War had just broken out."
New York, United States
"As a teenager he was published in The New Yorker, after the intervention of a family friend, the American Jewish playwright Moss Hart."

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Cairo Item ID 54511
Cairo Source ID 35
Retrieved 2025-06-16 05:31:26 UTC
Curated 2025-06-16 08:31:37 UTC