Wikipedia

Edie Landau

Edythe Landau (née Rudolph; July 15, 1927 – December 24, 2022) was an American film and television producer and executive, known for such films as Long Day's Journey Into Night, The Pawnbroker, King: A Filmed Record...Montgomery to Memphis, The Chosen and the fourteen movies of the American Film Theatre[1][2] which she produced with her husband Ely Landau.[3]

Early life and career edit

Landau was born to a Jewish family and raised in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Rose and Harry Rudolph (former president of the Eastern Basketball League)[4][5] and sister to Mendy Rudolph (2007 inductee to the Basketball Hall of Fame).[6] She received her B.A. in Education from Wilkes University.[7] In 1948, Landau moved to New York City, where she served as production coordinator for Phillips H. Lord,[8] on such popular radio shows as Gangbusters and Mr. District Attorney, among others.[9]

In 1953, Landau joined (and later married) Ely Landau in his start-up company National Telefilm Associates[10] which owned television station WNTA Channel 13 in NYC, considered the "fourth TV network" in the early days of television.[11] Until 1961, Edie Landau served as the company's Executive Vice President,[12][13] overseeing the station's original programming including the anthology drama series The Play of the Week,[14] The Mike Wallace Show, The David Susskind Show,[15] Open End, The Bishop Sheen Show, and One Night Stand, among others.[citation needed]

In 1962, the Landaus produced Long Day's Journey Into Night,[16] an adaptation of the Eugene O'Neill play directed by Sidney Lumet,[17] which won Best Actor awards for all its leading actors at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival,[18] as well as an Academy Award nomination for Katharine Hepburn as Best Actress.[19] This was followed in 1964 by The Pawnbroker[20][21][22] (Golden Globe Award winner and Academy Award nomination for Rod Steiger as Best Actor), The Madwoman of Chaillot (1969) also with Hepburn,[23] and the documentary King: a Filmed Record...Montgomery to Memphis (1970).[24][25] The film about the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. played in 663 theaters as a one-night benefit for King's charities,[26] was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature,[27] and in 1999 was added to the National Film Registry.[28]

In 1973, the Landaus launched the American Film Theatre,[29][30] bringing two seasons of outstanding stage plays to the motion picture screen as part of a subscription series.[31] The fourteen movies of the American Film Theatre included Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance (the Landaus' third collaboration with Katharine Hepburn), O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh, Pinter's The Homecoming, and Robert Shaw's The Man in the Glass Booth (with a Best Actor Academy Award nomination for Maximilian Schell).[29]

Later career edit

From the late 1970s through the 1980s, Landau produced such films as Hopscotch (with Walter Matthau and Glenda Jackson),[32][33] Beatlemania, Chaim Potok's The Chosen,[34][35][36] Robert Ludlum’s The Holcroft Covenant (with Michael Caine),[37] in addition to a number of award-winning productions for HBO, including The Deadly Game (with George Segal and Robert Morley),[38] Separate Tables (with Alan Bates and Julie Christie),[39][40] Mr. Halpern and Mr. Johnson (with Laurence Olivier and Jackie Gleason)[41] and The Christmas Wife (with Jason Robards and Julie Harris).[42][43][44]

In 1982, while continuing her producing career, Landau graduated from the University of West Los Angeles School of Law, and became a member of the State Bar of California.[45]

In 1989, Landau also began operating Nannies Unlimited Agency, an exclusive Beverly Hills placement service with clientele including numerous celebrities of the entertainment world.[46][47][48] In 2014, she published an original volume of poems, Smiles for Seniors: And Anyone Else Who Can Poke Fun at Themselves.[49]

Personal life and death edit

In addition to the two young sons her husband Ely A. Landau brought to the marriage (Neil and Les Landau), the Landaus had three children together: Jon Landau (producer of such films as Titanic and Avatar),[50] Tina Landau (renowned theater writer and director),[51] and Kathy Landau (Executive Director of Symphony Space in New York City).[52]

Landau passed away from natural causes on December 24, 2022, at the age of 95.[53][54]

References edit

  1. ^ Reason, Matthew (September 22, 2006). Documentation, Disappearance and the Representation of Live Performance. Springer/Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 97. ISBN 978-0-230-59856-0.
  2. ^ Schickel, Richard (April 13, 2003). "THEATER; Famous Plays, Famous Players, Forgotten Films". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 20, 2016.
  3. ^ Pace, Eric (November 8, 1993). "Ely Landau, Producer, 73, Dies; Filmed Plays for TV and Theaters". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 20, 2016.
  4. ^ Postal, Bernard; Silver, Jesse; Silver, Roy (1965). "Harry Rudolph". Encyclopedia of Jews in Sports. New York: Bloch Publishing Co.
  5. ^ Pat Sierchio (March 1, 2010). "Producer Landau: Interpreter of Dreams". JewishJournal.com. Retrieved June 8, 2013.
  6. ^ Blevins, David (2012). "Mendy Rudolph". The Sports Hall of Fame Encyclopedia: Baseball, Basketball ... 1. Rowman & Littlefield: 836.
  7. ^ "Graduate of Wilkes". The Wilkes-Barre Record. Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. June 23, 1948. p. 9.
  8. ^ "Edythe Rein". Radio Annual and Television Year Book. Indiana University: Radio Daily Corporation: 1050. 1959.
  9. ^ Dunning, John (1998). Philiips H. Lord. Oxford University Press. pp. 128–129. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)
  10. ^ Charline, Aeron, ed. (2011). National Telefilm Associates. Onym Press. ISBN 978-613-7-83449-7.
  11. ^ ""Fourth TV Network, for Films, is Created"". Boxoffice: 8. July 7, 1956.
  12. ^ "KMGM-TV SOLD TO NATL. TELEFILM" (PDF). Broadcasting Telecasting the Business Weekly of Radio and Television: 79–80. August 26, 1957.
  13. ^ "No.36-52". Sponsor. 11. Sponsor Publications, Inc. September–December 1957.
  14. ^ Gould, Jack (November 1, 2002). Watching Television Come of Age: The New York Times Reviews. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-72846-2.
  15. ^ Battaglio, Stephen (2010). David Susskind: A Televised Life. Macmillan. pp. 42, 63–65, 67–68, 259–260. ISBN 978-1429946148.
  16. ^ Sylbert, Richard; Townsend, Sylvia (September 30, 2006). Designing Movies: Portrait of a Hollywood Artist. Praeger. pp. 71–73. ISBN 978-0275986902.
  17. ^ Rapf, Joanna E. (2006). Sidney Lumet: Interviews. Univ. Press of Mississippi. pp. 28–43. ISBN 1578067243.
  18. ^ "Awards 1962 : Competition". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  19. ^ "The 35th Academy Awards | 1963". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  20. ^ Leff, Leonard J. (2003). "Remembering The Pawnbroker". The American Experience in World War II: The United States and the Road to War in Europe. Taylor & Francis: 131–138. ISBN 041594029X.
  21. ^ Harris, Mark (2008). Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood. New York, NY: Penguin Group. pp. 173–176. ISBN 978-1-59420-152-3.
  22. ^ "The Pawnbroker (1965) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  23. ^ Edwards, Anne (1985). Katharine Hepburn: A Remarkable Woman. Macmillan. ISBN 0688045286.
  24. ^ Rollins, Peter C. (June 5, 2004). The Columbia Companion to American History on Film: How the Movies Have Portrayed the American Past. New York, NY: Columbia University Press. pp. 341–342. ISBN 978-0231112239.
  25. ^ Niemi, Robert (2006). History in the Media: Film and Television. ABC-CLIO. pp. 364. ISBN 157607952X.
  26. ^ "Movie Review - - Screen: The Pilgrimage of Martin Luther King Jr. - NYTimes.com". www.nytimes.com. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  27. ^ "The 43rd Academy Awards | 1971". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  28. ^ Eagan, Daniel (2010). America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry. A&C Black. ISBN 978-0826429773.
  29. ^ a b Benson, Raymond (April 16, 2009). "Remember...The American Film Theatre!". Cinema Retro. Archived from the original on June 1, 2013.
  30. ^ Caute, David (September 22, 1994). Joseph Losey: A Revenge on Life. Oxford University Press. pp. 181. ISBN 978-0195064100.
  31. ^ Glover, William (October 11, 1974). "Better Season Expected by American Film Theater". Associated Press.
  32. ^ "Hopscotch". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  33. ^ "Movie Review - - 'HOPSCOTCH' STARS JACKSON-MATTHAU TEAM - NYTimes.com". www.nytimes.com. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  34. ^ Shepard, Richard F. (May 16, 1982). "BRINGING BROOKLYN OF THE 1940S BACK TO LIFE FOR 'THE CHOSEN'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  35. ^ "Movie Review - - 'THE CHOSEN' - NYTimes.com". www.nytimes.com. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  36. ^ "The Chosen (1981)". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  37. ^ "The Holcroft Covenant | Blu-ray Review | Slant Magazine". Slant Magazine. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  38. ^ "The Deadly Game". Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots and Specials. 2. VNR AG: 107. 1985.
  39. ^ Mann, William J. (September 1, 2006). Edge of Midnight: The Life of John Schlesinger. Billboard Books. p. 490. ISBN 0823084698.
  40. ^ O'connor, John J. (April 4, 1983). "TV: BATES AND JULIE CHRISTIE IN 'SEPARATE TABLES'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  41. ^ Lovers, C. Gerald Fraser Music (August 28, 1983). "TELEVISION WEEK". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  42. ^ "Christmas Wife, The (1988) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  43. ^ O'connor, John J. (December 12, 1988). "Review/Television; For the Holidays, Family and Romance". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  44. ^ Heffley, Lynne (December 12, 1988). "Television Reviews : A Juggernaut of Talent in Holiday Offerings". Los Angeles Times.
  45. ^ California, The State Bar of. "State Bar of CA :: Edythe Landau". members.calbar.ca.gov. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  46. ^ Elias, Merle (July 1, 2001). L.A. First Class. Globe Pequot. p. 36. ISBN 0762707860.
  47. ^ Communications, Emmis (July 1, 1999). Los Angeles Magazine. Emmis Communications.
  48. ^ BYRNE, BRIDGET (October 23, 1996). "Perfect Home Help for Celebs? Only the Very Discreet". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  49. ^ Landau, Edie (April 23, 2014). Smiles for Seniors: And Anyone Else Who Can Poke Fun at Themselves. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 978-1494821272.
  50. ^ "Titanic and Avatar producer Jon Landau speaks to Newsweek about what all great movies have in common". Newsweek. October 4, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  51. ^ Dominus, Susan (September 4, 2005). "The 9 Habits of Highly Creative Directors". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  52. ^ BWW News Desk. "Symphony Space Welcomes Kathy Landau as New Executive Director". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  53. ^ Reul, Katie. "Edie Landau, Producer and National Telefilm Associates Executive, Dies at 95". Variety. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  54. ^ Carly Thomas (December 27, 2022). "Edie Landau, 'Hopscotch' and 'The Deadly Game' Producer, Dies at 95". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 30, 2022.

External links edit

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edie_Landau&oldid=1172272232"