Who Am I? May 2018

I was born in Brooklyn to Jewish immigrants who owned a sporting goods store. I earned a B.A. at an Ivy League school and a law degree at St. John’s; however, it was still hard for me to find work during the Great Depression. Never the prissy type I found work in construction, sales, boxing, and playing baseball. Hell, I even worked as a model for a time.

I did a little theater work but my big break came when Warner Bros. offered me roles in films with WWII themes. I got to work with some of the major stars of those days including Raymond Massey, Bette Davis, Cary Grant, John Garfield and Humphrey Bogart. I was just “the type” that Warner Bros., unlike the other studios, liked to portray on the screen i.e. not “pretty boys” but rather gritty, average looking guys like me who looked like real people.

Throughout my career I also worked in radio and was a pioneer in the nascent television industry. I made over 30 films and earned my star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. One of my favorite film roles of the 1950’s was partially shot on location in Bergenfield, N.J. That movie role epitomized some of my deepest personal beliefs.

I was a political conservative who voted Republican. Throughout my life I have been a champion of civil rights because I despise discriminatory practices. That’s me with one of my lovely co-stars in the picture below. 

(1)Who am I?  Who is that beautiful British actress that I am embracing? (2) What star was I dancing with in the movie “Hollywood Canteen”? (3)What automobile did Jack L. Warner once give me as a birthday gift? (4)My sports trophy room is full of awards as a result of my achievements in what sport? (5)Finally, what is the name of the movie I am so proud of having starred in that was partially filmed in Bergenfield? Here’s a hint – It is biographical, inspirational and about real people.