Any account of the history of the American entertainment industry will showcase the pivotal contributions of Jewish Americans. In these accounts, most of the discussion will focus on Jewish men. Yet Jewish women also played groundbreaking roles in the development of American entertainment, from stage to radio to film. This course will focus on two Jewish women whose contributions have significantly shaped the American entertainment industry: Gertrude Berg and Barbra Streisand. First, we will explore the pathbreaking work of Gertrude Berg in both radio and television through her signature role as Molly Goldberg in the show The Goldbergs, which she created, wrote, acted in, and produced. We will devote the second part of the course to the transformative mark Barbra Streisand made on the American film industry through three pivotal films: Funny Girl, The Way We Were, and Yentl. As actress, singer, writer, director, and producer, Streisand demonstrated the power of her art to entertain, instruct, and change the "old boys club" culture of the movie industry. These three films show Streisand as an artist and innovator at work and provide but a glimpse into the creative career of one of Hollywood's masters.

Cliff Wilcox is a historian who focuses on American intellectual and cultural history. His courses concentrate on the intersection of culture, ideas, education, and religion in American society. He lectures for Cal Lutheran’s Fifty and Better Program and at other local lifelong learning programs. He holds a Ph.D. in American intellectual history from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Fifty and Better was designed to offer university-level courses and lectures (no tests, no homework) taught by experts in the field, and to host social engagement activities for individuals age 50 and older.