Ernest Harold Martin (born Ernest Harold Markowitz; August 28, 1919 – May 7, 1995) was an American Broadway producer who wrote the book for a musical, owned a Broadway theater and produced motion pictures.
He is known for the Broadway productions of Guys and Dolls, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, as well as the films A Chorus Line (1985) and Cabaret (1972; nominated for ten Oscars).
Early life and education
He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he was elected president of the senior class.
Career Martin began his career at CBS Radio, where he quickly rose to the position of head of programming.
Martin, singly or with Cy Feuer, was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Musical five times with Walking Happy (1967); Skyscraper (1966), Little Me (1963); How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1962), and Guys and Dolls (1951). Little Me and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying also garnered them nominations for the Tony Award for Best Producer of a Musical. How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Guys and Dolls won the Tony Award for Best Musical, while "Business" also won the Best Producer Tony and the Pulitzer Prize.
Feuer and Martin owned Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre from 1960 to 1965."Feuer and Martin Sell Lunt-Fontanne Theater". The New York Times. They were so successful as producers on Broadway that they were dubbed "The Golddust Twins". Martin was a master at conceptualization and initiator of many Broadway and film classics, while Feuer was a master at directing and executing on the ideas. Feuer was known to say, "Ernie was the sparkplug and I was the engineer".
Martin managed the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera from 1976 to 1980 as well as its sister Civic Light Opera in San Francisco, bringing Broadway shows to the West Coast and creating and cultivating new shows (such as Liza Minnelli's The Act) prior to taking them to Broadway."Ernest H. Martin Dies". The New York Times.
Personal life He was married three times, twice to women named Nancy, and his third wife was Twyla Martin. One of his wives was the actress Nancy Guild (1925–1999), to whom he was married from 1951 to 1975; they had three children: Cecilia and Polly (deceased 2004), as well as Liz (who was Nancy Guild's daughter from a prior marriage).
Broadway productions The Act [Original, Musical] Oct 29, 1977 – Jul 1, 1978; produced by Feuer & Martin The Goodbye People [Original, Play] Dec 3, 1968 – Dec 7, 1968; produced by Ernest H. Martin Walking Happy [Original, Musical] Nov 26, 1966 – Apr 16, 1967; produced by Ernest H. Martin Skyscraper [Original, Musical, Comedy] Nov 13, 1965 – Jun 11, 1966; produced by Feuer & Martin Little Me [Original, Musical, Comedy] Nov 17, 1962 – Jun 29, 1963; produced by Feuer & Martin How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying [Original, Musical, Comedy] Oct 14, 1961 – Mar 6, 1965; produced by Feuer & Martin Whoop-Up [Original, Musical, Comedy] Dec 22, 1958 – Feb 7, 1959; produced by Ernest H. Martin; Book by Ernest H. Martin Silk Stockings [Original, Musical, Comedy] Feb 24, 1955 – Apr 14, 1956; produced by Feuer & Martin The Boy Friend [Original, Musical, Comedy] Sep 30, 1954 – Nov 26, 1955; produced by Feuer & Martin Can-Can [Original, Musical, Comedy] May 7, 1953 – Jun 25, 1955; produced by Feuer & Martin Where's Charley? [Original, Musical, Comedy] Jan 29, 1951 – Mar 10, 1951; produced by Feuer, Martin & Rickard Guys and Dolls [Original, Musical, Comedy] Nov 24, 1950 – Nov 28, 1953; produced by Feuer & Martin Where's Charley? [Original, Musical, Comedy] Oct 11, 1948 – Sep 9, 1950; Produced by Ernest H. Martin
References
External links