Actor Jack Lemmon (1925- 2001) was born on Feb. 8.
One of Lemmon’s last roles was "Tuesdays With Morrie," a made-for-TV movie adapted from sports journalist Mitch Albom’s book about a dying Jewish mentor, professor Morrie Schwartz.
[[READMORE]]
"I read the novel and I loved the character of Morrie," Lemmon, then 74, told JTA.
"I was quite taken with Morrie’s philosophies, but I frankly didn’t think of myself playing the role in the television film. I never thought I would be asked. But when they did ask me, I jumped like a turkey."
Morrie’s wisdom included many statements about death. ("Death ends a life, not a relationship.")
The only thing The Archive Blog cherishes more than old people themselves is telling stories of old people through arts and media.
Below is the trailer for Tuesdays With Morrie:
Archive Notes: Jack Lemmon made his first visit to Israel on a UJA mission in 1982 with "The Odd Couple" co-star Walter Mattheau … "I have just lost someone I’ve loved as a brother, as my closest friend and a remarkable human being," Lemmon said after Mattheau’s death in 2000 … In 1994, Lemmon signed a petition with Whoopi Goldberg and Jon Voight who asked the U.S. to commute Jonathan Pollard’s sentence.
More Video: Texas Archive interview with Jack Lemmon (1989)
Image: Screen shot from Tuesdays With Morrie (1999)
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
