Hal Kanter | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 18, 1918 Savannah, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | November 6, 2011(2011-11-06) (aged 92) Encino,California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Writer, producer, director |
| Years active | 1954–2008 |
| Known for | Work as creator/executive producer of the NBC-TV seriesJulia as well as writer for numerousAcademy Awards broadcasts |
| Spouse(s) | Doris Kanter (1941-2011) (his death, 3 children)[1] |
Hal Kanter (December 18, 1918 – November 6, 2011)[2] was an American writer, producer and director, principally for comedy actors such asBob Hope,Jerry Lewis, andElvis Presley (inLoving You andBlue Hawaii), for both feature films and television. Kanter helpedTennessee Williams turn the play by Williams into the film version ofThe Rose Tattoo. He was regularly credited as a writer for theAcademy Award broadcasts. Kanter was also the creator and executive producer of the television seriesJulia.
Kanter was born to aJewish family inSavannah, Georgia.[3] He started his career peddling jokes toEddie Cantor for his radio program. Kanter recalls, "I'd listen to his show and say, 'I can write jokes as funny as that,' so I walked from my rooming house to his show, and told the guard, 'Mr. Kanter is here to see Mr. Cantor, figuring he'd see me because of our names, although his real name was Iskowitch. I was seventeen years old and had the nerve of a burglar."[4] Although Kanter was not hired by Cantor, one of his writers, Hugh Wedlock Jr., paid Kanter $10 per week to write jokes. Wedlock would then resell Kanter's jokes to Cantor. Kanter stated, "So I became a ghostwriter to a ghostwriter."[4]
March 1941 joined theUnited States Army serving till the end ofWorld War II in 1945. Kanter wrote, produced, and acted inArmed Forces Radio Service shows aired over stationsKOA (AM),KLZ, and other local stations inColorado. He built and ran radio stations inNaval Base Eniwetok andNaval Base Guam; and served as a combat correspondent onIwo Jima.
Kanter's autobiography,So Far, So Funny: My Life in Show Business, was published in 1999 by McFarland & Company, Inc., of Jefferson, North Carolina. The book chronicles his early life, his struggles in Hollywood during his early years, and his eventual success in show business in general and as a comedy writer in particular.
Kanter died at his home in Encino, California on November 6, 2011, at the age of 92.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
 | This article about a screenwriter is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
