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Cast
Chaim Tauber
as Motel Friedman
Malvina Rappel
as Esther Friedman
Maurice Kroner
as Benjamin Rosenwald
Berthe Hart
as Rebecca Rosenwald
Seymour Rechtzeit
as Jack Rosenwald
Jacob Zanger
as Jacob 'Joseph' Frumkin
Yetta Zwerling
as Chane Belle 'Annabella' Frumkin
Gertrude Krause
as Ruth Frumkin
Herman Rosen
as Doctor
Izidor Frankel
as Boss
Movie Info & Details
Release Year1940
Runtime1h 28m
LanguageYiddish
CertificationNR
GenresDrama
Votes1
DirectorJoseph Seiden
WritersJoseph Seiden
TypeFeature Film
Rating10.0 out of 10
Cast10 credited
Also Known AsMotel the Operator
About Motel the Operator
Motel, a poor laborer, loving husband and new father, leads cloakmakers in a strike for better working conditions. When he is severely injured by strikebreakers, his wife, Esther, and infant son are left destitute. Desperate to save her starving child, Esther gives him up for adoption to a wealthy couple, and then commits suicide. The richly-rendered beautiful Yiddish songs by Sholem Secunda featuring Cantor Leibele Waldman and Joel Feig's famous choir are a good example of the bittersweet melodrama in the finest tradition of the Yiddish theater.
Directed by Joseph Seiden, Motel the Operator leans on a strong ensemble — Chaim Tauber, Malvina Rappel, Maurice Kroner — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.
The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1940.
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