Martin Melcher (August 1, 1915 – April 20, 1968) was an American motion picture and music executive. He was married to popular singer and actress

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress and singer. She began her career as a big band singer in 1937, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, "Sentimental Journey ...

, with whom he owned a series of business ventures named Arwin. Melcher produced several films in the 1950s and 1960s through the independent film production company Arwin Productions, released music through the record label Arwin Records, and published music through the music publishing companies Arwin Music and Daywin Music, Mart Music and Artists Music. He also was the president of

Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in '' The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. ...

' music publishing company, Peter Vincent Music.

Early life

Melcher was born in

North Adams, Massachusetts North Adams is a city in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its population was 12,961 as of the 2020 census. Best known as the home of the largest contempor ...

, to

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

parents Minnie (née Gabriner) and Alter Melcher. He began his career as a

song plugger A song plugger or song demonstrator is an individual who promotes music to musicians, record labels, and customers. Song pluggers work for a music publishing company or operate independently. The function of the role has evolved as advances in mu ...

while married to his first wife, singer Jane Rappaport, in New York. He then worked as an agent and road manager for

the Andrews Sisters The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews (1911–1967), soprano Maxene Anglyn Andrews (1916–1995), and mezzo ...

and married Patty Andrews on October 19, 1947. The couple divorced on March 30, 1950.

Career

Melcher married Doris Day in 1951, and they formed their own production company, Arwin Productions, in 1952. He adopted Day’s son from a previous marriage,

Terry Terry is a unisex diminutive nickname for the given names Teresa or Theresa (feminine) or Terence (given name), Terence, Terrance (masculine). People Male * Terry A. Canales, American politician * Terry A. Doughty (born 1959), American district ...

, who was known later as a music producer. All but one of Melcher's film projects were starring vehicles for Day. In 1959, Melcher and Day formed Arwin Productions subsidiaries Arwin Records, a record label, Arwin Music, Daywin Music, Mart Music and Artists Music, music publishing companies. In September 1957, Arwin Productions moved into a luxurious new building at 250 North Canon Drive in Beverly Hills, California. The three-story building was designed by architect Herman Charles Light and was shared with actor

's film production company,

Bryna Productions Bryna Productions (later renamed The Bryna Company) is an American independent film and television production company established by actor Kirk Douglas in 1949. The company also produced a handful of films through its subsidiaries, Michael Produ ...

; public relations agency

Rogers & Cowan Rogers & Cowan is a global marketing and public relations agency. A division of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG), the company is based in Los Angeles, with offices in New York, Miami, and London. History Rogers & Cowan was fo ...

(who would later represent Melcher and Arwin Productions); and law firm Rosenthal & Norton. In early 1958, Melcher was named President of Kirk Douglas's newly formed music-publishing company, Peter Vincent Music Corporation; the company was named after Douglas's third son, Peter Douglas. The purpose of Peter Vincent Music was to publish and copyright the music (theme songs, soundtracks, scores and cues) from Bryna Productions' films and administer royalties to the songwriters and composers. Peter Vincent Music's first published and copyrighted music was the soundtrack of '' The Vikings'', composed by Mario Nascimbene. Peter Vincent Music was affiliated with

performance rights organizations A copyright collective (also known as a copyright society, copyright collecting agency, licensing agency or copyright collecting society or collective management organization) is a non-governmental body created by copyright law or private agreeme ...

BMI in the United States and BUMA in Europe. In 1962, Melcher made his only foray into Broadway theatre with ''The Perfect Setup'', a play starring

Gene Barry Gene Barry (born Eugene Klass; June 14, 1919 – December 9, 2009) was an American stage, screen, and television actor and singer. Barry is best remembered for his leading roles in the films '' The Atomic City'' (1952) and ''The War of the Worl ...

Angie Dickinson Angie Dickinson (born Angeline Brown; September 30, 1931) is an American retired actress. She began her career on television, appearing in many Anthology series#Television, anthology series during the 1950s, before gaining her breakthrough rol ...

and

Jan Sterling Jan Sterling (born Jane Sterling Adriance; April 3, 1921 – March 26, 2004) was an American film, television and stage actress. At her most active in films during the 1950s (immediately prior to which she had joined the Actors Studio), Sterling ...

. It closed after five performances.

Death

Melcher died on April 20, 1968, at the age of 52. According to Day's 1975 autobiography, Melcher's physician informed her that Melcher suffered from an enlarged heart. Melcher practiced

Christian Science Christian Science is a set of beliefs and practices which are associated with members of the Church of Christ, Scientist. Adherents are commonly known as Christian Scientists or students of Christian Science, and the church is sometimes in ...

and elected not to seek medical intervention until his condition deteriorated.

Debts

Shortly after Melcher's death, Day discovered that he had committed her to a

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

situation comedy, ''

The Doris Day Show ''The Doris Day Show'' is an American sitcom which was originally broadcast on CBS from September 1968 until March 1973, remaining on the air for five seasons and 128 episodes. The series is remembered for its multiple format and cast chang ...

'', without consulting with her. He had also embezzled millions of dollars that she had earned throughout their marriage because of poor investments and had left her deeply in debt. Day sued Melcher's business partner Jerome B. Rosenthal and was awarded nearly $23 million for

fraud In law, fraud is intent (law), intentional deception to deprive a victim of a legal right or to gain from a victim unlawfully or unfairly. Fraud can violate Civil law (common law), civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrato ...

and

malpractice In the law of torts, malpractice, also known as professional negligence, is an "instance of negligence or incompetence on the part of a professional".Malpractice definition, Professionals who may become the subject of malpractice actions inc ...

following a 99-day trial. Rosenthal declared

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...

; and, in August 1977, Day settled with his insurers for $6 million, which was paid in 23 annual installments.

Selected credits

*'' Julie'' (1956) *''

The Tunnel of Love ''The Tunnel of Love'' is a 1958 American romantic comedy film directed by Gene Kelly and starring Doris Day and Richard Widmark. The film follows a married suburban couple who want a child but are unable to conceive. After adopting a child, th ...

'' (1958) *''

Pillow Talk ''Pillow Talk'' is a 1959 American romantic comedy film in CinemaScope directed by Michael Gordon and starring Rock Hudson and Doris Day. The supporting cast features Tony Randall, Thelma Ritter, Nick Adams, Allen Jenkins, Marcel Dalio and ...

'' (1959) *''

It Happened to Jane ''It Happened to Jane'' is a 1959 American romantic comedy film starring Doris Day, Jack Lemmon and Ernie Kovacs. It was directed by Richard Quine and written by Norman Katkov and Max Wilk. The film was coproduced by Quine and Day's husband Mar ...

'' (1959) *''

Midnight Lace ''Midnight Lace'' is a 1960 American psychological thriller film directed by David Miller (director), David Miller and starring Doris Day, Rex Harrison, John Gavin, Myrna Loy, and Roddy McDowall. The plot centers on a woman threatened by an anon ...

'' (1960) *''

Please Don't Eat the Daisies ''Please Don't Eat the Daisies'' (New York: Doubleday, 1957) is a best-selling collection of humorous essays by American humorist and playwright Jean Kerr about suburban living and raising four boys. The essays do not have a plot or through-s ...

'' (1960) *''

Lover Come Back Lover Come Back may refer to: *''Lover Come Back'', a 1940 novel by Clair Blank *Lover Come Back (1931 film), ''Lover Come Back'' (1931 film), starring Constance Cummings *New Moon (1940 film), ''New Moon'' (1940 film), a musical also known as ''Lov ...

'' (1961) *''

Billy Rose's Jumbo ''Billy Rose's Jumbo'' is a 1962 American musical film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and starring Doris Day, Stephen Boyd, Jimmy Durante, and Martha Raye. An adaptation of the stage musical ''Jumbo'' produced by Billy Rose, the film was direc ...

'' (1962) *''

That Touch of Mink ''That Touch of Mink'' is a 1962 American romantic comedy film directed by Delbert Mann, and starring Cary Grant, Doris Day, Gig Young and Audrey Meadows. Plot Cathy Timberlake, a New York career woman looking for a job, walks to the unempl ...

'' (1962) *''

Move Over, Darling ''Move Over, Darling'' is a 1963 American comedy film starring Doris Day, James Garner, and Polly Bergen and directed by Michael Gordon filmed in DeLuxe Color and CinemaScope released by 20th Century Fox. The film is a remake of a 1940 sc ...

'' (1963) *'' The Thrill of It All'' (1963) *''

Send Me No Flowers ''Send Me No Flowers'' is a 1964 American romantic comedy film directed by Norman Jewison from a screenplay by Julius Epstein, based on the play of the same name by Norman Barasch and Carroll Moore, which had a brief run on Broadway in 1960. ...

'' (1964) *'' Do Not Disturb'' (1965) *'' Caprice'' (1967) *''

With Six You Get Eggroll ''With Six You Get Eggroll'' is a 1968 American romantic comedy film directed by Howard Morris and starring Doris Day, Brian Keith, Barbara Hershey, George Carlin, and Pat Carroll. It was the first film that was produced by the CBS Television ...

'' (1968) *'' Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?'' (1968)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Melcher, Martin 1915 births 1968 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American musicians American Christian Scientists American film producers 20th-century American Jews American music industry executives American music publishers (people) Bryna Productions people Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) Converts to Christian Science from Judaism People from North Adams, Massachusetts Sheet music publishers (people)