Morton Wishengrad

Morton Wishengrad
Born
Morton Bernard Wishengrad

December 2, 1913
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedFebruary 12, 1963(1963-02-12) (aged 49)
New York, New York, U.S.
Other namesMort Wishengrad
EducationMcKelway Junior High School
Boys High School
Brooklyn College
OccupationsScreenwriter, playwright
Years active1943 – 1963
Known forThe Eternal Light
Notable workThe Rope Dancers
Spouse(s)Rose Pesin
(m. 1934; died 1951)
Elizabeth Scott
(m. 1952; div. 1958)

Morton Bernard Wishengrad[1][2][3] (December 2, 1913 – February 12, 1963) was an American radio and TV script writer, screenwriter, and playwright,[4] best known for his extended tenure as the principal writer on the religious radio series, The Eternal Light.[5][6]

Early life and career

Born on December 2, 1913,[7][8][9][3] in New York's Lower East Side, Wishengrad was the first-born—and only son—of three children born to Russian-Jewish immigrants,[10] Pauline (née Adelson) and Morris Wishengrad.[8][11][12] At some point, the family relocated to Brooklyn, where their son attended McKelway Junior High School,[13] Boys High School,[14] and Brooklyn College.[4]

Radio

Wishengrad began his radio career in 1943 with NBC's Labor for Victory,[8][7] followed by 47 episodes of Lands of the Free, a series produced by NBC's Inter-American University of The Air.[15] One of those scripts, The Last Inca, portrays the sixteenth-century Peruvian Inca insurrectionist Tupac Amaru II (as played by Raymond Edward Johnson) and was later included in Joseph Liss's 1947 collection, Radio's Best Plays.[16][17] Another, "War of the Warsaw Ghetto" (aka "Battle of the Warsaw Ghetto"), was given a citation by the Writers' War Board as the best war script of 1943.[18][19] The following year, Wishengrad earned his first of many credits on The Eternal Light, launching an association extending well into the television era, eventually comprising more than 150 episodes scripted.[15] He also wrote numerous episodes of Cavalcade of America.[20]

Additional instances of Wishengrad radio scripts later picked for "Best Play" anthologies include "To the American People" (July 5, 1945 episode of The Halls of Congress, with Paul Muni, Morris Carnovsky, and Ruth Nelson; scored by David Raksin),[21] "How They Knocked the Devil Out of Uncle Ezra" (November 24, 1946 episode of The Eternal Light),[22][23] and The Camel and I (stand-alone Passover-themed drama, airing April 12, 1949, and starring Sam Levene; a joint MBS/AJC presentation).[24]

In September 1946, on the final four Fridays of the month, NBC presented a mini-"Wishengrad Festival", comprising repeat viewings of some of the writer's most popular Eternal Light offerings.[25][a] These were, in order of appearance, "Thomas Kennedy"[26] (original air date November 25, 1945; dramatizing the title character's historic—and ultimately successful—fight to remove the discriminatory "Declaration of belief" requirement from Maryland's state constitution),[27] "Lillian Wald"[28] (originally Nov. 4, 1945; recounts career of title character, founder of New York's Henry Street Settlement),[29] "Chronicle of the Dead" ("story of Polish prisoners of the Germans")[30] and "The Parable of Reb Yiszroel"(concerning "a man so good on earth that he was able to influence Heaven").[25]

During the fall of 1949, Wishengrad's work was prominently featured in a weekly series of thirteen Eternal Light rebroadcasts (including seven penned by him—namely, 'How Uriel Got Into Heaven', 'The Thief and the Hangman', 'Moses Mendelssohn', 'Brandeis', 'How They Knocked The Devil Out of Uncle Ezra', 'Ghandi', and 'Emma Lazarus'), commemorating the fifth anniversary of the series' inception in October 1944.[31]

Stage and screen

In 1950, the writer-star pairing of Wishengrad and Sam Levene—as heard the year before, in The Camel and I,[24] and, before that, in "The Parable of Reb Yiszroel" (1946)[25]—resumed to great effect in his screenwriting debut, the Oscar-nominated "Best Documentary Feature" With These Hands, which benefited greatly from Levene's strong lead performance.[32]

Collaborating with Wishengrad on a number of mid-fifties TV assignments was writer Virginia Mazer, in particular, the series U.S. Steel Hour and the series with which it alternated on a weekly basis, beginning in October 1954,The Elgin Hour. The latter's premiere episode, "Flood", was scripted by the pair.[33]

Regarding Wishengrad's 1957 adaptation of Robert Sherwood's There Shall Be No Night for Hallmark Hall of Fame,[34] at least one viewer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette critic Win Fanning, detected a distinct improvement on the original.

The great strength in last Sunday's production, beyond that of the Sherwood original, lay in the adaptor's abridging of the playwright's rather too lengthy and show stopping monologues. Unless memory plays unfortunate tricks, I recall that Alfred Lunt, who created the role so magnificently played by Charles Boyer on TV, was called upon to soliloquize at interminable length. What he said was, without doubt, worth saying. It just wasn't very good theater. It is remarkable that Mr. Wishengrad was able to retain Mr. Sherwood's intensity of feeling without resort to the latter's tedious verbosity.[35]

Much of that year was taken up with preparation for the Broadway opening of Wishengrad's The Rope Dancers.[36]

In January 1962, Wishengrad joined the faculty of Hunter College's Speech and Drama Department, where, for one semester, he led a seminar for graduate students in playwriting and directing.[37][38]

Personal life and death

From 1934 until her death in 1951, Wishengrad was married to Rose Pesin.[8][39] His second marriage, in June 1962, to singer Elizabeth Leah Cole,[40] ended in divorce not quite six years later.[39][41][42] Each marriage produced one son and one daughter.[39]

On February 12, 1963, at age 49, Wishengrad suffered a fatal heart attack at his home on Manhattan's Upper West Side, survived by his four children.[39]

Postscript: final script, posthumous tributes

On February 20, scarcely one week after his death, the premiere of what appears to be Wishengrad's final produced script—a posthumous addendum to his handful of U. S. Steel Hour episodes scripted over the preceding decade—was, with little in the way of fanfare,[b] broadcast by CBS. Adapted from the like-named H. E. Bates noir novella,[43][c] Night Run to the West boasted a high-powered cast headed by Ralph Meeker, Colleen Dewhurst, and Henderson Forsythe, supported by John C. Becher and a young Martin Sheen.[44]

About a month and a half later, on Sunday, April 7, Eternal Light's repeat broadcast of Wishengrad's "Tender Grass" did double duty, serving both as an apt Passover installment and as a heartfelt memorial to the series' celebrated alumnus.[45]

On February 7, 1964 (the final Sunday preceding Wishengrad's first yahrtzeit), the writer became the subject of a yet another on-air tribute—this time, strictly audio—paid by his radio alma mater. Featuring excerpts from his 1946 episode, "My Cousin Avigdor", the special broadcast concluded with a brief eulogy delivered by Wishengrad's colleague and longtime friend, actor Raymond Massey.[46][47][d]

Honors

Awards

Nominations

Filmography

  • With These Hands (1950) – Written by
  • The Eternal Light
    • "In the Silent House" (1951) – written by[56][57]
    • "The Chassidic Tale" (1959) – written by
    • "The Trial of Uriel" (1959) – written by
    • "The Temptation of Reb Yisroel" (1960) – written by[58]
    • "Mrs. Perlberg's Partner in Heaven" (1961) – written by
    • "The Tender Grass" (1962) – written by
    • "The Temptation of Reb Yisroel" (1967, new production) – written by[58]
    • "The Wishengrad Trilogy" (1971) – writer[59]
  • Frontiers of Faith
    • "The World of Sholom Aleichem" (1952) - writer
    • "The Microscope and the Prayer Shawl" (1954) – writer[60]
    • "The Camel and I" (1954) – writer
    • "No Wreath and No Trumpet" (1954) – writer
  • The Jeffersonian Heritage (miniseries)
    • "The Independent Mr. Jefferson" (1953) – written by[61]
  • United States Steel Hour
    • "The End of Paul Dane" (1954) – original screenplay, with Virginia Mazer[62]
    • "Two" (1954) – original screenplay, with Virginia Mazer
    • "Hunted" (1956) – writer
    • "Family Happiness" (1959) – teleplay
    • "Whisper of Evil" (1959) – written by
    • "Night Run to the West" (1963) – written by[43]
  • Armstrong Circle Theatre
    • "The Hand of the Hunter" (1954) – writer, with Virginia Mazer
  • The Precious Heritage (mini-series commemorating the Jewish people's American Tercentennial)
    • "A Rhode Island Refuge" (1954) – written by[63]
    • "A Night at Valley Forge" (1954) – written by[64]
    • "Passage Home—The Story of Ashur Levy" (1954) – written by[65]
    • "The Cord Over the Abyss" (1954) – written by[66]
  • The Elgin Hour
    • "Floodtide" (1954) – writer, with Virginia Mazer[67]
  • American Inventory
    • "The Beautiful Endurance" (1955) – written by[68]
  • On Camera
    • "The Hand of the Hunter" (1955) – writer, with Mazer
  • American Adventure (1955, short) – writer[69]
  • The Beginning (1955, short) – writer
  • Meet Mrs. Swenson (1956, short) – screenplay
  • Mellah (1956, short) – written by[4][70]
  • Hallmark Hall of Fame (1957) – writer
  • Kraft Television Theatre
    • "The First and the Last" – teleplay[71]
  • Hunted (1958) – writer (BBC reboot of like-named 1956 U.S. Steel episode)[72]
  • Suspicion
    • "The Death of Paul Dane" (1958) – writer, with Mazer[73]
  • De zondvloed (1959, TV movie) – writer, with Mazer (Belgian production of their 1954 Elgin script)
  • Our American Heritage
    • "Divided We Stand" (1959)[74]
  • The Play of the Week
  • Armchair Mystery Theatre
    • "The Case of Paul Danek" (1960) – writer, with Mazer[75]
  • Directions '62
    • "The Thief and the Hangman" (1961) – libretto[76]
  • General Electric Theater
    • "The Bar Mitzvah of Major Orlovsky" (1962) – story
  • Lichtschacht (1967) – play "The Rope Dancers"
  • Woman of Valor (1977, TV movie) – story "As a Wind That Blows"[77]

Notes

  1. ^ Despite the cited aticle's clear statement to the contrary, there is no evidence indicating that either the week 3 or week 4 episodes had ever aired previously.
  2. ^ Moreover, what little there was—that is to say, that portion of newspaper program summaries which at least identified Wishengrad as the episode's scripter—contained not even so much as a single "late Mr. Wishengrad" mention, strongly indicating that news of the recent passing had not yet filtered down to the average entertainment writer.
  3. ^ A work which—much akin to classic noirs Double Indemnity and The Postman Always Rings Twice—features the familiar triangle of the young, discontented wife and her considerably older, perhaps oblivious husband—these complemented by a young, attractive, but decidedly hapless male protagonist, seemingly destined to be either directly involved or—as in this case—at least implicated in the latter's death.
  4. ^ More than two decades before, Massey had been the featured player attached to Wishengrad's career-launching credit, narrating the wartime radio drama, The Battle of the Warsaw Ghetto.[19] Very much the same sort of collaboration occurred in April 1947, when Massey narrated the similarly themed The Bitter Herb.[48] On television, they teamed at least once, when, in December 1951, Massey portrayed poet Walt Whitman in the Eternal Light episode entitled "Legend of the Mountain".[49] Incidentally, the episode heard during the 1964 broadcast had debuted in January 1946.[50]

References

  1. ^ "ABC Plans Documentary on U.S. Communism". The Register-Guard. July 18, 1948. p. 8B. "Morton Wishengrad, well known radio writer and author of many of the broadcasts in the series, 'The Eternal Light,' [was] formerly an educational director of the Dressmakers Union, Local 22,"
  2. ^ "Aid for Unemployed". New York Daily News. December 18, 1939. p. 38. "Distribution of $25,000 to needy unemployed dressmakers has started, it was announced yesterday by Morton B. Wishengrad, educational director of the Dressmakers' Union."
  3. ^ a b "New York, New York City, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1947", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:WHGH-ND6Z : Sat Apr 12 17:18:14 UTC 2025), Entry for Morton Bernard Wishengrad and Dressmakers Union, 16 Oct 1940.
  4. ^ a b c "Obituary: Mort Wishengrad, Noted Playwright, Is Dead at 49". The Paterson Evening News. February 15, 1963. p. 31.
  5. ^ Eisenberg, Azriel (1964). The Golden Land : A Literary Portrait of American Jewry, 1654 to the Present. New York : T. Yoseloff. p. 219. LCCN 60--9882.
  6. ^ "Discuss 5th Year On the Air". The Southern Jewish Weekly. September 24, 1948. p. 7 "Moshe Davis, dean of the Seminary's Teachers Institute and program editor of the Eternal Light, with Morton Wishengrad, featured writer of the program, discuss the broadcast which will mark the inauguration of the Eternal Light's fifth year on the air on September 26th, [namely] Wishengrad's dramatization of 'The Man Who Hated God' (NBC network, 12;30–1:00 PM DST)."
  7. ^ a b "Scriptwriter Morton Wishengrad Dies". The Southern Israelite. February 22, 1963. p. 5. "Morton Wishengrad, noted script writer and dramatist, died of a heart attack on February 12. Mr. Wishengrad, born in New York City in December, 1913, was in his fiftieth year. A graduate of Brooklyn College, Mr. Wishengrad started his career In 1942 as AFL Director of the joint AF-CIO Labor Shortwave Bureau. He filled in a script for the NBC show of that period, 'Labor for Victory,' and thus began his professional writing career."
  8. ^ a b c d Who's who in America: Supplement to Who's who, a current biographical reference service, Volumes 7-8. University Press; The A.H. Marquis Company. 1946. p. 316.
  9. ^ "Morton Wishengrad". Audio-Visual Guide. Vol. 11. 1944. p. 49. "He was born December 2, 1913 in New York City's lower east side. When Morton was nine, his mother died; when he was sixteen, his father died. Supported by his sister, he attended Boys High School in Brooklyn"
  10. ^ Sterling, Christopher H.; O'Dell, Gary (2011). The Biographical Encyclopedia of American Radio. New York: Routledge. p. 293. ISBN 978-0-415-99549-8.
  11. ^ "Brooklyn Wills Filed for Probate". The Brooklyn Citizen. April 3, 1930. p. 6. "WISHENGRAD. MORRIS, died Feb. #1. 1930; personal, $6,500; executrix, Theresa M. King. 713 Crown street, Brooklyn, daughter; Morton B. Wishengrad, son, and Adeline R. Wishengrad. daughter."
  12. ^ "New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1938", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:244K-J1C : Wed Mar 26 02:34:00 UTC 2025), Entry for Morris Wishengrad and Paiya Honig, 25 March 1913.
  13. ^ "McKelway Jr. High Holds Graduation". Brooklyn Eagle. June 28, 1927. p. 16.
  14. ^ "Chat of the Schools: Boys High School". The Chat. May 31, 1929. p. 5. "'La Voz,' a Spanish publication, has again made its appearance, the first number being dedicated to the memory of the late Dr. Torres and to celebrate the Spanish Exposition at Barcelona and Seville. [...] Ivan Kempner is the editor-in-chief, with Morton B. Wishengrad as his assistant."
  15. ^ a b "Wishengrad to Speak". The Daily Times. February 14, 1958. p. 1.
  16. ^ Liss, Joseph, editor (1947). Radio's Best Plays. New York: Greenberg. pp.219, 222. OCLC 1650589. "Here is a play of purpose out of yesterday's history that tells us that yesterday's tyrants are the blood-and-money brothers of today's tyrants. If this drama were a mirror in Hell, Hitler and his cronies would see that their murderous deeds were not original. [...] The Last Inca was produced by NBC's University of the Air on a hot July Sunday afternoon in 1943 [...] Those who tuned in heard the distinguished actor Raymond Edward Johnson give one of the greatest performances ever heard on radio. [...] TUPAC. Tupac Amaru ... remember my name. [...] Tupac Amaru was the name of my death ... but the name of my birth was Jose Gabriel Condorcanqui."
  17. ^ "Peruvian Is Guest Speaker". The Shreveport Times. July 11, 1943. p. 14. Retrieved September 29, 2025. "Carlos MacKehenie y de la Fuente, first secretary of the Peruvian embassy in Washington, will be the speaker on 'Lands of Free' [...] after the conclusion of the dramatic portion of the program, which will pre devoted to 'The Last Inca.' [...] Morton Wishengrad is scripter."
  18. ^ "Well-Known Author To Lecture Tuesday At Temple Emanuel". Paterson Evening News. December 5, 1956. p. 45.
  19. ^ a b "Jewish Community Council Calendar". Paterson Evening News. December 3, 1943. p. 10. "'The Battle of the Warsaw Ghetto,' which was so well received when it was broadcast on Oct. 3 under the auspices of the American Jewish Committee, will be repeated, Sunday, Dec. 12, 1943, over the N. B. C. network, 12 noon to 12:30 p.m. Eastern War Time. Raymond Massey will be the narrator of the script, which was written by Morton Wishengrad."
  20. ^ Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 141. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3.
  21. ^ Mayorga, Margaret (1946). The Best One-Act Plays of 1945. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company. pp. 96–97. OCLC 8704250.
  22. ^ Mayorga, Margaret (1948). The Best One Act Plays of 1947–1948 New York: Dodd, Mead and Company. p. 278. OCLC 8440429.
  23. ^ "Today's Leading Events (Musical Highlights Will Be Found on Program Page)". The New York Times. November 24, 1946. p. X 11. ProQuest 107539229. 12-12:30—Invitation to Learning: 'Cicero's On the Commonwealth,' Thurman Arnold, Francis R. B. Godolphin, Irwin Edman—WCBS. 12:30-12:45—Pope Pius XII, from Rome, on 300th Anniversary of Jesuit Martyrs at Auriesville, N. Y.—WJZ. 12:30-1—The Eternal Light: 'How They Knocked the Devil Out of Uncle Ezra'—WNBC.
  24. ^ a b Mayorga, Margaret (1950). The Best One Act Plays 1949-1950. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company. p. 38. OCLC 13100460.
  25. ^ a b c "Parable of Reb Yisroel on the Air, Sunday". The Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle. September 29, 1946. p. 6. " Sam Levene [...] will play the leading role in 'The Parable of Reb Yisroel,' an original radio drama by Morton Wishengrad to be presented Eternal Light program on Sunday, September 29 (NBC network, 11:30 p.m., EST). This will be fourth script in the current 'Wishengrad Festival' series, repeat broadcasts of the most popular radio plays written by Mr. Wishengrad for the program. 'The Parable of Reb Yisroel' concerns a man so good on that he was able to influence Heaven."
  26. ^ Gross, Ben (September 9, 1946 ). "Listening In". New York Daily News. p. 36. "Few who heard 'The Eternal Light' rebroadcast yesterday of Morton Wishengrad's 'Thomas Kennedy' (WEAF-Noon) could quarrel with its selection as the outstanding network religious program by the Institute for Education by Radio at Ohio State University. Wishengrad's dramatization of Kennedy's fight in 1825 against the statute requiring delegates in the Maryland legislature to take oath on their faith as 'Christians' carried great dramatic impact."
  27. ^ Juengst, William (November 23, 1945). "Radio". Brooklyn Eagle. p. 25. "the 'Eternal Light' show, which the Jewish Theological Seminary stages each Sunday on WEAF, will be devoted to Gentile Thomas Kennedy (who fought a battle for tolerance in Maryland in the early days of our republic)."
  28. ^ "On the Air–Sunday, September 15, 1946: Today's Radio Highlights". The Gazette and Daily. September 15, 1946. p. 15. "12:00 noon WEAF-The Eternal Light-"Lillian Wald," drama starring Jane Cowl."
  29. ^ Anderson, Stanley (November 3, 1945). "Radio: Tomorrow". The Cleveland Press. p. 16. "Lillian Wald's Life, WTAM at 11: The career of New York's Henry Street Settlement founder is dramatised on Eternal Light.'"
  30. ^ "On the Air–Sunday, September 22, 1946: Today's Radio Highlights". The Gazette and Daily. September 22, 1946. p. 17. "12:00 noon—WEAF–The Eternal Light–'Chronicle of the Dead,' story of Polish prisoners of the Germans."
  31. ^ "New Series of Jewish Broadcasts Will Begin This Sunday". The Southern Jewish Weekly. October 21, 1949. p. 5. " It consists of 13 scripts, chosen for having evoked the greatest popular acclaim of the 241 Eternal Light presentations offered since the program's inception in October of 1944 [...] Scheduled to launch the series on Sunday, October 23, will be, 'How Uriel Got Into Heaven', Morton Wishengrad's story of a simple water carrier, whose right to a Heavenly reward is cleverly pleaded by the angel Michael."
  32. ^ Hale, Wanda (June 16, 1950). "'With These Hands' a Good Industry Film". New York Daily News. p. 75. "The picture has been beautifully cast. In leading roles are Sam Levene, Arlene Francis and Joseph Wiseman. As Brody, Levene uses to the best advantage his expressive face, hands, shoulders and voice, but never once does he overdo a scene."
  33. ^ "Tuesday Evening October 5". TV Guide. October 2, 1954. p. A-40.
  34. ^ Grant, Hank (March 19, 1957). "TV Review: There Shall Be No Night". The Hollywood Reporter. p. 30. ProQuest 2338223747.
  35. ^ Fanning, Win (March 19, 1957). "Television and Radio: Sherwood Can Be Proud". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 31.
  36. ^ "'Wonderful' Gets Jose; Art & Siobhan Teamed". New York Daily News. July 22, 1957. p. 41.
  37. ^ Calta, Louis (January 27, 1962). "ELLIS LISTS PLAY BY ROBERT NOAH: Drama Inspired by Lawyer for Sacco and Vanzetti; Miscellaneous News". New York Times. p. 13. ProQuest 115950703. Morton Wishengrad, playwright, had been appointed to the faculty of the speech and drama Department at Hunter College. He will teach a course in playwriting and directing during the spring semester.
  38. ^ Tess Wishengrad Is Engaged to Graduate Student. The Daily Times. June 14, 1962. p. 12. "Morton Wishengrad [...] has announced the engagement of his daughter, Miss Tess Wishengrad [...] Her father, a dramatist and author, is a visiting lecturer at the seminar in playwriting and directing in the Hunter College Graduate Division."
  39. ^ a b c d "Morton Wishengrad Dies; A Radio-TV Script Writer". New York Times. February 15, 1963. p. 45. ProQuest 116468417. Morton Wishengrad, a radio and television script writer, died Tuesday of a heart attack at his home, 125 West 79th Street. He was best known for his work on 'The Eternal Light' [...] Mr. Wishengrad's first wife, Rose Pesin, died in 1951. Their two children, Joel and Mrs. Tess Yager, survive him. By his second marriage, to Elizabeth Cole, which ended in divorce, he had a son and a daughter, Daniel and Nina, who also survive.
  40. ^ "Miss Elizabeth Cole Married to N.Y. Man". The Morning Call. June 23, 1952. p. 13.
  41. ^ "Mrs. Wishengrad In Leading Opera Roles". The Daily Times. February 13, 1958. p. 16. "Mrs. Morton Wishengrad of Mamaroneck, known professionally as Elizabeth Cole, will appear in the leading feminine roles in two operas, 'I Pagliacci' and 'The Telephone', at Daniel Warren School Feb. 26 at 8:3O p.m."
  42. ^ Sinclair, Gordon (May 6, 1958). "Mystery Objects on Summer Replacement". The Toronto Star. p. 30. "John Maddison, who has recently, been on the road with industrial shows, is in the work together with his wife, Elizabeth Cole, [...]"
  43. ^ a b "Steel Hour Drama of Channel 5". Martinez News-Gazette. February 20, 1963. p. 5.
  44. ^ "Steel Drama Plot Centers on Trucker". The Austin Daily Herald. February 15, 1963. p. 15.
  45. ^ "'Grass' to Repeat". The Baltimore Sun. April 3, 1963. p. C5.
  46. ^ Naomi (February 8, 1964). "What's on the Air". The Times Recorder. p. 2-A. "A MEMORIAL program for Morton Wishengrad, who died on Feb. 13, 1963,[sic] at the age of 49, will be presented on the Peabody award winning ETERNAL LIGHT program tomorrow afternoon on WHIZ Radio at 12:30. Mr. Raymond Massey, distinguished actor of stage and screen and long-time friend of the late Morton Wishengrad, will speak briefly at the close of the program."
  47. ^ "Eulogy for Morton Wishengrad by Raymond Massey". MP3 file. OCLC 1377293392. WorldCat. "Recording of Raymond Massey on The Eternal Light eulogizing Morten Wishengrad on the occasion of his first yahrtzeit. Opens with 'Morten Wishengrad wrote the play that you have just listened to (My Cousin Avigdor).'"
  48. ^ "Massey to Star in Special WQBC Show". The Vicksburg Post. April 2, 1947. p. 10. "Massey will narrate radio writer Morton Wishengrad's true story of the Korman Family, titled "'The Bitter Herb," in a special Mutual broadcast tonight at 7:30 on WQBC. The program is presented in cooperation with the American Jewish Committee on the eve of the celebration of the annual Passover holiday. Mr. Wishengrad has adapted for radio a story of four surviving members of a Jewish family forced to flee from their native Germany when the Hitler hordes let loose their venom of hate and intolerance."
  49. ^ [ "Jewish Broadcast Slated for Sunday"]. The Southern Jewish Weekly. December 14, 1951. p. 5. "On December 16th, the Eternal Light (12:30-1:00 p. m. EST, NBC Network) will star Raymond Massey in 'Legend of the Mountain,' written by Morton Wishengrad [...] Massey will portray Walt Whitman [...] a fantasy whose setting is American and whose roots are Biblical. It is a story of brotherhood, told with excerpts of the poetry of Whitman."
  50. ^ Wishengrad, Morton (1947). The Eternal Light: 26 Radio Plays from the Eternal Light Program. New York: Crown Publishers. p. 322. OCLC 854060538. "The script was broadcast on January 20, 1946 with Ben Cooper as the boy Narrator and Michael Artist as Avigdor. [...] 'My Cousin Avigdor' was suggested by the Palestinian short story by Ari Ibn Zahav, 'A Brother’s Grave.'"
  51. ^ Shandler, Jeffrey (2009). Jews, God, and Videotape: Religion and Media in America. New York: New York University Press. p. 77. ISBN 0-8147-4068-5.
  52. ^ "Eternal Light Radio Program Receives Annual Variety Award". The Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle. September 2, 1949. p. 9. "In the annual Variety awards announced recently, the Eternal Light [...] was cited by Variety as recipient of its Plaque Award for 1948-49. Pictured above is the production staff of the Eternal Light: (left to right) Morton Wishengrad, one of the program's writers: Doctor Moshe Davis, program editor: Milton E. Krents, producer for the Jewish Theological Seminary of America; and Frank Papp, producer for NBC"
  53. ^ "News Nuggets of the American Jewish Scene". Buffalo Jewish Review. August 19, 1949. p. 2. "New York, N. Y.: "'The Eternal Light,' Jewish Theological Seminary's NBC radio program, received the VARIETY award as an important spiritual force in the community."
  54. ^ "Emmy' awards for TV bests slated for tomorrow night; NBC to Broadcast Ceremonies". The Star-Ledger. April 14, 1958. p. 21.
  55. ^ Kaye, Joseph (March 23, 1958). "LIST PLAYS FOR AWARD; INGE DRAMA IN THE THEATER WING RACE; Barbara Cook, Formerly of Starlight, Vies for Musical Actress Crown". The Kansas City Star. p. 3E. "The other play candidates listed alphabetically: 'Look Back in Anger,' by John Osborne: 'Look Homeward, Angel,' by Ketti Frings; 'Romanoff and Juliet,' by Peter Ustinov: 'Sunrise at Campobello,' by Dore Schary; 'The Rope Dancers,' by Morton Wishengrad."
  56. ^ "Jewish Broadcast Slated for Sunday". The Southern Jewish Weekly. October 26, 1951. p. 1.
  57. ^ "BLIND SHADOWPLAYERS WILL HOLD OPEN HOUSE THURSDAY". The San Francisco Call-Bulletin. June 3, 1953. p. 17. "The sightless Shadowplayers, members of the Adult Education Dramatics Class, will present a staged rcading of the radio play, 'In the Silent House' by Morton Wishengrad, which is the story of Laura Bridgman, famous blind deaf mute of the last century."
  58. ^ a b "Religious Drama, Talk Highlight Faith Sunday". The Staunton Leader. September 29, 1967. p. 17. "This new production of 'The Temptation of Reb Yisroel' will be presented in memory of its author, Morton Wishengrad, who wrote many outstanding dramas for 'Eternal Light.' [...] During a period of 18 years Morton Wishengrad contributed more than 150 scripts to the "Eternal Light" program on NBC radio and tv. 'The Temptation of Reb Yisroel' had its first production on NBC, Sept. 25, 1960."
  59. ^ "Sunday Best Bets". The Philadelphia Inquirer TV Week. February 28, 1971. p. 5. "'The Wishengrad Trilogy.' Presenting selections from three plays by the late Morton Wishengrad—'Trapdoor,' 'The King's Hunchback' and 'The Temptation of Reb Yisroel.' Joseph Wiseman is narrator."
  60. ^ "Scientist's Story Told on Frontiers of Faith". Ledger-Star. May 1, 1954. p. 15 ""The Microscope and the Prayer Shawl," written by Morton Wishengrad, will be presented Sunday at 12:30 on WVEC-TV [... It] is the story of the scientist, Waldemar Haffkine, who discovered an anti-cholera vaccine which was used to stem a ravaging epidemic in India. Because Haffkine was a Jew, he was not permitted to practice or apply the benefits of his discoveries in his native county of Russia."
  61. ^ Crosby, John (July 11, 1953). "Maybe That Studio Stabbing Will Mark the Great TV Uprising; Educational TV Scores". The Sacramento Bee. p. F-26. "Morton Wishengrad, who may be the outstanding writer of commemorative programs of this nature, turned out a remarkably literate script. Of course, he had a great collaborator in Thomas Jefferson, whose writings he freely borrowed. [...] This was the first of a series to be called The Jeffersonian Heritage and, if the rest of them are this good, it will be well worth watching. "
  62. ^ "Patients Fear Death Is Close". The Stratford Star. May 6, 1954. p. 22. "[...] The full hour original television play by Morton Wishengrad and Virgina Mazer is a taut drama of a psychiatrist two strange patients a man with a compulsion to kill and a woman who fears she is marked for murder. Miss Wright will play the terror-ridden woman, Margaret Swift; Preston, the psychiatrist, Dr. Ralph Abbott; Stevens the potential slayer, and Miss Wilson son the psychiatrists's wife, Celia."
  63. ^ "Telecast to Mark Tercentennial Here". The Wisconsin Jewish Journal. September 3, 1954. p.. "Milwaukee station WCAN-TV will carry the first of a series of four broadcasts entitled 'A Precious Heritage,' beginning at 8:00 a.m., on Sunday, Sept. 5. 'A Precious Heritage,' written by the talented and well known Morton Wishengrad, is a dramatization of important events in Jewish life in the United States. The first in the series is entitled 'A Rhode Island Refuge,' and is a story about the Newport Synagogue at the time of the American Revolution."
  64. ^ "Sunday, September 12: Morning". TV Guide – Chicago. September 11, 1954. p. A-12. "Everett Sloane stars in 'A Night at Valley Forge,' story of the hardship endured by the men of all faiths and creeds who fought to make us free. The second in a month's dramatic series by Morton Wishengrad celebrating the Jewish Tercentenary in the United States."
  65. ^ "TV Key". Brooklyn Eagle. September 19, 1954. p. 13. "10:00 a.m. Ch. 2—Precious Heritage. 'Passage Home—the Story of Asbur Levy,' by Morton Wishengrad. An interesting series."
  66. ^ "Sunday, September 26: Morning". TV Guide – Chicago. September 25, 1954. p. A-16. "'The Cord Over the Abyss,' by Morton Wishengrad, tells of the problems of Jewish trade-union members. This is the final show of the month's series celebrating the Tercententary of the arrival of the Jews in the U.S."
  67. ^ "Elgin Hour Debuts With 'Flood Tide'; All-STAR CAST'". St Petersburg Times Sunday Magazine. October 3, 1954. p. 22. "Written especially for television by Morton Wishengrad and Virginia Mazer, 'Flood Tide' tells the story of how a young aristocrat and his bride, who quits a waitress job to marry the Southerner, find the home towners hostile to their union. The problem resolved- not by the residents- but by the raging river."
  68. ^ "Sunday, February 6 – Morning". TV Guide. February 5, 1955. p. A-6. "Morton Wishengrad has written 'The Beautiful Endurance' about a married writer who can't get his work published. He faces a crisis in which he must choose between his writing career and a steady job."
  69. ^ "American Jewish Committee Annual Meeting Opens Today (Continued from Page 1)". Buffalo Jewish Review. January 28, 1955. p. 9. "Another at the Annual will be feature the premiere of "American Adventure," a motion picture dramatizing the 300th anniversary celebration of Jewish settlement in America. Morton Wishengrad, a prize-winner of Variety and Peabody Radio-TV Awards, wrote the script for the 30-minute film."
  70. ^ Disraeli, Robert (Spring 1956). "Religious and Interfaith Previews and Reviews: Mellah". Film News. pp. 17, 28.
  71. ^ O'Brien, Jack (July 11, 1957). "Radio and Television World". Chronicle Tribune. p. 26. "Kraft's drama. Wednesday night was just wonderful Edward Mulhare was fine, Susan Cabot a doll, but Frank Conroy separated the men from the boys with one of TV's finest, deftest performances. [...] The play's the thing, course, and the hero was TV writer Mort Wishengrad, who adapted the Galsworthy original with a delicate combination of realism and near-poetry."
  72. ^ "Beauty in View". Leicester Mercury. February 3, 1958. "On the right is another red-head. Diana Decker, pictured topically among the snowdrops, has a star role in tomorrow night's B.B.C. presentation of 'Hunted', by Morton Wishengrad. The play is set in America where Diana was born. [...] Playing opposite her will be Patrick 'Troughton as the Russian with a big price on his head."
  73. ^ Smith, Cecil (UPI). "Suspicion's Last Play Airs Tonight". The Los Angeles Times. July 21, 1958. pt. II, p. 8. "For tonight's final effort (live from New York) the show has assembled a superb cast, headed by Eli Wallach, Janice Rule and Warren Stevens. The play is 'The Death of Paul Dane' by Morton Wishengrad and Virginia Mazer, the tale of a psychiatrist (Wallach) who is treating a man with a compulsion to kill (Stevens) and a girl in terror of death (Miss Rule)."
  74. ^ Crosby, John (October 21, 1959). "'Divided We Stand' Offers Taste of Historic Heritage". The Bay City Times. p. 36. Retrieved September 27, 2025. "The first of the series, Sunday on NBC, was called "Divided We Stand" and was largely concerned with the bitter warfare between two great Americans, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, who were politically, temperamentally, emotionally, and ethically in violent disagreement. [...] Morton Wishengrad, who wrote the script, concentrated on a tiny incident in the war between France and England in which this country desired strenuously to stay neutral."
  75. ^ White, Leonard (2003). Armchair Theatre: The Lost Years. Devon: Kelly Publications. p. 265. ISBN 1-903053-18-8.
  76. ^ Johnson, Robert (October 16, 1961). "TV News and Views: Exciting New Opera—A Work of Art". Memphis Press-Scimitar. p. 19. "Something great happened on TV yesterday and it came from ABC, the network some of us castigated for its preoccupation with horses and corpses. 'The Thief and the Hangman,' a new opera, is a work of art, and I use the phrase carefully, aware that they do not happen often nowadays. [...] The men who conceived this and the performers breathed passion and life into it loved what they were doing. They were inspired. The music is by Abraham Ellstein, with whom I was not previously familiar, and the libretto is by Mort Wishengrad, one of the finest writers in television."
  77. ^ "Channel 5 to Air TV Special". St. Louis Jewish Light. March 16, 1977. p. 18. "A drama of Jewish settlers in New York City in the late 18th century, Women of Valor, will be presented as a one-hour special on KSD-TV, Channel 5, on Sunday, March 20, at 4 p.m. Virginia Mazer's script stems from a work of Morton Wishengrad, As a Wind That Blows, and, to a great extent, is based on fact."

Further reading

  • Bikel, Theodore (2014). Theo: An Autobiography. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 145–147 ISBN 978-0-299-18284-7.
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