Jamie Farr talks about his acting career and heritage with Arab America

Jamie yes Emil Joseph Farah born in Toledo Ohio son of Samuel Farah a grocer and Jamila abode Ely Farhat a seamstress from Jeanine Lebanon welcome tear of America Jamie Thank You Warren I must say that I am definitely I am honored to be here as you probably know I'm very proud of my heritage I have never kept it a secret as a kid growing up in my neighborhood back in in Toledo Ohio even after I had gone Hollywood done some movies and television and stage work I go back to the neighborhood just to see all of my friends and they treated me just the same way as I was growing up if they see me they wouldn't think of me as an actor they yeah they come over and they they give me a cup you know hey ma I mean it's good to see you have you then cuz they curse at me you know I won't say it on TV but you know the usual workers s family yeah your family came to Toledo and your dad ran a grocery store correct was it a typical Arabic grocery store no it was just a regular grocery store but when my dad and his brother I mean came through Ellis Island they actually my dad went they went to of all places Montana and then they moved to Toledo Ohio isn't Lebanese community why can't we with it all it was the best it was very the very best going to school you know I thought everybody in the world looked like me because the neighborhood was like that didn't realize there were blond people with blue eyes and small noses but we used to go to school in the morning and we'd stop by all the houses and the neighborhood to pick up our buddies to go to school grade school and the grandmother would be in the kitchen the smell of that bread and of course they put some butter on it put it in the oven then give us some of that too to roll up and thank goodness you know you've worked with so many stars over the decades and too many to mention but there are two that stand out with you and I'm going to let you take it from here Danny Thomas and Red Skelton red was my mentor I had done a pilot for CBS that's the initial of a show that they wanted to sell and it didn't sell and Sherwood Schwartz who is red Skelton's a right head writer sure which works you'd known from Gilligan's Island the Brady Bunch he had been Bob Hope's head writer he came read Scouts head writer saw the pilot and he liked the two characters that he saw my character was named snorkel and he had a big nose and he could smell anything I wonder how I got the part right and then there was the cook it was a it was a Navy thing so they were looking for some new characters for read to play and they decided why don't we make read a cook we never did a military show we'll get this kid who's Jamie I was Jamil fair at that time to play snorkel and so I did the show we like TV in those days and the show was a huge success and from there on in red and I were like father and son he was very very good to me you know when people hear the name you know Jamie Farr it's synonymous with corporal Klinger shirt mash and but little do people know that you served in the Korean War and after the war and not as a company clerk well no but I did not serve in the Korean War I served in Korea that's a that's some some of the news accounts were inaccurate I got drafted in 1957 and I took my basic training at Fort Ord California and then from there I went to the army pictorial Center in Astoria that was the old Paramount Studios and I was with the Armed Forces television and movies and went on temporary duty to Fort Knox Kentucky for training films Fort Huachuca Arizona and then I got my papers to go over see is it true that you wore your authentic dog tags I yep I'm a mighty as any dog tags and I guess it was just like a good luck piece for me you know we have a lot of young Arab Americans that will be watching this and I wanted to see you know what would be your advice for young Arab Americans who want to go into the Performing Arts I think Idol of of the business in the book I wrote I said you got to have a passion for it because certainly it's very difficult to make a living in this business so and and go out and do it and don't be afraid to fail that's the key you know the the old timers that I and I worked with a lot of the big names Oh tiny timers used to say there was a place to fail in those days you know you be in vaudeville or burlesque or something nobody would know yet today it's hard to do I mean my gracious would look at us we're on Facebook and all these other places people have their own shows on some of these blogs that that they had but don't be afraid to fail you have to learn somehow you know there's one question that we ask all of our guests we ask what is your favorite Arabic food you know there's so many of them I there's always a craving you know you can have obviously people like can bean a in and connect but I think I think probably if and I remember this Metropolitan Saliba invited me to his house when he was still alive it was in New Jersey and he said what would you like incognita meal and I said metropolitan how about shekel Misha Cherokee so I like chef Enosh yet that's one of the artistic dishes yeah I loved when I was a kid I hated eggplant but as I grew older I love eggplant I love baba ghanoush or any of the eggplant dishes well you're quoted as saying that you always wanted to be an actor you wanted to be a famous actor and and you know you wanted your hometown to leader be proud of you well you know you are you are a great example of an Arab American your hometown is proud of you Ohio is probably we're all proud of you we're all happy that you could be here with us an era of America thank you Jamie for being uncle my pleasure thank you my pleasure

Channel: Arab America

Views: 14,000

Rating: 4.9545455 out of 5

Keywords: Jamie Farr, Interview, Arab America

Id: D5AWQ8wUNgg

Length: 6min 29sec (389 seconds)

Published: Wed May 04 2016