Nils T. Granlund (September 29, 1890–April 21, 1957) was an American show producer, entertainment industry entrepreneur and

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

industry pioneer. He was a publicist for

Marcus Loew Marcus Loew ( ; May 7, 1870 – September 5, 1927) was an American business magnate and a pioneer of the motion picture industry who formed Loew's Theatres and the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio (MGM). Life and career Loew was born in New York ...

who formed Loews Theatres and

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 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 ...

(MGM). He developed the first

film trailer A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, since ...

s. Although his birth name was Nils Theodore Granlund, he later used Thor as a middle name, and after appearing on early radio was commonly referenced only by his initials, N.T.G., on the air and in print.

Early life

Granlund was born in

Ljungby Ljungby () is the Urban areas in Sweden, central locality of Ljungby Municipality, Kronoberg County, Sweden, with 15,785 inhabitants in 2015. Ljungby was instituted in 1829 as a ''köping'', or ''market town'', and did not become a municipality o ...

Parish in the province of

Småland Småland () is a historical Provinces of Sweden, province () in southern Sweden. Småland borders Blekinge, Scania, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name ''Småland'' literally means "small la ...

, Sweden. His father was Teodor Granlund, born during 1857 in Fridlevstad in the province of

Blekinge Blekinge () is one of the traditional Swedish provinces (), situated in the southern coast of the geographic region of Götaland, in southern Sweden. It borders Småland, Scania and the Baltic Sea. It is the country's second-smallest provin ...

. His mother Amanda (Bylund) Granlund (1858-1912) was born in Tingsås Parish, province of Småland. (Source: Swedish Census of 1890). He emigrated with his family to the United States as second cabin class passengers on the board the S/S ''Amerika'' at Copenhagen, Denmark; it arrived at the Port of New York on July 2, 1894. The family settled in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

.12th Census of the US; Providence RI, ED 46, Sheet 13 While still in his teen years he began covering the yachting news for the ''Providence Tribune,'' where he later become sports editor, and covered the local entertainment news. By his 18th year he had been an automobile race driver, aviator and press agent. His promotional efforts for a local theater caught the attention of

who hired Granlund in 1913 as a publicity agent for ''Hanky Panky,'' a recently acquired touring vaudeville show.

Marcus Loew Theaters

Following the year-long tour, Loew promoted Granlund to oversee marketing for his theater chain as publicity manager. In addition to publicizing events at the various venues, at the urging of Loew, Granlund began staging live talent revues at several of the under performing theaters. His innovative techniques resulted in the first use of film for promoting live theater and the first filmed '' trailers'' for upcoming movies.''Blondes, Brunettes, and Bullets'', Granlund, N.T.; Van Rees Press, NY, 1957, page 53 In 1922 Granlund visited the studios of WHN, a part-time broadcasting station in Ridgewood, Queens, New York, and after a series of experimental programs, he convinced Loew to lease the station as a promotional arm of Loew's Theaters. He had conceived the elaborate movie premiere, with lights, news cameras and personal appearances of stars. He exploited and advertised the first full-length motion picture in the United States.

Early radio

After several months of live programming as an anonymous announcer known only by his initials, N.T.G., Granlund approached George Schubel, President of the '' Ridgewood Times'' and licensee of WHN, proposing to purchase the station and relocating it to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

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On July 28, 1923, the station was purchased by Marcus Loew and the studios transferred to his State Theatre at 1540 Broadway, where Granlund served as Station Manager and announcer. He brought entertainers

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson, ; May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-born American singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. Self-billed as "The World's Greatest Entertainer," Jolson was one of the United States' most famous and ...

Eddie Cantor Eddie Cantor (born Isidore Itzkowitz; January 31, 1892 – October 10, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, dancer, singer, songwriter, film producer, screenwriter and author. Cantor was one of the prominent entertainers of his era. Some of h ...

and

Harry Richman Harry Richman (born Henry Reichman Jr.; August 10, 1895 – November 3, 1972) was an American singer, actor, dancer, comedian, pianist, songwriter, bandleader, and nightclub performer, at his most popular in the 1920s and 1930s. In his peak yea ...

to the listening public. He also presented radio's first amateur program.

Prohibition

Granlund continued to stage live revues for the Loew's Theaters and became known for his use of scantily-clad chorus girls, comedians, and singers. As a producer, he simultaneously staged shows at Broadway showplaces such as the Frivolity Club, the Silver Slipper, the Paradise, and the Hollywood. During

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

he was arrested along with several other speakeasy figures, including Texas Guinan, whom Granlund had introduced to Larry Fay, her partner at the notorious El Fey Club.''Blondes, Brunettes, and Bullets'' Granlund, N.T.; Van Rees Press, NY, 1957, page 124. The sweep was part of a city-wide liquor crackdown that made headlines across the United States. Although Granlund was charged in the initial indictment, following Guinan's acquittal, prosecutors declined to press the case against Granlund.Hoefling, Larry J. (2008) ''Nils Thor Granlund: The Swedish Showman Who Invented American Entertainment'' (McFarland & Company. page 108)

Nightclub ownership

September 15, 1938, after operating successful reviews on Broadway and touring the U.S., Granlund opened his first nightclub as sole owner.NY Journal American; ''NTG’s Midnight Sun Opens with a Flourish'' September 21, 1938. The Midnight Sun featured a Swedish motif and relied on the sales of food over liquor, but offered the same live stage presentations. In a syndicated column describing his innovations in the ''New York Times'', Granlund is credited with having invented the modern nightclub.Lowell MA SUN, ''Young Folk Have All Grown Up'' June 7, 1934. His Hollywood Restaurant on Broadway set all-time night club entertainment standards. The famed Paradise Restaurant in New York City was also his creation.

Hollywood

His ''Congress of Beauty'' exhibition at the

1939 New York World's Fair The 1939 New York World's Fair (also known as the 1939–1940 New York World's Fair) was an world's fair, international exposition at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, New York, United States. The fair included exhibitio ...

met with mixed reviews and financial disaster, forcing Granlund to shut down the showgirl revue early. Within a year, he relocated to California, setting up a chorus line revue at Hollywood's Florentine Gardens, an act generally panned by Variety, but one which during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, held great appeal to California-based servicemen, and boosted Granlund into the ranks of the nation's top grossing entertainment acts.Seasonal Mailing; Chamberlain and Lyman Brown Theatrical Agency, NYPL, Billy Rose Theater Collection, NTG clipping file. While in Hollywood, he was featured in several motion pictures, generally appearing as himself, and 1942's ''Rhythm Parade'

was set at the Florentine Gardens.

Later years

After seven years in Hollywood, Granlund made an unsuccessful return to New York City, staging his familiar shows that were increasing panned by critics as throwbacks to vaudeville.Variety Magazine; Greenwich V. Inn, NY; Review; November 13, 1946. His shows at the Frivolity, The Greenwich Village Inn, and the Rio Cabana were savaged by '' Variety'' critics. Returning to California, he staged revues for several West Coast nightclubs, and briefly hosted a radio talk show as well as a televised amateur variety production on KCBS-TV, KTSL, a short-lived program called ''Backstage with NTG''.Long Beach, CA Independent, Tele-Vues; Vernon, Terry; May 1, 1950. Actress

Elinor Donahue Elinor Donahue (born Mary Eleanor Donahue; April 19, 1937) is an American retired actress known for playing the role of Betty Anderson, the eldest child of Jim and Margaret Anderson, on the 1950s American sitcom ''Father Knows Best''. Early li ...

has related how he helped out both her and her mother with much needed groceries, when she appeared on this show during a very lean time in her career. The publication of his memoir, ''Blondes, Brunettes, and Bullets'' briefly resurrected his name from the obscurity into which he had fallen, and four weeks after its release, Granlund was in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

negotiating a chorus line production contract when his taxi was struck leaving the Riviera Hotel and Casino. He died of head injuries on April 21, 1957. Funeral arrangements were made by actress

Yvonne De Carlo Margaret Yvonne Middleton (September 1, 1922January 8, 2007), known professionally as Yvonne De Carlo, was a Canadian-American actress, dancer and singer. She became a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film star and sex symbol in the 1940s a ...

, whom Granlund had hired as a dancer at the Florentine Gardens, one of the multitude of stars who owed their first break in show business to Granlund.