American Matchmaker Movie Review

American Matchmaker is an archival treasure filmed in Yiddish by legendary cult director Edgar Ulmer in 1940. You may remember its star, Leo Fuchs (1911–94), as a character actor in 1990's Avalon. But 60 years ago, the Polish emigre cut a dashing figure in the title role of a confirmed-bachelor-turned-Manhattan-matchmaker. Ulmer's escapist comedy is lighter than air; you'd never know from the subject matter that this gentle satire was released the year after the Nazi invasion of Poland. AKA: Amerikaner Shadkhn.

1940 87m/B Leo Fuchs, Judith Abarbanel, Rosetta Bialis, Yudel Dubinsky, Abe Lax; D: Edgar G. Ulmer; W: S. Castle; C: Edgar G. Ulmer. VHS