American songsmith Irving Berlin

Some of our most cherished holiday songs, including "White Christmas" and "Easter Parade," as well as "God Bless America," were written by the prolific composer-lyricist Irving Berlin (1888-1989), a Jewish immigrant from Russia. Mo Rocca talks about the remarkable life of Berlin, who wrote hundreds of standards, with his granddaughter, Katherine Swett; Broadway musical director and conductor Andy Einhorn; Josh Perelman, Chief Curator at the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia, and ultra-Orthodox singer Shulem Lemmer.
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[@usycyakbmbk3709]

Irving Berlin is my 1st cousin (4x removed) and I just love watching videos on him and seeing that people still talk about him even though he's virtually unknown to today's youth

[@Juliaflo]

What a treasure of a man your cousin was, is, and always will be.

[@alfredroberthogan]

How could anyone not know about the legendary Irving Berlin? Oy veh. Many of our young people are so ignorant on what matters--science, environment/climate, space, geography, animal rights veganism, history, and music/arts alas--so depressing. Paul M. Kaplan, the IT brother in NYC of my valued colleague ADK, has written an excellent bio book on Irving Berlin.

[@ikwenmusic]

@@alfredroberthogan i can assure you its not just the young people lol

[@Scrumpetsheep]

Seeing Shulum sing god bless America makes me hopeful for our country

[@AQuietNight]

The song Kate Smith sang was against racism but the intent was lost on anyone who didn't really listen to it. As for Irving Berlin, he was a music making machine.

[@lionheartroar3104]

Wow,.I didn't realize he wrote over 1,000 songs. Love his music!

[@SAVETHEKIDS-bn5zo]

Irving Berlin wrote over 3,000 songs!!!

[@kathrynpowell7109]

He wrote from the heart.

[@49lucky]

Oh my goodness I love all the songs...

[@rhythmdroid]

Awesome mini-doc. Thanks for posting!

[@julesrose7738]

Irving Berlin is a Musical Genius and a true Legend. A talented gifted Songwriter and Pianists, of the '20's, '30's and '40's, his songs were heard in Movies and home Pianos. My Mother, a trained Pianist from Classical to Jazz and Boogie Woogie, played many of Berlin's songs on our Grand Piano and I too, still love his Music.

[@MelMelx365]

He wrote,"white Christmas" & "God bless America "? That's crazy!

[@Juliaflo]

He also wrote 'Easter Parade'.

[@CrashboatAl]

Indeed, Mr. Irving Berlin is responsible for making Christmas a wonderful time for everyone everywhere regardless of whether you are Christian or not. America has been blessed with many legal immigrants who have arrived legally to make America Great as Irving Berlin did. I have no doubt that he is surrounded by singing Angels as he plays the piano in Heavenly Peace.

[@leodegas1510]

I needed this, thank you. It brought tears to my eyes. (My youth) God, please, in this year and time of division; remind the young and old, left and right of our past struggles and sacrifices that make the United States a country to love, to Stand beside and guide her Through the night with the light from above.

[@kristineb.mcanelly3304]

One of my heroes.

[@rosemarieclair4498]

Wow! So much I did not know while all these years I’ve loved Irving Berlin’s songs. Thank you.

[@pamtebelman2321]

Indeed, he was an incredibly gifted songwriter! So many of his songs have become standards and endure to this day.

[@albertopa58]

God bless Irving Berlin.

[@catlover34fl]

Never a mention of his first wife who died tragically after returning from their honeymoon in Cuba in 1911. He wrote the beautiful "When I Lost You" in 1912 for her. He wrote so many beautiful love songs, How Deep Is The Ocean; What'll I Do; Always; Remember; What Does It Matter; Blue Skies and so man other famous songs. All of them part of the great American Song Book.

[@martinpictrusiewicz8506]

No one will ever sing God Bless America like Kate Smith

[@catlover34fl]

Amen. Beautiful and powerful voice.

[@patriciastewart2239]

Love love love

[@HeatherValentineMsFoodie]

AMAZING!!!! ❤❤❤❤❤❤ White Christmas and God bless America. I came here because of blue skies and Willie Nelson.😊

[@rosaspanjol673]

He wrote God bless America! 😘Love it😘👍😘!

[@simonettarocco6410]

Up with Irving Berlin 💞🌹

[@Juliaflo]

Copy that.

[@SAVETHEKIDS-bn5zo]

“God Bless America” My favorite song!!!!

[@stargazer5073]

Yahoo, we need more grateful AMERICANS.

[@oops4097]

what 😥

[@summerstarcampos]

he is american

[@brendanolivieri4091]

His piano is amazing

[@MelMelx365]

Fascinating, I didn't know

[@patriotsforisrael3610]

8:38 During World War II, about *550,000 Jews* served in the *United States Army* 🇺🇸, about *11,000* of whom fell in the fighting and tens of thousands were wounded. The relative share of Jews in the American army in this war was about 4.23% of all soldiers (higher than their share of the general population at that time which stood at about 3%).

[@елена13кон]

Спасибо за интересную передачу.

[@TheTrueOnyxRose]

What an amazing and complicated story .

[@leemclaury6251]

Go’s bless Irving Berlin

[@deaddeaddeaddeaddead5667]

mo rocca!

[@milliemouse6525]

I have loved Irving Berlin since I was a child and listening to this story makes me weep because America is no longer the country we knew. What happened to the American that welcomed immigrants? I see a country filled with hate rooting for a bad facsimile of Hitler taking the place of a welcoming, do the right thing country 😢.

[@TroubledTrooper]

Irving Berlin gave Groucho Marx a signed sheet music of his WW1 song "Stay Down Here Where You Belong", which had been inscribed to Groucho by him. He had jokingly told Groucho he would _give_ him a dollar for every time he didn't sing it 😂

[@shawnmichaelduncan5951]

God bless America should be American anthem

[@suzannederringer1607]

Focus is too much on Berlin's Jewish identity. That's important - but he was primarily a man of the theater, and his songs gave expression to a great variety of American experience in his time - from comedy numbers to patriotic songs to lyrical romances.

[@Spock_Rogers]

I would love to see you do a segment on Maceo Pinkard!

[@wexsalma4094]

That info and map regarding his birthplace is incorrect. He was born in Tolochin, not Tyumen

[@StevenTorrey]

Berlin had a first wife who died prematurely.

[@Marciestclair]

Andy! I remember him from Laura osnes' vlogs. He loves jelly babies :D

[@thescoobymike]

0:09 reporter sounds like Jimmy Stewart

[@frederickcombs8661]

YOU KNOW IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD WHEN KATE SMITH GETS CANCELLED.

[@user-kx7bk7cu1e]

Этот чувак мой земляк, родился в г. Тобольске

[@MarcusAurelius7777]

GO USA

[@Octopusmaster]

Reason 1,112,233 to despise the Yankees with all my being.

[@daveyhouston]

My only criticism is his treatment of Elvis Presley's version of white christmas. it was wrong.

[@Johnny-mp2ew]

U

[@oops4097]

sus

[@basil9069]

ur mom sus

[@edwardluth7740]

But all secular Stuff. No I’ll take Bach.

[@suzannederringer1607]

Don't compare apples and oranges. Both have their place in our cultural life.

[@fucu41]

Good riddance kate smith

[@rhythmdroid]

And YOU would have been an angel back then, of course.

The first 3/4 was great but then this clip turned into all about jewish/others and "God bless America" in a very odd way which I do not understand. I loved the first 3/4 but the end just blew it so I am voting /thumbsdown

[@lestudio76]

Simon Grönlund Jewish/others is America. Berlin was Jewish and he wrote the song.

[@FaveORitt]

Simon Grönlund Hi, nice to meet you, you filthy anti-semite!

[@richarddixon7855]

And making a point to disparage Kate Smith was unnecessary. She was just one of thousands of entertainers who sang/acted/used makeup in performances that are now embarrassingly inappropriate. I agree, this segment went off topic at the end.

@@richarddixon7855 Thanks

[@AQuietNight]

@@richarddixon7855 The song Smith sang was against racism.