Philip Loeb
This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2017) |
Philip Loeb | |
---|---|
Born | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | March 28, 1891
Died | September 1, 1955 Manhattan, New York City, U.S. | (aged 64)
Spouse |
Jeanne La Gue
(m. 1920; div. 1940) |
Children | 1 |
Philip Loeb (March 28, 1891 – September 1, 1955), was an American stage, film, and television actor, director and author, perhaps best remembered for playing Jake Goldberg in The Goldbergs. He was blacklisted under McCarthyism and committed suicide in response.
Early life
Philip Loeb was born March 28, 1891, in
The Goldbergs
In 1948, Loeb portrayed the role of Jake Goldberg in Gertrude Berg's Broadway play Me and Molly, which was based on Berg's long-running radio show The Goldbergs. The following year, he reprised the role on the television adaptation of The Goldbergs on CBS. Loeb quickly became a viewer favorite as Jake, the exasperated, loving husband to Berg's meddlesome, bighearted Molly Goldberg. He also appeared in the 1950 film adaptation of the series.
Blacklisting
In June 1950, Loeb was named as a
Loeb's last acting job was in the 1953
Death
In his 1996 memoir Inside Out, blacklisted screenwriter Walter Bernstein describes Loeb as being disconsolate and depressed as a result of the blacklisting. Loeb was the sole support of a mentally disturbed son, and was burdened with financial problems. Bernstein was part of a circle of friends including Zero Mostel, and said "I never saw Loeb smile, even when Zero was at his hilarious best."[8]
The following year Loeb committed suicide by taking an overdose of sleeping pills in the Taft Hotel in midtown Manhattan on September 1, 1955.[4][9] No note was found.[4] Loeb was buried in Mount Sinai Cemetery in his native Philadelphia.[citation needed][10]
Legacy
Loeb's suicide was reflected in the character Hecky Brown, played by his real-life friend Zero Mostel (himself a blacklisted performer), in The Front (1976), Martin Ritt's film examining the Hollywood blacklist (also starring Woody Allen). The screenplay of the movie was written by Walter Bernstein, another blacklisted friend.
Loeb's case is also noted in the Philip Roth novel I Married a Communist.[citation needed][11] The American Academy of Dramatic Arts—where Loeb was an instructor—awards an annual scholarship in his memory. Equity briefly issued the Philip Loeb Humanitarian Award.[citation needed]
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1938 | Room Service | Timothy Hogarth | |
Sweethearts | Samuel Silver | Uncredited | |
1947 | A Double Life | Max Lasker | |
1950 | The Goldbergs | Jake Goldberg |
References
- ^ "Philip Loeb – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
- ^ "If I Were King". IBDB.
- ^ "Time Out For Ginger". IBDB.
- ^ a b c "Philip Loeb Dead; Prominent Actor; Body Found in Midtown Hotel; Overdose of Sleeping Pills Apparent Cause". The New York Times. September 2, 1955. p. 38. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
- ^ Gould, Jack (January 8, 1952). "Actor Is Dropped From Video Cast". The New York Times. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
- ^ "Ousted Video Player Gets 'Goldberg' Fee". The New York Times. September 2, 1952. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
- ^ Zolotow, Sam (26 November 1952). "DOUGLAS STARRING IN COMEDY TONIGHT; ' Time Out for Ginger,' at the Lyceum, Marks Playwriting Debut of Ronald Alexander". The New York Times. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
- ^ Inside Out: A Memoir of the Blacklist, by Walter Bernstein, Alfred A. Knopf, 1996, p. 185
- ^ "Autopsy Ordered by Police in Death of Philip Loeb". Broadcasting Telecasting. September 5, 1955: 9. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - ^ "Actors>Philip Loeb". classicmoviehub.com. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
- ^ "THE BOOK CLUB A Sad Remembrance". slate.com. 25 September 1998. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
External links
- Philip Loeb at the Internet Broadway Database
- Philip Loeb at IMDb
- Philip Loeb at Find a Grave