MovieChat Forums > Doctor Dolittle (1967) Discussion > Newley a victim of antisemitic slurs?

Newley a victim of antisemitic slurs?


Until today I didn't know that Anthony Newley was Jewish (as he had a Jewish mother). I read that while working on DOCTOR DOLITTLE, Newley was taunted by Rex Harrison with antisemitic slurs. Of course, this could be just a rumor or an exaggeration; on the other hand, I'm perfectly ready to believe that Harrison was in general a nasty human being. Does anyone know anything else about this -- for example, what the circumstances were, or if Harrison might have been drunk at the time, or how Newley handled it? I've always had a particular disgust for antisemitism, and I'm not even Jewish myself. It has always seemed strange to me that an actor would be openly antisemitic, since so many writers, directors, producers, and other actors are Jewish.

reply