Martin Nelson Ransohoff (July 7, 1927 – December 13, 2017) was an American film and television producer, and member of the Ransohoff family.

Early life and education

Ransohoff was born on July 7, 1927, in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

Broadcasting Magazine: "Our Respects To...Martin Ransohoff"
November 16, 1959, p.121 the son of Babette (Strauss) and Arthur Ransohoff. His mother was a former Republican National Committeewoman. He had one sister Barbara Burnett (married to a former Washington & Jefferson College president Howard J. Burnett) and one brother Jack, a nuclear engineer. He attended Wooster School in

Danbury, Connecticut Danbury ( ) is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2020 was 86,518. It is the third-largest city in Western Connecticut, and the seventh-largest ...

and graduated with a B.A. in History and English from

Colgate University Colgate University is a Private university, private college in Hamilton, New York, United States. The Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York ...

in 1948.

Career

After school, Ransohoff worked at several jobs (peddling housewares door-to-door, selling autos, and working at an advertising agency), before joining Caravel Films (later Transfilm-Caravel) in 1950 in New York City, where he worked as a salesman, writer, and producer.

Filmways

In 1952, Ransohoff co-founded the film production company

Filmways Filmways, Inc. (also known as Filmways Pictures and Filmways Television) was a television and film production company founded by American film executive Martin Ransohoff and Edwin Kasper in 1952. It is probably best remembered as the production c ...

with Edwin Kasper (Kasper left the firm in 1957). The firm listed on the

New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is the List of stock exchanges, largest stock excha ...

in 1959. Filmways started making TV commercials, moved into documentaries, then sitcoms; by 1963 Filmways was making $13 million a year. ''

Mister Ed ''Mister Ed'' is an American television sitcom produced by Filmways that aired in syndication from January 5 to July 2, 1961, and then on CBS from October 1, 1961, to February 6, 1966. The show's title character is a talking horse which orig ...

'' and ''

The Beverly Hillbillies ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor backwoods family ...

'' brought Ransohoff his first successes in 1960 and 1962. Thereafter he turned his attention to films.

MGM

Ransohoff's first film as producer was '' Boys' Night Out'' (1962) starring

James Garner James Scott Garner (né Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, which included ''The Great Escape (film), The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy Ch ...

and

Kim Novak Marilyn Pauline "Kim" Novak (born February 13, 1933) is an American retired actress and painter. Her contributions to cinema have been honored with two Golden Globe Awards, an Honorary Golden Bear, a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, and a s ...

and distributed by

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

. Garner was also in Ransohoff's next two films, both of which were directed by

Arthur Hiller Arthur Hiller, (November 22, 1923 – August 17, 2016) was a Canadian television and film director with over 33 films to his credit during a 50-year career. He began his career directing television in Canada and later in the U.S. By the late ...

: '' The Wheeler Dealers'' (1963) and ''

The Americanization of Emily ''The Americanization of Emily'' is a 1964 American black-and-white black comedy anti-war film directed by Arthur Hiller, written by Paddy Chayefsky, and starring James Garner, Julie Andrews, Melvyn Douglas, James Coburn, Joyce Grenfell, a ...

'' (1964); the latter, based on a script by

Paddy Chayefsky Sidney Aaron "Paddy" Chayefsky (; January 29, 1923 – August 1, 1981) was an American playwright, screenwriter and novelist. He is the only person to have won three solo Academy Awards for writing both adapted and original screenplays. He w ...

, was particularly praised. Ransohoff found commercial success with ''

The Sandpiper ''The Sandpiper'' is a 1965 American drama film directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, the third of eleven films starring the power couple. Plot Laura Reynolds is a free-spirited, unwed single mother liv ...

'' (1965), based on a story by the producer and starring

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his mellifluous baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s and gave a memor ...

and

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was an English and American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 19 ...

. He produced ''

The Cincinnati Kid ''The Cincinnati Kid'' is a 1965 American drama film directed by Norman Jewison. It tells the story of Eric "The Kid" Stoner, a young Depression-era poker player, as he seeks to establish his reputation as the best. This quest leads him to chal ...

'' (1965), firing

Sam Peckinpah David Samuel Peckinpah (; February 21, 1925 – December 28, 1984) was an American film director and screenwriter. His 1969 Western epic '' The Wild Bunch'' received two Academy Award nominations and was ranked No. 80 on the American Film Instit ...

as director during filming and replacing him with

Norman Jewison Norman Frederick Jewison (July 21, 1926 – January 20, 2024) was a Canadian filmmaker. He was known for directing films which addressed topical Social issue, social and political issues, often making controversial or complicated subjects acces ...

; the movie received strong reviews. Less popular was ''

The Loved One Loved Ones, Loved One, The Loved Ones, or The Loved One may refer to: Films *The Loved One (film), ''The Loved One'' (film), a 1965 American satire based on the Evelyn Waugh novel *The Loved Ones (film), ''The Loved Ones'' (film), a 2009 Australia ...

'' (1965). '' Eye of the Devil'' (1967) was a thriller originally starring

David Niven James David Graham Niven (; 1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983) was an English actor, soldier, raconteur, memoirist and novelist. Niven was known as a handsome and debonair leading man in Classic Hollywood films. His accolades include an Academ ...

, and a young actor Ransohoff put under personal contract, Sharon Tate. Novak was injured during filming and was replaced by

Deborah Kerr Deborah Jane Trimmer CBE (30 September 192116 October 2007), known professionally as Deborah Kerr (), was a Scottish actress. She was nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, becoming the first person from Scotland to be no ...

. Tate was in Ransohoff's next films, '' The Fearless Vampire Killers'' (1967), directed by

Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański (; born 18 August 1933) is a Polish and French filmmaker and actor. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Roman Polanski, numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three Britis ...

, whom she would marry (Ransohoff was executive producer), and '' Don't Make Waves'' (1967). He executive produced '' Our Mother's House'' (1967) in England and produced ''

Ice Station Zebra ''Ice Station Zebra'' is a 1968 American espionage thriller film directed by John Sturges and starring Rock Hudson, Patrick McGoohan, Ernest Borgnine, and Jim Brown. The screenplay is by Douglas Heyes, Harry Julian Fink, and W. R. Burnett, lo ...

'' (1968).

Post-MGM

Ransohoff then signed a deal with Columbia, who distributed his ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

'' (1968), '' Castle Keep'' (1969), and ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

'' (1969). He made '' Catch-22'' (1970) at Paramount, '' The Moonshine War'' (1970) at MGM, and '' 10 Rillington Place'' (1971) and '' See No Evil'' (1971) at Columbia. ''

King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...

'' (1971) was released by a smaller company. He also made '' Fuzz'' (1972) and '' Save the Tiger'' (1973). His last film for Filmways was '' The White Dawn'' (1974).

Post-Filmways

In 1972, Ransohoff became an independent producer. He signed a contract with Paramount to make movies for them. Ransohoff went on to produce such films as '' Silver Streak'' (1976), ''

Nightwing Nightwing is a superhero alias used by multiple characters in American comic books published by DC Comics. The most prominent bearer is Dick Grayson, the original Robin, who adopts the Nightwing identity to assert his independence from Batman. ...

'' (1979), and '' The Wanderers'' (1979). He made a short lived TV series '' Co-Ed Fever'' (1979) but focused on features: ''

A Change of Seasons ''A Change of Seasons'' is the first EP by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, first released on September 19, 1995, through East West Records. It comprises the 23-minute title track and a collection of live cover songs performe ...

'' (1980), '' American Pop'' (1981), '' Hanky Panky'' (1982), and ''

Class Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...

'' (1983).

Columbia and later films

Ransohoff had success with '' Jagged Edge'' (1985) based on a script for

Joe Eszterhas József Antal Eszterhás (; born November 23, 1944), credited as Joe Eszterhas, is a Hungarian-American writer. Born in Hungary, he grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States. After an early career as a journalist and editor, he entered t ...

. It was made by Columbia who also distributed Ransohoff's '' The Big Town'' (1987), '' Switching Channels'' (1988), ''

Physical Evidence In evidence law, physical evidence (also called real evidence or material evidence) is any material object that plays some role in the matter that gave rise to the litigation, introduced as evidence in a judicial proceeding (such as a trial) t ...

'' (1989), and '' Welcome Home'' (1989). It was around that time that his company Albacore Productions had inked pacts with

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

, which covered domestic theatrical distribution, British film distributor Rank Film Distributors, which covered international distribution and

Vestron Video Vestron Video was the main subsidiary of Vestron, Inc., a home video company based in Stamford, Connecticut, that was active from 1981 to 1993, and is considered to have been a pioneer in the home video market. The name is now used for a collecto ...

, which covered home video distribution for a three-film agreement. Ransohoff's later films included '' Guilty as Sin'' (1993) and ''

Turbulence In fluid dynamics, turbulence or turbulent flow is fluid motion characterized by chaotic changes in pressure and flow velocity. It is in contrast to laminar flow, which occurs when a fluid flows in parallel layers with no disruption between ...

'' (1997).

Personal life

Ransohoff was married twice. His first wife was Nancy Hope Lundgren; they had four children Peter (born 1952), Karen (born 1954), and twins Steven and Kurt (born 1957). His second wife was Joan Marie Ransohoff, an artist. Ransohoff died on December 13, 2017, at his Bel Air home in Los Angeles. He was 90.Martin Ransohoff, 'Cincinnati Kid' Producer and Founder of Filmways TV, Dies at 90
/ref>

Selected filmography

* '' Boys' Night Out'' (1962) – producer * ''

'' (1962–71) (TV series) – executive producer * '' The Wheeler Dealers'' (1963) – producer * ''

'' (1964) – producer * '' Topkapi'' (1964) – producer * ''

'' (1965) – story, producer * ''

'' (1965) – producer * ''

'' (1965) – executive producer (uncredited) * '' Eye of the Devil'' (1967) – producer * '' The Fearless Vampire Killers'' (1967) – executive producer * '' Don't Make Waves'' (1967) – producer * '' Our Mother's House'' (1967) – executive producer * ''

'' (1968) – producer * ''

'' (1968) – executive producer * '' Castle Keep'' (1969) – producer * ''

'' (1969) – producer * '' Catch-22'' (1970) – producer * '' The Moonshine War'' (1970) – producer * '' 10 Rillington Place'' (1971) – producer * '' See No Evil'' (1971) – producer * ''

'' (1971) – producer * ''

What's the Matter with Helen? ''What's the Matter With Helen?'' is a 1971 American horror film directed by Curtis Harrington and starring Debbie Reynolds and Shelley Winters. Plot In mid- 1930s Iowa,A then-current newsreel clip reporting on First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt' ...

'' (1971) – presenter * '' Fuzz'' (1972) – producer * '' Save the Tiger'' (1973) – producer * '' The White Dawn'' (1974) – story, producer * '' Silver Streak'' (1976) – executive producer * ''

'' (1979) – producer * '' The Wanderers'' (1979) – producer * '' Co-Ed Fever'' (1979) (TV series) – executive producer * ''

'' (1980) – story, producer * '' American Pop'' (1981) – producer * '' Hanky Panky'' (1982) – producer * ''

'' (1983) – producer * '' Jagged Edge'' (1985) – producer * '' The Big Town'' (1987) – producer * '' Switching Channels'' (1988) – producer * ''

'' (1989) – producer * '' Welcome Home'' (1989) – producer * '' Guilty as Sin'' (1993) – producer * ''

'' (1997) – producer

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ransohoff, Martin 1927 births 2017 deaths Mass media people from New Orleans Colgate University alumni Film producers from New York (state) Television producers from New York (state) Film producers from Louisiana Filmways