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Alexander H. Cohen

Alexander H. Cohen(July 24, 1920 – April 22, 2000) was an Americantheatrical producerwho mounted more than one hundred productions on both sides of the Atlantic. He was the only American producer to maintain offices in theWest Endas well as onBroadway.

Personal life

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Cohen was born inNew York City,the son of Laura (Tarantous) and Alexander H. Cohen.[1]Cohen's father, a businessman, died when Cohen was four. His mother remarried to a banker, and Cohen, together with his brother Gerry, lived on Park Avenue in a lavish duplex penthouse.

He was employed by theBulova Watch Companywhere he spent seven years, becoming its director of advertising and publicity, a business that brought him into contact with theatre people. During this time,World War II,he was drafted into theUnited States Army,and after a year was invalided out with a leg ailment.

His brother committed suicide in 1954, at which point Cohen became estranged from his mother.

Mr. Cohen's first marriage, to Jocelyn Newmark, ended in divorce. They had a daughter, who is named Barbara. He married actressHildy Parksin 1956, who later became his producing partner. He died fromemphysemain New York City on April 22, 2000. Parks followed him 4 years later, in 2004. He is survived by son Gerry Cohen, of Los Angeles, daughter Barbara Hoffmann of Manhattan; another son, Christopher A. Cohen, also of Manhattan; one grandson named Brock Pernice, one great-granddaughter with the name of Mia A. Pernice and a great-grandson named C. Oliver Pernice.

Career as producer

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With an inheritance, he initially became an investor in a number of flops, producing his first Broadway show withGhost for Salein 1941, which closed after six performances. He followed this quickly with his next production, the thrillerAngel Street,which ran for three years (and was made into the movieGaslight). Soon, he revealed himself to have a decidedlyeclecticapproach to popular entertainment with a busy schedule of productions. They ran the gamut from comedies (Little Murders) to revues (At the Drop of a Hat,Beyond the Fringe) to dramas (84 Charing Cross Road,Anna Christie) tomusicals(Dear World,A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine) to the classics (King Lear,Hamlet). He also produced stage concerts forMarlene Dietrich,Maurice Chevalier,andYves Montand,and an evening of comic sketches withMike NicholsandElaine May.

Cohen was responsible for the international stardom ofMarcel Marceau,bringing him to New York to supportMaurice ChevalierinAn Evening with Maurice Chevalier.He had originally intended the production to be a one-man show but Chevalier did not want to work that hard, and requested that Marceau (then unknown outside Europe) perform his mime pieces to give Chevalier opportunities to rest between musical numbers.

His informal series of revues collectively titled "Nine O'Clock Musicals" includedAt the Drop of a HatandAt the Drop of Another Hat(both featuringMichael FlandersandDonald Swann,Words and Music(Hollywood lyricistSammy Cahnperforming his own songs with a few back-up singers) and the semi-musicalGood EveningwithPeter CookandDudley Moore.They were low-budget, required little material support, and were hugely successful.

Despite his success with revues, Cohen never produced a financially successful book musical (a musical with a script and plot) on Broadway, although he did produce the successful London productions of1776andApplause.

A challenge he was never able to satisfy was to mount a Broadway revival of theOlsen and JohnsonshowHellzapoppin'.A days-long 1967 revival was staged for theExpo 67world's fair in Montreal, Canada; the show starredSoupy Salesand Will B. Able (Willard Achorn). In 1972 Cohen tabled his Broadway plans in favor of a one-hour TV special starringJack Cassidy,Ronnie Schell,andLynn Redgrave.Redgrave was signed for a 1977Hellzpoppin,bound for Broadway, but starJerry Lewisdominated the production onstage and off, causing serious arguments with Cohen, Redgrave, and writer-adaptorAbe Burrows.Cohen abruptly closed the show in Boston and forfeited a million-dollar payment from theNational BroadcastingCompany televise the opening night on Broadway. As reported by columnist Dan Lewis, "Those close to the producer expressed doubt that he would recast or revive the project -- that it was indeed a dead issue."[2]The rights are still held by the Cohen estate.

The nearest Cohen came to a successful book musical on Broadway wasA Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine,adapted from a much less elaborate London production. This double feature consisted of two short entertainments with the same cast: the first half being a plotless compendium of songs and anecdotes about old-time Hollywood, the second half beingAnton Chekhov's playThe Bearradically reworked as a musical comedy for theMarx Brothers(impersonated by modern actors), retaining a vague semblance of Chekhov's plot.

Television production

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Cohen conceived and originated the firstTony Awardstelecast in 1967 and helmed many more over the following years. He also produced a number ofEmmy Awardpresentations, specials withPlácido DomingoandLiza Minnelli,and the first and third editions ofNight of 100 Stars,which featured a parade of entertainment and sports celebrities performing and/or appearing on the stage ofRadio City Music Hall.

Other work

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As well as producing, Cohen participated in the operation of a number of legitimate theaters, including the Morris Mechanic inBaltimoreafter its renovation, and theO'Keefe CentreinTorontowhen it opened in 1960.

He was responsible for drawing the performing arts community into the popular and highly successfulI Love New Yorktelevision ad campaign. In 1976, he converted the bankrupt and vacant Manhattan Plaza onManhattan's West 43rd Street into an apartment complex providingsubsidizedhousing for low-income performers.

Cohen was also an active fund-raiser for theActors Fund of America.He put together several television spectaculars,Night of 100 StarsandParade of Starswhich raised $3 million to build the fund's extended-care nursing facility in Englewood, N.J. Behind the scenes, however, there was controversy, some claiming that Cohen's lavish producing style accommodated his own lavish needs better than the fund's.

Cohen made one appearance as an actor when he appeared onscreen inWoody Allen's filmThe Purple Rose of Cairo(1985), portraying Raoul Hirsch, a fictional Hollywood producer in the 1930s. His final act, putting it all together, was in 1999 when he wrote, produced, directed, and starred in hisoff-Broadwayone-man show,Star Billing,in which he reminisced about his hits, flops, and famous feuds. The New York Times reviewer stated that he had many a kind word for his friends and an arsenal of well-honed, acid-tipped barbs for those he loathed, among them rival producerDavid Merrick,Marlene DietrichandJerry Lewis.Theater

Selected Broadway credits

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Awards and nominations

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  • 2000Drama Desk Awardfor Lifetime Achievement (awarded posthumously)
  • 1999 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance (Star Billing,nominee)
  • 1989 Tony Award for Best Revival (Ah, Wilderness!,nominee)
  • 1989 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival (Long Day's Journey Into Night,nominee)
  • 1984 Tony Award for Best Play (Play Memory,nominee)
  • 1984 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience (La Tragedie de Carmen,winner)
  • 1980 Tony Award for Best Musical (A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine,nominee)
  • 1977 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Foreign Play (Comedians,nominee)
  • 1974 Tony Award for Best Play (Ulysses in Nighttown,nominee)
  • 1973Theatre World Award(for his contribution to cultivating theater audiences by extending Broadway not only nationally, but internationally, with his exemplary television productions)
  • 1971 Tony Award for Best Play (Home,nominee)
  • 1967 Tony Award for Best Play (The Homecoming,winner)
  • 1967 Tony Award for Best Play (Black Comedy/White Lies,nominee)

References

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  1. ^"FamilySearch.org".FamilySearch.Retrieved28 May2023.
  2. ^Lewis, Dan (January 20, 1977). "It's Curtains for Hellzapoppin".The Record (Hackensack, NJ).p. 28.
  3. ^"Hamlet – Broadway Play – 1964 Revival | IBDB".Retrieved28 May2023.
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