Wikipedia

Sandy Howard

Sandy Howard(August 1, 1927 – May 16, 2008) was anAmericanfilm producerandtelevision producer.

Biography

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A native of theBronx,New York City,Howard wrote short stories for publication in magazines likeLiberty,and worked as a publicist for Broadway shows until he became a director for theHowdy Doodyshow at the age of nineteen; he later produced theCaptain Kangarooshow.[1]

He cooperated withRay Heathertoncreating the TV showThe Merry Mailmanin the early 1950s. He was producer ofThe Barry Gray Radio Show(1951–1958).[2]

Film producer

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In the 1960s, Howard moved to Hollywood to pursue a career in film. Among his film productions areA Man Called Horse(1970) andMan in the Wilderness(1971).[3]

After an explosion on the Greek set ofSky Riders(1976), which he was producing for20th Century Fox,a Greek electrician died and 11 others were injured and Howard was arrested for manslaughter and detained for several weeks.[4][5]He was unable to leave the country for five months and a $250,000 out-of-court settlement was made,[4][5]- which oneVarietyarticle called a "bribe" - so the crew member responsible would not be imprisoned by the military regime.[6]

While stuck in Greece, he claimed he made unfavourable deals to make films such asThe Return of a Man Called Horse(1976) andThe Island of Dr Moreau(1977).[4]He contributed as writer onVice Squad(1982).

In December 1984, he and his company filed forbankruptcyclaiming that he was owed millions of dollars from foreign distributors despite the recent success ofAngel(1984) and having four films ready to be released.[4]

In 1986, he had signed a film deal with Spectrafilm via his Howard International Film Group to produce and distribute three films, and also serve as a co-financing agreement on these films that were part of the Spectrafilm pact, and the move gave them a consistent theatrical distribution distributor for the first time since 1984, and the first title wasPrettyKill,which Spectrafilm had domestic theatrical distribution rights, whileLorimar-Telepictureswould have other world rights to the title.[7]In 1987, TV producerFries Entertainmentreceived a deal in which they would acquire three rights to Sandy Howard's productions overseas, on behalf of Spectrafilm and Sandy Howard Productions.[8]That year, Sandy Howard had teamed up withAustralianfilm and video companyTaimac SBSto co-produce four theatrical films that was set for release in 1988, and the first project planned in the SBS/Sandy Howard co-production agreement wasTruk Lagoon,which was slated for a $7.2 million budget, but the film was never materialized.[9]

Death

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He developed Alzheimers and spent the last ten years of his life as a resident at the Motion Picture & Television Fund Hospital in Woodland Hills, in the Alzheimer's and dementia care facility, Harry's Haven. He died in 2008.[1]

Select credits

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Awards

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References

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  1. ^ab"Sandy Howard, 80; produced 'A Man Called Horse'"(Retrieved on May 18, 2008)
  2. ^"Producer behind A Man Called Horse dies"–CBC News (Saturday, May 17, 2008)(Retrieved on May 17, 2008)
  3. ^Borseti, Francesco (2016).It Cam from the 80s!: Interviews with 124 Cult Filmmakers.McFarland. pp. 20–39.ISBN9781476666044.
  4. ^abcdKlein, Richard (December 21, 1984). "Producer Sandy Howard Buckles Under Debts, Filing Bankruptcy".Daily Variety.
  5. ^abMack. (March 24, 1976)."Sky Riders".Variety.
  6. ^"Producer Sandy Howard dies at 81".Variety.May 16, 2008.
  7. ^"Spectrafilm Pacts With Howard For Trio Of Features".Variety.November 5, 1986. pp. 6, 28.
  8. ^"Fries Entertainment Heralds Deal To Sell Howard Pics Overseas".Variety.March 11, 1987. p. 28.
  9. ^Silverman, Marie Saxon (August 19, 1987). "Sandy Howard Eyes Down Under For Feature Coproduction Deal".Variety.pp. 6, 38.
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