A YUM Publication
No. 6 Vol. 12
T
DECEMBER 2024
Nostalgic Exhibit on Abe Vigoda Hosted at Little Falls Public Library
he Little Falls Public Library is running a special exhibit this month. Carol Vigoda-Fuchs, the daughter of the late, acclaimed actor Abe Vigoda, is displaying a nostalgic collection of personal Hollywood memorabilia featuring all his credits in films and television. Vigoda passed away in his sleep in January of 2016 at the age of 94, while staying with Vigoda-Fuchs at her Woodland Park home. Born on the east side of Manhattan and raised in Brooklyn, Vigoda raised his own family in New Jersey. He would travel back and forth to Los Angeles during his long career, eventually settling back in Manhattan during his retirement. However, Vigoda-Fuchs felt that her father never really retired or disappeared from the entertainment world, as he continued with engagements and appearances even in his later years. As the only child of Vigoda, Vigoda-Fuchs said she kept discovering new things from his personal belongings as a result of a career spanning almost seven decades, where he would transition between comedic and dramatic roles. Aside his notable roles in The Godfather, and classic television shows like Barney Miller and then the spinoff series of his Barney Miller character, Fish, he was also involved in numerous other projects doing voiceovers and cameos with his distinct voice and persona. However, she said her father was just a down-to-earth regular guy who still lived in Manhattan and would go out in public anywhere he wanted to by himself, despite people constantly recognizing him and approaching him for a greeting. "He didn't mind it when people would recognize him," she added. "And they did all the time." Vigoda-Fuchs feels his lasting appeal was that he was just a regular guy and very relatable to others. She said it's what made him so popular and beloved to his fans, never flaunting being a celebrity and that he also wasn't too keen on the Hollywood scene. She also remembers the following he had from actual New York City police officers because of his TV character Phil Fish, a fictional NYPD detective, and they treated him as one of their own. "For him, it was about the art, not the lifestyle," she explained. "He never promoted any of the celebrity side of his fame at home or his grandkids. Even my friends didn't look at him as a celebrity because they just viewed him as a guy going to work and doing his thing. Acting was just in his blood." She remembers first realizing he was in show business when she came home from school and saw him on the classic television show, Dark Shadows. "I would say to myself, 'There he is on TV!'" she recalled. "Before I had my three sons, my husband and I would visit him on the set of Barney Miller." The exhibit collection features signed personal auto-
Photos provided by The Township of Little Falls The Little Falls Public Library, located at 8 Warren Street, is running an exhibit on acclaimed actor Abe Vigoda, hosted by his daughter Carol Vigoda-Fuchs, throughout the month of November.
graphs, photo montages, and even some Playbills from his theater work. Letters from notable people are on display as well, including a heartfelt message from legendary comedian Bob Hope. A treasury of original photos from the set of The Godfather, both during filming and behind the scenes, are also included in the exhibit, including an original script and an authentic call sheet of scenes. "He was very talented, but I feel the Vigoda side of our family always was," she said. "My Uncle Bill, who was my dad's brother, was an illustrator for the Archie Comics franchise. My son Jaime painted a wonderful of picture of his grandfather that's hanging up in this exhibit. My father would paint as well. They were very much an artistic breed." Vigoda-Fuchs also wrote a children's book "Seasons Change and So Do I," in memory of her eldest son Jaime who passed in 2018. It's a touching story on how his nephew Johnathan would see signs of Jaime in nature.
"Writing has always been a part of my life," she reflected. "My father and I had planned on writing a story together and Jaime would do the illustrations but we never completed it. I wrote this book because after Jaime passed, my grandson Johnathan would see a dragonfly, butterfly or beetle and find consolation in the signs of nature. He discovers his uncle is with him through all the seasons." The exhibit was coordinated by Jeffrey Machno, Liaison of Adult Programming & Community Engagement for the library. He said the appeal that Abe Vigoda had spans generations. "The Abe Vigoda exhibit is just one of the many ways that our library can act as a learning and culture center," he said. "To be able to bring something as unique as this to the community, and to see the effect it has on those who view it is an absolute joy." News12 New Jersey recently visited the library to intercont. on page 2