{"id":42479,"date":"2015-07-30T04:49:03","date_gmt":"2015-07-30T09:49:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/?p=42479"},"modified":"2015-07-30T06:38:53","modified_gmt":"2015-07-30T11:38:53","slug":"lou-lenart-always-played-hard-to-get-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/lou-lenart-always-played-hard-to-get-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Lou Lenart Always Played Hard to Get"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"(101Squadron.com)\"<\/a>
(101Squadron.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first time I called Lou Lenart, who died Monday at the age of 94, he said he wanted nothing to do with me.<\/p>\n

It was 2009. I was in Los Angeles directing a 10-day shoot for A WING AND A PRAYER, a PBS documentary that tells the story of World War II aviators who risked their lives and U.S. citizenships to prevent what they viewed as an imminent second Holocaust. Since Lou played a key role in this secret, illegal 1948 operation, I figured he\u2019d agree \u2013 maybe jump at the chance \u2013 to be interviewed.<\/p>\n

The WWII Marine fighter pilot declined to even meet for a few minutes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know you,\u201d he said before hanging up.<\/p>\n

The second time I got him on the phone, he could no longer use that excuse. It was 2010. I was in Israel working on A WING AND A PRAYER. As luck would have it, Lou, who split his time between LA and Tel Aviv, was around.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I remember you,\u201d he said. \u201cI even heard some good things from the guys you\u2019ve interviewed. Of course, some of them are senile \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that a yes?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cStill a no,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m too busy.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the time, Lou was a year away from 90 and long retired from consulting Hollywood studios on such aviation action films as IRON EAGLE.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow busy could you be?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019d be surprised,\u201d he said and clicked over to an incoming call.<\/p>\n

The third time I rung him, on a beautiful LA morning in 2011, I expected more of the same. I just wanted to hear his freshly squeezed zingers.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you in town?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

I had just arrived on a Miami-to-LA redeye to screen JESSIE\u2019S DAD at a film festival.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy don\u2019t you stop by?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat should I bring?\u201d I asked. \u201cOJ? Coffee? Bagels?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour camera.\u201d<\/p>\n

What?! I thought. Did he just finally say yes?<\/p>\n

Although I had no plans to do any filming during that LA visit, I carried a small video camera for such unlikely occasions. I hopped in my rented compact hoping I\u2019d have enough time to set up the shoot in such a way that its aesthetics would mask the lack of proper equipment, including lights.<\/p>\n

But driving from Pasadena to Lou\u2019s place in Santa Monica (and this may not be as shocking to you as it was to me), I got stuck in morning LA traffic. And as soon as I stepped into his one-bedroom apartment, he started sharing his stories. I had no time to set up. I pressed record.<\/p>\n

For the next four hours, Lou answered my questions with raw honesty, often shedding tears for his lost buddies; sharp humor, often blaming the British for making a mess out of the Middle East; and humble disposition, giving others, like operation leader Al Schwimmer, the credit.<\/p>\n

Lou had always played hard to get: When Al recruited him, when the FBI tailed him and when the \u201948 operation took him back to Eastern Europe, where he grew up.<\/p>\n

Before flying to Czechoslovakia to train on the subpar Messerschmitt fighter planes Israel had purchased, Lou received instructions from Al to keep his mouth shut until arriving on the base.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith your Hungarian accent and the Russians taking over Czechoslovakia,\u201d Lou recalled Al telling him, \u201cthe last thing we need is you sounding like a defector.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of the other pilots on the journey bet he\u2019d fail \u2013 he was too gregarious. They lost their wagers. For Lou, this was just another opportunity to play hard to get.<\/p>\n

A couple of weeks later, he took playing hard to get to a whole new level when he dodged anti-aircraft fire as he attacked 10,000 Egyptian troops at the outskirts of Tel Aviv during the \u201948 Arab-Israel War.<\/p>\n

Leading the first meaningful \u2013 and by far, most crucial \u2013 Israel Air Force assault, he made three passes over the Egyptian soldiers and tanks, inflicting enough physical and psychological damage to permanently halt their advance and save newborn Israel.<\/p>\n

A few weeks after interviewing Lou, I called him again. It wasn\u2019t the first time we spoke since my LA visit. We had become friends and talked often. I phoned to share sad news: Al died the previous day in Tel Aviv. He was 94.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you thought I was hard to get, he was impossible,\u201d Lou said. I could hear him holding back tears. \u201cHe never agreed to be interviewed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI interviewed him last year,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, you bugged him, too, I see,\u201d Lou said. \u201cGood. That\u2019s good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lou cried. I joined him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This op-ed originally appeared in The Times of Israel<\/a>. Reprinted with permission from the author.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The first time I called Lou Lenart, who died Monday at the age of 94, he said he wanted nothing to do with me. It was 2009. I was in Los Angeles directing a 10-day shoot for A WING AND A PRAYER, a PBS documentary that tells the story of World War II aviators who<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133094,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cloudinary_featured_overwrite":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-inspiration"],"yoast_head":"\nLou Lenart Always Played Hard to Get - OU Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/lou-lenart-always-played-hard-to-get-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lou Lenart Always Played Hard to Get - OU Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The first time I called Lou Lenart, who died Monday at the age of 94, he said he wanted nothing to do with me. It was 2009. I was in Los Angeles directing a 10-day shoot for A WING AND A PRAYER, a PBS documentary that tells the story of World War II aviators who\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/lou-lenart-always-played-hard-to-get-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"OU Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-07-30T09:49:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-07-30T11:38:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/lougidmod-300x228.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Boaz Dvir\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Boaz Dvir\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/lou-lenart-always-played-hard-to-get-2\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/lou-lenart-always-played-hard-to-get-2\/\",\"name\":\"Lou Lenart Always Played Hard to Get - OU Life\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/lou-lenart-always-played-hard-to-get-2\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/lou-lenart-always-played-hard-to-get-2\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/lougidmod-300x228.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-07-30T09:49:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-07-30T11:38:53+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#\/schema\/person\/0f1f604defcced9dae2b6c82edd5a30c\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/lou-lenart-always-played-hard-to-get-2\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/lou-lenart-always-played-hard-to-get-2\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/lougidmod.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/lougidmod.jpg\",\"width\":493,\"height\":375,\"caption\":\"(101Squadron.com)\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/\",\"name\":\"OU Life\",\"description\":\"Everyday Jewish Living\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#\/schema\/person\/0f1f604defcced9dae2b6c82edd5a30c\",\"name\":\"Boaz Dvir\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/07fe06634a494c691387ab897577800fc9548e8ec05cf43f2fd2ed7296eeec30?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/07fe06634a494c691387ab897577800fc9548e8ec05cf43f2fd2ed7296eeec30?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Boaz Dvir\"},\"description\":\"Boaz Dvir is an award-winning filmmaker and Penn State University journalism and film faculty member. His first documentary, \u201cJessie\u2019s Dad,\u201d won Best Documentary at the ITN Distribution Film & New Media Festival in Los Angeles and the CINE Special Jury Award. \u201cA Wing and a Prayer\u201d has been airing on PBS stations around the United States.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/author\/boaz-dvir\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Lou Lenart Always Played Hard to Get - OU Life","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/lou-lenart-always-played-hard-to-get-2\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Lou Lenart Always Played Hard to Get - OU Life","og_description":"The first time I called Lou Lenart, who died Monday at the age of 94, he said he wanted nothing to do with me. It was 2009. I was in Los Angeles directing a 10-day shoot for A WING AND A PRAYER, a PBS documentary that tells the story of World War II aviators who","og_url":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/lou-lenart-always-played-hard-to-get-2\/","og_site_name":"OU Life","article_published_time":"2015-07-30T09:49:03+00:00","article_modified_time":"2015-07-30T11:38:53+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/lougidmod-300x228.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Boaz Dvir","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Boaz Dvir","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/lou-lenart-always-played-hard-to-get-2\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/lou-lenart-always-played-hard-to-get-2\/","name":"Lou Lenart Always Played Hard to Get - OU Life","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/lou-lenart-always-played-hard-to-get-2\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/lou-lenart-always-played-hard-to-get-2\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/lougidmod-300x228.jpg","datePublished":"2015-07-30T09:49:03+00:00","dateModified":"2015-07-30T11:38:53+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#\/schema\/person\/0f1f604defcced9dae2b6c82edd5a30c"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/lou-lenart-always-played-hard-to-get-2\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/lou-lenart-always-played-hard-to-get-2\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/lougidmod.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/lougidmod.jpg","width":493,"height":375,"caption":"(101Squadron.com)"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/","name":"OU Life","description":"Everyday Jewish Living","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#\/schema\/person\/0f1f604defcced9dae2b6c82edd5a30c","name":"Boaz Dvir","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/07fe06634a494c691387ab897577800fc9548e8ec05cf43f2fd2ed7296eeec30?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/07fe06634a494c691387ab897577800fc9548e8ec05cf43f2fd2ed7296eeec30?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Boaz Dvir"},"description":"Boaz Dvir is an award-winning filmmaker and Penn State University journalism and film faculty member. His first documentary, \u201cJessie\u2019s Dad,\u201d won Best Documentary at the ITN Distribution Film & New Media Festival in Los Angeles and the CINE Special Jury Award. \u201cA Wing and a Prayer\u201d has been airing on PBS stations around the United States.","url":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/author\/boaz-dvir\/"}]}},"acf":[],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/133094"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42479"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42479\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42532,"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42479\/revisions\/42532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}