Walter Matthau heads the cast of this television re-creation of Clifford Odets' 1935 Broadway play - the first full-length work performed on the commercial stage by the legendary Group Theatre.
This portrait of a Jewish family in a Bronx tenement perfectly captures the spirit of the depression years, and is suffused with details of character and place that combine to be effecting even now.
The Bergers, burdened by financial difficulties, have taken in a border - Moe Axelrod (Matthau) - who lost a leg in World War I. Cynical and outspoken, Moe adds a spark to the somewhat accepting lives of the Bergers. The family fights to survive on sixteen dollars a week while the intellectual Marxist-leaning grandfather (brilliantly played by famed Yiddish theatre star, Leo Fuchs) tries futilely to spur his family to action with the injunction, "Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust." (Isaiah 26:19)
"Framed in this theatrical setting, the words and characters have room to breathe and soar, resulting in an entire production with vigor and electricity...Top-billed Walter Matthau is excellent...Awake and Sing! is powerful and moving."
- Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
