Arthur Frank Wertheim

1935 - 2020

December 22, 1935 - November 24, 2020 Arthur Frank Wertheim ("Mickey"), Ph.D., devoted and loving father, husband, grandfather, uncle, brother and friend passed away on November 24, 2020, at the age of 84 in Los Angeles County, California. Arthur was a renowned American intellectual and cultural scholar, author and editor of 12 books and numerous articles chronicling 20th Century American culture in the areas of Vaudeville, early film and radio comedy. Arthur was the youngest son of Ruth (Weisberg) Wertheim and Albert Wertheim, a successful banker, brother to Maurice Wertheim (founder of Wertheim & Co.) and a Major in the Army Air Corps stationed in England during World War II. Arthur was born in New York City and moved to Los Angeles with his family at a young age. He attended the Webb School in Claremont, California, where he was on the tennis and football teams. Arthur received his B.A. in American Studies from Yale University, class of 1957. He then attended New York University where he obtained his M.A. in 1967 and his Ph.D. in American Civilization in 1970. Arthur was on faculty and taught at the University of Southern California in the Department of History from 1971-78. During this time, he developed the Women Studies Program and the undergraduate and graduate American Studies Program. While at USC, Arthur received the Justin Dart Award for Teaching Innovation for the Women Studies Program. Later in his career, Arthur was the recipient of a prestigious Fulbright Senior Lectureship grant where he developed and administered the American Studies Program at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta from 1978-79. Upon returning to Los Angeles with his family, Arthur became Director of Development Communications within University Relations at UCLA. He wrote extensively on the life of Will Rogers and in his later years, on W.C. Fields, publishing a trilogy in addition to a fourth book released recently on the life and career of Fields. While he lived for his intellectual passions, Arthur loved nature and enjoyed taking long walks along the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California where he lived with his beloved dachshunds. Arthur embraced the teachings of Buddha and applied the tenets of Thich Nhat Hanh, of having "peace in oneself, peace in the world" to his everyday life. Arthur's family and friends are deeply saddened by this sudden loss and miss him dearly. Arthur is survived by his son Jason Albert Wertheim, Jason's wife Christine, and their son Samuel; his former wife Carol; his niece Alison, her husband Steven and their daughter Sarah; his sister-in-law Jill and her son and Arthur's nephew Mark; Jill's husband and Arthur's brother Jack (Jacob Wertheim II) and his niece Denise are deceased. A celebration of his vibrant life will be scheduled for Summer 2021. Donations in his honor can be sent to the Southern California Dachshund Relief, Inc., P.O. Box 2634, La Habra, CA 90632-2634 (check made out to "SCDR", please write "In memory of Arthur Wertheim" in the memo). We will miss you forever but will always remember your glowing smile, bright eyes, gentle manner and kind words that will comfort us in the years ahead. I love you, Daddy, Grandpa Mickey.