Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson Set for Harry & Eddie Reading

Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson will star in a staged reading of Mark Weston’s Harry & Eddie: The Birth of Israel at 7:30pm on Sunday, July 29 at The Jewish Center of the Hamptons (44 Woods Lane, East Hampton). The reading will be directed by James Larocca and will also star Rik Colitti, Ed Schiff and Richard Horwich. There will be a Q&A session following the performance.

The play focuses on the little-know friendship between Eddie Jacobsen and Harry S. Truman, two haberdashers who bonded as young men in the army. In 1948 the UN was contemplating the recognition of a Jewish homeland, but President Truman was adamant about not being harassed by Zionists. As a last resort, Jewish leaders asked Jacobson to intercede on their behalf and the state of Israel was born shortly thereafter.

Wallach and Jackson have been married since 1948 and have worked together frequently, including the Broadway productions of Promenade All and Twice Around the Park. Wallach received the Tony Award for the original production of The Rose Tattoo and was nominated for an Emmy Award earlier this week for his guest spot on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.