Molly Picon
| Molly Picon | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Małka Opiekun February 28, 1898 New York City, New York, USA |
| Died | April 5, 1992 (aged 94) Lancaster, Pennsylvania |
| Cause of death | Alzheimer's disease |
| Resting place | Mount Hebron Cemetery in New York City |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1904–1984 |
| Spouse(s) | Jacob Kalich (1919–1975; his death) |
Molly Picon (Yiddish: מאָלי פּיקאָן; February 28, 1898 – April 5, 1992) was a U.S. actress of stage, screen and television, as well as a lyricist and dramatic story-teller.
She was first and foremost a star in Yiddish theatre and film, but in time she turned to English-language productions.
Picon was born as Małka Opiekun in New York City, the daughter of Polish Jewish emigrants: Clara (née Ostrow), a wardrobe mistress, and Louis Opiekun, a shirtmaker. Opiekun is a Polish language name meaning "guardian" or "caretaker". Her surname was later changed to Picon. Her career began at the age of six years in the Yiddish Theatre. In 1912, she debuted at the Arch Street Theatre in Philadelphia and became a star of the Yiddish Theater District, performing in plays in the District for seven years.
Picon was so popular in the 1920s that many shows had her adopted name, Molly, in their title. In 1931, she opened the Molly Picon Theatre. She appeared in many films, starting with silent movies. Her earliest film still existing is the 1923 East and West, which deals with the clash of new and old Jewish cultures. She played a U.S.-born daughter who travels with her father back to Galicia in East Central Europe. Her husband Jacob Kalich played one of her close relatives.
Picon's most famous film, Yidl Mitn Fidl (1936), was made on location in Poland and shows her wearing male clothing through most of the film. In the film, a girl and her father are forced by poverty to set out on the road as traveling musicians. For her safety, she disguises herself as a boy, which becomes inconvenient when she falls in love with one of the other musicians in the troupe. Later Mamele was made in Poland.
In 1934, Picon had a musical comedy radio show, the Molly Picon Program, on WMCA in New York City. In 1938, Picon starred in I Give You My Life on the same station. That program "combined music and dramatic episodes that purported to be the story of her life." Two years later, she starred in Molly Picon's Parade, a variety show (also on W.M.C.A.).
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