TRIBUTE TO THE ARTISTS
Their Talent and Devotion
Helped Us to Survive

By Ralph Harpuder 

    Paraphrasing a famous quotation, “Old Soldiers Never Die….” to “Old Entertainers Never Die, They Just Fade Away”, so it seems to be with many forgotten artists who have given so much of themselves to a people sheltered in a strange and far away land called Shanghai.
    We are speaking of, and recalling such greats as entertainer Monica Herrnfeld who made her first appearance in 1939 at the Broadway Theater (Figure 1), and vocalists Lily Flohr and Rose Albach-Gerstel, who sang in the operettas “Dorine und der Zufall”, and “Der Orlow” (Figures 2, 3, and 3A respectively).
   Those entertainers, and many more, have delighted Hongkew audiences including the established crowd outside the ghetto, and have proven extremely helpful in enduring more easily the unfortunate fate in Shanghai.
    Needless to say, the theater played a great role in the cultural life of the Shanghai refugees. Over sixty German plays were produced by the refugees in Shanghai, the first from those, a major play, “Delila” (Figure 4), was played at the Lyceum Theater located at on Route Card. Mercier (Figure 5).
    Many plays were performed in the various heime including Alcocksahl (Figure 6), Wardroad Buehne (Figure 7), and at the SJYA School (Figure 8 and 8A).
    There were also a number of benefit concerts given including one during the early years at the Doumer Theater (Figure 9), and another at the Ward Road Heim (Figure 10). Figures 11 and 11A illustrate a play sponsored by the American Jewish Joint and the Jewish Welfare Board.
    And who remembers the beautiful lady, the actress from Vienna, Jenny Rausnitz (Figure 12), who starred in almost every performance.
    Shanghai refugees have also enjoyed many operetta performances led by experienced and talented stage directors including Walter Friedman, the most active of the refugee stage producers. Operettas like “Die Csardasfurstin” by Kalman (Figures 13 and 13A), “Die Dreigroschenoper” by Brecht (Figure 14 and 14A), and “Der Graf von Luxemburg” by Lehar (Figures 15 and 15A), and more (Figure 16), brought back fond memories from back home.
    Most every refugee who was an adult during the war years in Shanghai will remember the two giants of comedy, Herbert Zernik, and Gerhard Gottschalk. Their wit and humor in theaters and nightclubs usually reflected the primitive conditions surrounding the Hongkew Ghetto (Figures 17 and 17A). Figure 18 shows Gottschalk performing at the Tabarin, a popular and cozy nightclub. He also presented his unique style of comedy away from the stage: On the terrace of the Wardroad Hospital, we find Gottschalk entertaining a group of patients (Figure 19). At a “fun” soccer match, he was a goalie wearing gloves and a top hat (Figures 20 and 20A). During the game he hung drapes on his goal and pulled them closed when the other team tried to score.

     Gerhard Gottschalk does deserve some more mentioning:
Born in Berlin, Gottschalk was also a true social official who has gained the sympathies of all local refugees. In a letter by Charles H. Jordan, representative of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, it states, “Gerhard Gottschalk served his fellow refugees unselfishly and with untiring devotion as their leading social worker”. His popularity among his colleagues in show business, and at the Welfare Board is evidenced in figures 21 and 22.
    Albeit that all the talented entertainers, including those not explicitly mentioned in this report, shed brightness during some of the darkest days, it remains unfortunate that their artistry could not have unfolded under different circumstances.

REFERENCE:
David Kranzler
James R. Ross
Archives of Gerhard Gottschalk
Special thanks to Irene Heimann and Andrew Heinsius for the photos and original programs