Abel Green (June 3, 1900 – May 10, 1973) was an American journalist best known as the editor of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' for forty years.

Sime Silverman Simon J. Silverman (May 19, 1873 – September 22, 1933) was an American journalist and newspaper publisher. He was the founder of the weekly newspaper ''Variety'' in New York City in 1905, which gave theatre and vaudeville reviews and the Hol ...

first hired Green as a reporter in 1918, and Green's

byline The byline (or by-line in British English) on a newspaper or magazine article gives the name of the writer of the article. Bylines are commonly placed between the headline and the text of the article, although some magazines (notably ''Reader's ...

first appeared on May 30, 1919.

Biography

Green was born in New York, the son of Seymour A. Green and Berta Raines. He attended Stuyvesant High School, but dropped out of

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

. The first time his signature appeared in ''Variety'' was in the May 30, 1919, issue, when he reviewed the film ''

Playthings of Passion ''Playthings of Passion'' is a lost 1919 drama film directed by Wallace Worsley and starring Kitty Gordon. It was produced and released by an independent film company. Cast * Kitty Gordon - Helen Rowland *Mahlon Hamilton - Henry Rowland * Lawson ...

'', signing it "Abel". By 1925 he penned a column in the music section headed "Abel's Comment". Later, in 1928 he wrote a weekly column in ''Variety'' called "Around New York" and one called "Radio Rambles". After Silverman died in 1933, Green took over as editor of ''Variety''. Green was responsible for the creation of much of ''Variety'' characteristic jargon, including the 1935 headline "

Sticks Nix Hick Pix "Sticks Nix Hick Pix" is a famous headline printed in '' Variety'', a newspaper covering Hollywood and the entertainment industry, on July 17, 1935, over an article about the reaction of rural audiences to movies about rural life. ''Variety'' was ...

"; in his obituary, ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'' said that if ''Variety'' was the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

of show business, then Green "was its King James". In 1951, Green collaborated with

Joe Laurie Jr. Joe Laurie Jr. (February 24, 1892 – April 29, 1954) was an American vaudeville monologist who later performed on radio and on Broadway. He was born in New York City.DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of ...

on ''Show Biz: From Vaude to Video'', a history of show business. He also edited ''The Spice of Variety'' in 1952, a compilation of ''Variety'' articles. Green co-wrote the 1933 film '' Mr. Broadway'' with

Ed Sullivan Edward Vincent Sullivan (September 28, 1901 – October 13, 1974) was an American television personality, impresario, sports and entertainment reporter, and syndicated columnist for the ''New York Daily News'' and the Chicago Tribune New Yor ...

. He appeared in the 1947 film '' Copacabana''. He married Grace Fenn on June 3, 1921, and was married for 52 years. Like Silverman, Green always wore a bowtie. He died of a heart attack at his home at 55 Central Park West.

Bibliography

*''Inside "Variety": The Story of the Bible of Show Business (1905-1987)'' by Peter Besas. Madrid: Ars Millenii, 2000. *''God Wears a Bow Tie: A Novel of Show Business'' by

Lyle Stuart Lyle Stuart (born Lionel Simon; August 11, 1922June 24, 2006) was an American author and independent publisher of controversial books. He worked as a newsman for years before launching his publishing firm, Lyle Stuart, Incorporated. A former pa ...

. New York: Greenberg, 1949.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Abel 1900 births 1973 deaths American editors New York University alumni 20th-century American non-fiction writers Variety (magazine) editors