Jack Koeppel Rollins (born Jacob Rabinowitz; March 23, 1915 – June 18, 2015) was an American film and television producer and talent manager of comedians and television personalities.[1] His first major success came in the 1950s when he managed actor and singer Harry Belafonte. Rollins co-wrote the song "Man Piaba" with Belafonte on his debut RCA Victor album Mark Twain and other Folk Favorites, released in 1954. In 1958, he helped create and promote the comedy duo Nichols and May. He went on to help shepherd the careers of several prominent comedians with his partner Charles H. Joffe, beginning in 1960 with Woody Allen and later with Dick Cavett, Billy Crystal, David Letterman, and Robin Williams.
Jack Rollins | |
|---|---|
 Rollins in 1984 | |
| Born | Jacob Rabinowitz March 23, 1915 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | June 18, 2015 (aged 100) Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Film and television producer and talent manager |
| Years active | 1952–2015 |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | World War II |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Battles / wars | China Burma India Theater |
Rollins' work as a film and television producer was closely tied to the artists that he managed. He was credited as an executive producer on many of the films directed by Woody Allen from 1969 to 2015.[2][3] From 1970 to 1972, he was an executive producer on ABC's The Dick Cavett Show and, from 1982 to 1992, he was an executive producer of the NBC series Late Night with David Letterman. Between the two shows, he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award ten times.
Life and career
editBorn Jacob Rabinowitz in Brooklyn, Rollins was the son of Yiddish-speaking immigrants from Russia. In 1933, he graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School, and in 1937 earned a bachelor's degree from the City College of New York. He spent two years working for an orphanage in Chicago before being drafted into the United States Army during World War II.[4]
Rollins worked as a decoder of communications in India during the war where one of his commanding officers was actor Melvyn Douglas. Rollins assisted Douglas in staging shows at the China Burma India Theater and developed a friendship with him. While stationed in India as a sergeant in 1944, he participated in radio programs to entertain troops.[5] After the war, Douglas assisted Rollins in developing the professional contacts he needed to begin working as a producer on Broadway.[4]
Rollins' work as a Broadway producer during the late 1940s and early 1950s proved to be difficult and ultimately unfruitful. He abandoned this pursuit in 1951 when he established a one-man talent agency in Midtown Manhattan. He worked with the then-unknown Harry Belafonte.[6] He later became partners with Charles H. Joffe and they successfully managed the careers of several artists, most of whom were comedians, among them Woody Allen, Dick Cavett, Billy Crystal, Robert Klein, David Letterman, Robin Williams, and the comedy duo Nichols and May. Joffe focused more on Allen, with Rollins focusing on others.[7] He was approached in the early 1960s by legendary comedian Lenny Bruce concerning management and possible representation. According to Rollins' wife, Jane, Rollins declined due to Bruce's personal issues.[4][8]
In his 2005 Cecil B. DeMille Award acceptance speech, Robin Williams referred to Jack Rollins as 'the most ethical man in show business'.
Rollins was producer for The David Letterman Show (1980) and Late Night with David Letterman from its inception in 1982 until 1992.
Rollins was a close friend of jazz pianist Bill Evans, with whom he owned a racehorse named 'Annie Hall'.[9] Rollins died on June 18, 2015.[10][11]
Filmography
editExecutive producer
editFilm
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Don't Drink the Water | Director: Howard Morris |
| Take the Money and Run | Director: Woody Allen | |
| 1971 | Bananas | Director: Woody Allen |
| 1972 | Play It Again, Sam | Director: Herbert Ross |
| Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) |
Director: Woody Allen | |
| 1973 | Sleeper | Director: Woody Allen |
| 1975 | Love and Death | Director: Woody Allen |
| 1976 | The Front | Director: Martin Ritt |
| 1977 | Annie Hall | Director: Woody Allen |
| 1978 | Interiors | Director: Woody Allen |
| 1979 | Manhattan | Director: Woody Allen |
| 1980 | Stardust Memories | Director: Woody Allen |
| 1982 | A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy | Director: Woody Allen |
| 1983 | Zelig | Director: Woody Allen |
| 1984 | Broadway Danny Rose | Director: Woody Allen |
| 1985 | The Purple Rose of Cairo | Director: Woody Allen |
| 1986 | Hannah and Her Sisters | Director: Woody Allen |
| 1987 | Radio Days | Director: Woody Allen |
| September | Director: Woody Allen | |
| 1988 | Another Woman | Director: Woody Allen |
| 1989 | New York Stories | Segment: Oedipus Wrecks |
| Crimes and Misdemeanors | Director: Woody Allen | |
| 1990 | Alice | Director: Woody Allen |
| 1991 | Shadows and Fog | Director: Woody Allen |
| 1992 | Husbands and Wives | Director: Woody Allen |
| 1993 | Manhattan Murder Mystery | Director: Woody Allen |
| 1994 | Bullets over Broadway | Director: Woody Allen |
| 1995 | Mighty Aphrodite | Director: Woody Allen |
| 1996 | Everyone Says I Love You | Director: Woody Allen |
| 1997 | Deconstructing Harry | Director: Woody Allen |
| 1998 | Celebrity | Director: Woody Allen |
| 1999 | Sweet and Lowdown | Director: Woody Allen |
| 2000 | Small Time Crooks | Director: Woody Allen |
| 2001 | The Curse of the Jade Scorpion | Director: Woody Allen |
| 2002 | Hollywood Ending | Director: Woody Allen |
| 2003 | Anything Else | Director: Woody Allen |
| 2004 | Melinda and Melinda | Director: Woody Allen |
| 2005 | Match Point | Director: Woody Allen |
| 2006 | Scoop | Director: Woody Allen |
| 2007 | Cassandra's Dream | Director: Woody Allen |
| 2008 | Vicky Cristina Barcelona | Director: Woody Allen |
| 2009 | Whatever Works | Director: Woody Allen |
| 2010 | You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger | Director: Woody Allen |
| 2011 | Midnight in Paris | Director: Woody Allen |
| 2012 | To Rome with Love | Director: Woody Allen |
| 2013 | Blue Jasmine | Director: Woody Allen |
| 2014 | Magic in the Moonlight | Director: Woody Allen |
| 2015 | Irrational Man | Director: Woody Allen |
Television
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | The Woody Allen Special | Comedy Special |
| 1969-1971 | The Dick Cavett Show | 8 episodes |
| 1982 | The Marx Brothers in a Nutshell | Television documentary |
| 1982-1992 | Late Night with David Letterman | 263 episodes |
| 1986 | David Letterman's 2nd Annual Holiday Film Festival | Television Special |
| 1988 | Late Night with David Letterman: 6th Anniversary Special | Television Special |
| 1989 | Late Night with David Letterman: 7th Anniversary Special | Television Special |
As an actor
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | To Woody Allen from Europe with Love | Himself | Documentary | [12] |
| 1980 | Stardust Memories | Studio Executive | ||
| 1984 | Broadway Danny Rose | Jack Rollins | ||
| 1996 | Nichols and May: Take Two | Himself | Documentary, PBS | |
| 2004 | Funny Already: A History of Jewish Comedy | Himself | TV-Movie documentary | |
| 2011 | Woody Allen: A Documentary | Himself | Documentary, PBS |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Variety Series | The Dick Cavett Show | Nominated | [13] |
| 1971 | Outstanding Variety Series - Talk | Nominated | |||
| 1981 | Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Variety Series | The David Letterman Show | Nominated | |
| 1984 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Program | Late Night with David Letterman | Nominated | |
| 1985 | Nominated | ||||
| 1986 | Nominated | ||||
| 1987 | Nominated | ||||
| 1988 | Nominated | ||||
| Late Night with David Letterman: The 6th Anniversary Special |
Nominated | ||||
| 1989 | Late Night with David Letterman | Nominated | |||
| 1990 | Nominated | ||||
| 1991 | Nominated | ||||
| 1992 | Nominated | ||||
| 1994 | CableACE Award | Best Stand-Up Comedy Special | Rick Reynolds: Only the Truth Is Funny | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ D.S.S. Form 1 Military Draft Registration Card completed on October 16, 1940. Name was listed as "Jack Koeppel Rollins", Address was listed as "588 Van Siclen Ave. Brooklyn New York", and Place of Birth was listed as "Brooklyn".
- ^ Meade, Marion (December 6, 2010). The Unruly Life of Woody Allen. E-reads/E-rights. pp. 53–. ISBN 978-1-61756-068-2. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
- ^ Bailey, Peter J. (April 2003). The Reluctant Film Art of Woody Allen. University Press of Kentucky. p. 107. ISBN 978-0-8131-9041-9. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
- ^ a b c McFadden, Robert D. (June 18, 2015). "Jack Rollins Dies at 100; Managed Comedy Greats Like Woody Allen". The New York Times.
- ^ "Seeks Buddy 2 Years, Finds Him Afloat at Sea Off Normandy", Brooklyn Eagle, Brooklyn, New York, 103rd year, number 283, October 15, 1944, page 15. (subscription required)
- ^ Gerard, Jeremy (June 19, 2015). "Jack Rollins, Producer Who Made Woody Allen & Robin Williams Laugh, Dies At 100". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
- ^ "Charles H. Joffe, 78; top manager of comedic talent co-produced Woody Allen's films". Los Angeles Times. July 12, 2008. Retrieved July 12, 2008.
- ^ Coleman, Janet (November 1, 1991). The Compass: the improvisational theatre that revolutionized American comedy. University of Chicago Press. p. 239. ISBN 978-0-226-11345-6. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
- ^ Verchomin, Laurie (2010). The Big Love, Life and Death with Bill Evans. ISBN 978-1-4565-6309-7.
- ^ Jack Rollins Dies at 100; Produced Comedy Greats Like Woody Allen
- ^ Stoliar, Steve (April 6, 2015). "Jack Rollins, Woody Allen's Legendary Manager-Producer, Celebrates 100th Birthday". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ^ "Jack Rollins". IMDb.
- ^ "Jack Rollins - Award". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
External links
edit- Jack Rollins at IMDb