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Sumner Redstone, Boston Latin School graduate, dies at 97
By adamg on Wed, 08/12/2020 - 10:33am
The Hollywood Reporter reports the death of the West End native, who took his father's chain of Dedham-based movie theaters and turned it into a media empire - after graduating Boston Latin School, Harvard and Harvard Law School, with a break during World War II to help decode Japanese military messages.
In 1979, he narrowly escaped death during a stay at the Copley Plaza when it caught fire.
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Comments
What kind of West Ender is
What kind of West Ender is named Redstone?
One whose father changed the family name from Rothstein.
Yep
Redstone is the English translation of Rothstein.
And why might have he done that? Partly traditional Yankee antisemitism - which might also explain why he and his wife named their kid Sumner - it was a relatively common first name for Jewish boys in Massachusetts back in the day, the better to blend in. But also so he wouldn't be confused with Arnold Rothstein, the New York mobster who may or may not have organized the 1919 Black Sox scandal.
Tall Tales
Remember when his biography came out and he said he was in the room with Bugsy Seigel in the mid-50's in Vegas?
All great and that except Siegel had been pushing up daisies since 1947.
Was he a smart guy? Sure. Did he know how to make a buck? Sure. Does he carry the "they made their money bootlegging whispering" the way the Kennedys reportedly did? No. His father was a "liquor distributor" in the West End, during and after prohibition.
At least the Seagrams admitted they were bootleggers when they transitioned to legitimate entertainment.
Yeah, I understand why some
Yeah, I understand why some Jews changed their names in that era. I was just a bit confused hearing about a West Ender with that last name, and then it all made sense.
Also, the article says: " 'I thought my father was trying to walk away from our being Jewish,' Redstone wrote in his autobiography. 'It troubled me a lot.' "
Vaguely apropos
The only contact I ever had with him was at the West Roxbury (now Parkway) Y. On occasion, he'd show to work out and clean up. He came into the common locker room. The older guys (I'm one of them now) would call out, "Hey, Sumner!' He was pleasant, even jolly. I've met and known a few other super-rich types, including Bill Gates, whom I found to be an absolute snot. Redstone was good...as billionaires go.
Worcester roots
Sumner Redstone's first movie theater renovation was Cinema 1, at Webster Square in Worcester. It was a glamorous first-run theater that was eventually split into two screens, renamed Webster Square Cinemas, and now is an auto sound installation shop. Redstone then redeveloped the huge Loew's Poli into the first Showcase Cinema in downtown Worcester, now the Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts.
Local boy done good.
Local boy done good.
Dedham as world hub
Before Legacy Place, I used to point out to friends and family the small one-story National Amusements complex in Dedham and tell them that was the headquarters of CBS, Paramount, and Nickelodeon.