Gottesfeld, Chone

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GOTTESFELD, CHONE

GOTTESFELD, CHONE (pseud. Tuvye Shmeykhl ; 1890–1964), Yiddish humorist and writer of comedies. Born in Skala, Galicia, he attended gymnasium in Czernowitz, before immigrating at 18 to the U.S. From 1914 until his death he was on the editorial staff of the New York daily Forverts, editing for many years the news, as well as the humor section. Among his comedies, staged in the U.S. and Poland, the most successful were Gevald, Ven Shtarbt Er? ("Heavens, When Will He Die?"1926) and Parnose ("Livelihood"). Rudolph *Schildkraut and Maurice *Schwartz directed and acted in his plays. His humorous memoirs, Vos Ikh Gedenk fun Mayn Lebn ("What i Remember of My Life"), appeared in 1960 (Eng. 1965).

bibliography:

lnyl, 2 (1958) 24–5; Z. Zylbercwejg, Leksikon fun Yidishn Teater, 1 (1931), 258–9. add. bibliography: M. Ravitch, Mayn Leksikon, 4 (1980), 108–10.

[Melech Ravitch]