Variety (December 1953)

:*v» 9 . Wednesday, J! ' 301 , 1953 ee By Rev. DrrNathan A. Perilman (At the funeral of Lee Shubert, Temple Emanu-El, December 28, 1953) How difficult is the role of a man who becomes a legend in has own lifetime, while he is yet in the midst of life and has many active and busy years before him. Such a one invites the blind idolatry of those who worship at the shrine of success, the persistent inquiry of the curious, and the immoderate flattery of the avid—also such a one invites the animus of the ambitious, the resentment of the disappointed and the cruel barbs of those who delight in destroying legends, old or new. But beyond this, and worse .perhaps, is the fact that, in the process of creating the legend, we lose sight of the man. Today we gather in this sanctuary to say farewell to the earthly presence of a man, Lee Shubert. What he was in the world of busj* ness, in the theatre, in; the manifold activities of his long and brilliant career, will doubtless be spoken of and evaluated and rehearsed in manyjctlqces for many a long day. Writers^ will delight in the story of his success and the theme will always be how the destroyer of giants achieved the stature of a giant. It is a story which we Americans dearly love to hear and to tell. But that story which awaits another time and place will be not that of one man, but of three brothers. One, Sam Shubert, taken early in a tragic accident, but enshrined in the hearts and in the accom- plishments of the two who remained behind to build along the lines which he had drawn... That story will djeal npostly with the Other two, Lee Shubert, and J. J. Shubert, working together over the years in an area of American fife and culture which by its peculiar nature and ours, makes it belong to dll of us. But today we are here to say farewell to Mr. Lee, not the Iegend ( but the mao. How difficult it is to capture in a moment the essence of a whole life* time, that was rich both in the count of years and in the measure of its achievements* But there was a constancy and an integrity and faithfulness about the life of Lee Shubert so that one had to know him only a little to understand and know him well. There was an essential simplicity in this complex man who was quiet almost to the point of shyness, and yet had a peculiar dynamism that spoke through that quiet. In our age which obliterates personality and makes so many of us appear as if we were wearing identical masks, he remained a per- sonality. He lived very close to a world that seeks attention because it cannot endure without it. All his life Mr. Shubert avoided the spot- light and resisted every attempt to invade what he considered to be his personal and private life. All through the years he was associ- ated with people who were gifted in the art of make-believe, and exercised that art in and out of season, yet he remained always a disciplined and controlled and real person. He resisted the impulse to share in the glitter that shone upon people whose fame he helped to fashion, and whose popularity he helped to shape. Part of his legend wijl tell of the great entrepeneur who chose to sit in the last row at openings of 'great events because he shunned the light of publicity, v V v What did he love, what drew him out?; He loved this great city to which he came as a young man and upon which he put his stamp for nearly half a century. He delighted in driving and walking past the old land marks on holidays when crowds did not obscure the. scene. He loved to recall the past for its warmth and its friendships and perhaps for recollections qf its challenges to him, But he was no wor- shipper of the past for its own sake. He was not one to linger oVer- long at the graves of yesterday. What was at the moment and ‘what was to come excited his mind and his interest. He saw changes as they were evolving, and was never frightened by new Concepts and new values. Mr. Shubert respected greatness. He honored it wherever and however it manifested itself. He was reverent in the presence of ac- complishment and had the keen insight for understanding what was enduring and what was of the moment. He saw it in people as he saw it in people's creative efforts, Ond he looked for it always. Lee Shubert cherished his friendships—they were many, they were drawn from many facets of life and they were enduring. These friendships did not depend upon renewed-protestations of affection. He was not a demonstrative man, wearing his love on his sleeve. He avoided demonstration of affection as he avoided publicity. • But he felt deeply for people arid many there are who knew the true measure of his interest in them because of the encouragment and support that came through him. He enjoyed doing for others, and did his good quietly without asking for a ruffle of drums with every beneficence, and without asking questions concerning faith or race Or condition of life. It is th<? mark of a man when people are arOund him for a'long time. Gathered here today are many who have been associated with him for decades and scores Of years* whose loyalty and devo- tion in all things Mr. Lee always had. He loved his family. His devotion to the memory of his brother, Sam, was One of the most meaningful and enriching facts of his life. This man who shrank from sentimentality had a deep and abiding sentiment for all his family, his brothers and sisters and their children. He loved all children and nothing claimed his heart more than the sight of a child, or the need of one. ~ How shall one speak of his love for his darling wife, or of her de- votion to him? Married late in life, his last years were blessed by her devotion and understanding and love. They were as a seal or a crown to all his years. The wise men of old tell us Ve should not mourn for the dead; All the tears in the world could not bring Lee Shubert back, even for a moment, to say "do not weep for me." His life was blessed in years, rich jn accomplishment, enlarged by enduring friendships. His im- print upon the life of our time will long be clearly seen. To him we say, GO IN PEACE, may peace and quiet be thy por- tion in life eternal. To his bereaved wife, his brother, his nephews and 1 nieces, his friends and associates, to all who were bound to him by whatever tie, what was precious in him will remain in the treasure house of meroory. Let those who truly loved him follow his example of cherishing and enshrining the memory of a beloved. AMEN. Because the Rev. Dr. Nathan A. Perilman's eulogy ©P Mr- U« captured the man and the showman so eloquently, this is being reprinted for the friends who could not attend the services. A Friend.