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person_profile-David Susskind

David Susskind Died at age: 66

Actor | Producer

Fullname:

David Susskind

Date of Birth:

Dec 19, 1920

Country of birth:

USA

Died:

Feb 22, 1987

Biography of

David Susskind

    David Howard Susskind (December 19, 1920 – February 22, 1987) was an American producer of TV, movies, and stage plays and also a TV talk show host. His talk shows were innovative in the genre and addressed timely, controversial topics beyond the scope of others of the day.

    His first job after the war was as a press agent for Warner Brothers. Next, he was a talent agent for Century Artists, ultimately ending up in the Music Corporation of America's newly minted television programming department, managing Dinah Shore, Jerry Lewis, and others. In New York, Susskind formed Talent Associates, representing creators of material rather than performers. In 1954, Susskind became a producer of the NBC legal drama Justice, based on case files of the Legal Aid Society of New York. His program Open End began in 1958 on New York City's commercial independent station WNTA-TV and was so titled because the program continued until Susskind or his guests were too tired to continue. In 1961, Open End was constrained to two hours and went into national syndication. The show was retitled The David Susskind Show for its telecast on Sunday night, October 2, 1966. In the 1960s it was the first nationally broadcast television talk show to feature people speaking out against American involvement in the Vietnam War. In the 1970s it was the first nationally broadcast television talk show to feature people speaking out for gay rights. The show continued until its New York outlet canceled it in 1986. During his close to three-decade run, Susskind covered many controversial topics of the day, such as race relations, transsexualism, and the Vietnam War. His interview with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, which aired in October 1960, during the height of the Cold War, generated national attention. It is one of the very few talk show telecasts from the era that was preserved and can be viewed today. In a now notorious interview with then 25-year-old Muhammad Ali during a recently-unearthed 1968 appearance on the British program The Eamonn Andrews Show, Susskind displayed an intense antipathy and vitriol towards the famous boxer, whom he excoriated with withering criticism for refusing to be conscripted into the U.S. military for the Vietnam War. Some commentators have described this as a racist attack. Susskind was also a noted producer, with scores of movies, plays, and TV programs to his credit. His legacy is that of a producer of intelligent material at a time when TV had left its golden years behind and had firmly planted its feet in programming which had wide appeal, whether or not it was worth watching.

Photos of

David Susskind

Photos ( 1 Photos

Filmography of

David Susskind

Found 58 Movies in total

... 1983

Casey Stengel

Executive Producer

... 1981

The Bunker

Producer

... 1981

Fort Apache, the Bronx

Executive Producer

... 1981

Crisis at Central High

Executive Producer

... 1981

Father Figure

Executive Producer

... 1980

Loving Couples

Executive Producer

... 1980

Mom, the Wolfman and Me

Executive Producer

... 1980

... 1980

The Family Man

Executive Producer

... 1979

Sex and the Single Parent

Executive Producer

... 1979

Walking Through the Fire

Executive Producer

... 1979

Transplant

Executive Producer

... 1979

Who'll Save Our Children?

Executive Producer

... 1978

... 1978

Tom and Joann

Executive Producer

... 1978

Home to Stay

Executive Producer

... 1978

The World Beyond

Executive Producer

... 1978

Breaking Up

Executive Producer

... 1978

Tell Me My Name

Executive Producer

... 1977

The World of Darkness

Executive Producer

... 1977

Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye

Executive Producer

... 1977

... 1976

... 1976

... 1975

... 1974

... 1974

... 1973

... 1972

Harvey

Producer

... 1972

... 1971

... 1971

The Price

Producer

... 1971

... 1970

... 1968

Of Mice and Men

Executive Producer

... 1968

Laura

Executive Producer

... 1968

The Desperate Hours

Executive Producer

... 1967

... 1967

... 1967

... 1967

... 1967

... 1966

... 1966

... 1963

... 1962

Requiem for a Heavyweight

Self - Trailor Narrator (uncredited) ( Actor )

Producer

... 1962

A Raisin in the Sun

On-screen Trailer Narrator (uncredited) ( Actor )

Producer

... 1961

... 1960

... 1959

... 1959

... 1959

Medea

Producer

... 1959

... 1959

... 1958

... 1958

... 1957