Hollis Alpert (September 24, 1916 – November 18, 2007) was an American film critic and author. Alpert was best known as the cofounder of the

National Society of Film Critics The National Society of Film Critics (NSFC) is an American film critic organization. The organization is known for its highbrow tastes, and its annual awards are one of the most prestigious film critics awards in the United States. In January 2014, ...

, which he started in his New York City apartment.

Early life

Hollis Alpert was born in

Herkimer, New York Herkimer is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States, southeast of Utica. It is named after Nicholas Herkimer. The population was 10,175 at the 2010 census. The town contains a village also called Herkimer. Herkimer County Community ...

, on September 24, 1916, to Abram and Myra Alpert. Alpert's father, Abram, left the family when he was still very young. His mother, Myra, ran a bra and girdle factory. He joined the U.S. Army during World War II and served as a combat historian. He often wrote historical accounts of major World War II battles. He also wrote pieces on the war which appeared in American magazines.

Career

Following his departure from the Army, Alpert found employment as an assistant fiction editor for the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' from 1950 to 1956. He simultaneously worked as a

freelance ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance ...

film and book reviewer for a number of other publications. His freelance work led to his securing a position as a film critic for the '' Saturday Review'', which he held until 1975. Alpert then worked for the '' American Film Magazine'' as an editor for the next six years. In 1966 he was a member of the jury at the

16th Berlin International Film Festival The 16th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 24 June – 5 July 1966. The Golden Bear was awarded to the British film ''Cul-de-sac'' directed by Roman Polanski. Jury The following people were announced as being on the jury f ...

National Society of Film Critics

The

was founded in Hollis Alpert's New York City living room in 1966 by a group of film critics who had been denied membership in the

New York Film Critics Circle The New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) is an American film critic organization founded in 1935 by Wanda Hale from the New York ''Daily News''. Its membership includes over 30 film critics from New York-based daily and weekly newspapers, magaz ...

, a group that favored critics employed by mainstream newspapers and publications. Alpert was working for the ''Saturday Review'' at the time. ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

s film critic,

Pauline Kael Pauline Kael (; June 19, 1919 – September 3, 2001) was an American film critic who wrote for ''The New Yorker'' magazine from 1968 to 1991. Known for her "witty, biting, highly opinionated and sharply focused" reviews, Kael's opinions oft ...

, was also instrumental in the founding of the National Society. The National Society of Film Critics referred to itself as a "national" group, despite the fact that all of its founding members were from New York, because most of its members wrote for publications with a national readership. Many joined Alpert's new group in order to counteract the influence of the then ''New York Times'' film critic,

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

. In 2007, there were over 60 members of the society writing for weekly and daily newspapers. According to another founding member, Joe Morgenstern, Alpert "was widely seen as a serious, knowledgeable, dedicated film critic. The ''Saturday Review'' . . . was a considerable presence on the scene then when movie reviews mattered and were taken seriously as an intellectual matter."

Death

Hollis Alpert died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severit ...

Naples, Florida Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the historical city (i.e. in the immediate vicinity of downtown Naples) was 19,115. Naples is a principal city of the Naples-Marco Island, Flori ...

, on November 18, 2007. He was 91 years old.

Bibliography of works authored

Novels

*''Some Other Time'' (1960) *''For Immediate Release'' (1963) *''The People Eaters'' (1972) *''Smash'' (1973) *''How to Play Double Bogey Golf'' (1975)

Biographies

*''The Barrymores'' (1964) *''Fellini: A Life'' (1986)

Histories

*''The Life and Times of Porgy and Bess'' (1990) *''Broadway! 125 Years of Musical Theatre'' (1991)

References

External links

Los Angeles Times: Hollis Alpert, 1916–2007: Writer co-founded National Society of Film Critics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alpert, Hollis 1916 births 2007 deaths American film critics National Society of Film Critics Members United States Army personnel of World War II Writers from New York City Deaths from pneumonia in Florida United States Army soldiers