John Springer
John Shipman Springer (born April 25, 1916 in Rochester , New York , † October 30, 2001 in New York City , New York) was an American press agent, film historian and writer.
Life
Springer studied journalism at Marquette University until 1939, was a soldier in World War II, and then began his career as a journalist writing about films and theater. From 1946 he headed the press department of RKO Pictures and from 1957 to 1960 that of 20th Century Fox .
After a brief partnership with Arthur Jacobs , Springer founded his own publicity company, John Springer Associates, in 1963 . One of his first customers was Richard Burton .
Among the Hollywood took Personality B that Springer, were Samuel Goldwyn , Mary Pickford , Walt Disney , Gary Cooper , Marlene Dietrich , David O. Selznick , Joan Crawford , Henry Fonda , Myrna Loy , Rosalind Russell , Bette Davis , Sylvia Sidney , Ginger Rogers , Maureen O'Sullivan , Robert Mitchum , Montgomery Clift , Tony Randall , Lana Turner , Judy Garland , Marilyn Monroe , Grace Kelly , Elizabeth Taylor , Debbie Reynolds , Shirley MacLaine , Al Pacino , Mia Farrow and Ed Harris . Springer was considered a level-headed press agent who treated and tried to protect the private life of his customers with discretion. Through his work he owned one of the world's largest private collections of photos of film and theater personalities. The collection is now part of the Bettmann Archive in New York .
In addition to film personalities, Springer also oversaw films (such as Who is Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, 1966; Bonnie and Clyde , 1967; The Graduation Examination , 1967; Asphalt-Cowboy , 1969) and Broadway shows .
Springer had been married to actress and singer June Reimer aka Monica Lane since 1953 and had three children with her. In 1992 he largely withdrew from the business.
Publications by John Springer
- All talking! All Singing! All dancing! A Pictoral History of the Movie Musical , Cadillac Publishing, 1966
- The Fondas: The Films and Careers of Henry, Jane and Peter Fonda , Citadel Press, 1970, ISBN 0-8065-0014-X
- They Had Faces Then: Super Stars, Stars and Starlets of the 1930's , Secaucus, 1974
- Forgotten Films to Remember: And a Brief History of Fifty Years of the American Talking Picture , The Citadel Press, 1980
Web links
- John Springer in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- John Springer, 85, Hollywood Publicist, Dies New York Times
- John Springer, 85; Press Agent to an Illustrious Array of Entertainers Los Angeles Times
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Springer, John |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Springer, John Shipman |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American press agent, film historian, and writer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 25, 1916 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Rochester , New York, United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 30, 2001 |
| Place of death | New York City , New York, United States |