This episode explores the life and legacy of actor John Garfield (born Julius Garfinkel), focusing on how his Jewish roots shaped his identity, artistic choices, and political stance. Journalist Robert Nott, author of He Ran All the Way: The Life of John Garfield, recounts Garfield’s upbringing on New York’s Lower East Side, among Jewish immigrant poverty, and strict religious expectations. Rejecting his Orthodox father’s path, Garfield turned to acting, eventually joining the leftist Group Theater—a hub of Jewish-American creativity and political activism.
Garfield’s performances in the play Golden Boy and the movies Body and Soul, and Gentleman’s Agreement reflect recurring themes: the immigrant struggle, the lure of the American Dream, and resistance to systemic injustice. Body and Soul—produced independently—blended his real-life experiences with a fictional reworking of the biography of the famous Jewish boxer Barney Ross. Despite facing the Hollywood blacklist and pressure from HUAC during the Red Scare, Garfield refused to name names, an act of integrity that prematurely ended his acting career and possibly his life (he died at the age of 39) but one that was rooted in his cultural and moral upbringing.
Garfield, though not religiously observant, remained culturally Jewish, embodying a complex, deeply American Jewish identity in both life and art.
Host Info
Hosted by Dr. Robert Philipson
Robert is a former professor of African-American studies with a passion for jazz and art. A published author and Harlem Renaissance historian, he has produced multiple films about the intersectionality of race, music, and sexuality.
Guest Info
Robert Nott, Author, “He Ran All the Way: The Life of John Garfield (2003)”
Robert Nott is an arts and entertainment writer for The Santa Fe New Mexican
Resources
Books
Nott, Robert. He Ran All the Way: The Life of John Garfield.
Plays and Movies
Odets, Clifford. Waiting for Lefty
Odets, Clifford. Awake and Sing
Odets, Clifford. Golden Boy.
20th Century Fox, Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)
Hollywood Backstories: Gentlemen’s Agreement
Music
“Body and Soul” - Sarah Vaughan
“Happy Days are Here Again” - Barbra Streisand
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