Steven Spielberg recalls appearing on Judge Judy with siblings
Steven Spielberg "sued" his sisters in a case presided over by Judge Judy Sheindlin as a special birthday treat for their mom.
Steven Spielberg "sued" his sisters in a case presided over by Judge Judy Sheindlin.
The Ready Player One filmmaker's mother, Leah Adler, was a huge fan of the legal eagle's daytime show and so in honour of her 90th birthday, the director arranged an extra special meeting for the family.
Appearing on Judge Judy: Unfiltered, Unforgettable, Spielberg said: “My mother adored Judge Judy. Adored her — and by the way, I love her too."
And Judith Sheindlin herself remembered when the director, now 79, first got in touch with her.
She said: “He called the office and said, ‘My mom is a huge fan. She’d like to come and meet the judge,’ and I said, ‘Absolutely. But he’s gotta come with her.'
"We spent some time together, and subsequently I did a little something for his mom for her 90th birthday.”
The special, which marks 30 years since Judith swapped the courtroom for TV cameras, featured clips of the Spielberg sibling 'row'.
Announcer Jerry Bishop said: “Steven and Annie Spielberg claim that their sisters, Nancy and Sue, agreed to help them throw an elegant birthday party for their mother Leah.”
The judge discovered that while Nancy and Sue “bought a whole bunch of stuff,” Steven and Annie “declined to pay the bill.”
The judge questioned Nancy on the nature of the gift, prompting Sue to tip out a huge bag of Groucho Marx glasses.
Pressed on the choice, Sue showed off a photo of Leah wearing the same novelty specs and said: “If I may, this is our mother."
At the end of the mock trial, Judy noted: “Four children have very different perspectives on their parent. You all celebrate the part of her that makes her unique to you.”
The E.T. filmmaker then declared: “In the spirit of this sort of coming together, Annie and I would like to drop our suit against our sisters.”
However, Sue retorted: “We don’t feel guilty about suing them!”
Spielberg recalled asking Leah - who died in 2017 at the age of 97 - why she was such a Judge Judy fan, and she explained she admired her forthright way of speaking.
He recalled: “She said, ‘Because she’s not full of c***. She is, in a way, myself. I don’t go out that far. I rein my voice in a little more because I’m running restaurants and the customer is always right — although they’re not. Judy would say all the things that I wish I could. And she says them for me.' ”
