David Susskind, Production - KorPlix:Korean Person Archives

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David Susskind
Production

David Susskind
Known For
Production
Birthday
1920-12-19,New York City, New York, USA
Gender
Male
Biography
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.

Filmography

The David Susskind Show: Give 'em Hell Harry

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The David Susskind Show: Give 'em Hell Harry
2012-06-19

Requiem for a Heavyweight

7.2

Requiem for a Heavyweight
1962-10-16

A Raisin in the Sun

7.6

A Raisin in the Sun
1961-05-28

David Susskind Archive: Interview With Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

0

David Susskind Archive: Interview With Dr. Martin Luther King Jr
1963-03-16

The Trials of Muhammad Ali

7.1

The Trials of Muhammad Ali
2013-08-23

6.2

Simon
1980-02-01

David Susskind Archive: Truman Capote Tells All

0

David Susskind Archive: Truman Capote Tells All

9

Fear on Trial
1975-10-02

The Merv Griffin Show

5.3

The Merv Griffin Show
1962-10-01

Saturday Night Live

7

Saturday Night Live
1975-10-11

The Mike Douglas Show

4.8

The Mike Douglas Show
1961-12-11

Jackie Gleason and His American Scene Magazine

5

Jackie Gleason and His American Scene Magazine
1962-09-29

Jackie Gleason and His American Scene Magazine

5

Jackie Gleason and His American Scene Magazine
1962-09-29

The Phil Donahue Show

0

The Phil Donahue Show
1967-11-06

5

On Our Own
1977-10-09

The Dick Cavett Show

6.6

The Dick Cavett Show
1968-06-06

The David Susskind Show

5

The David Susskind Show
1959-01-18

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

7.4

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962-10-01

What's My Line?

6.6

What's My Line?
1950-02-02